He then attended University of Texas at Austin, majoring English Literature.
[1] Smith has written for publications including Tin House, The Millions, and the Los Angeles Times.
[1] He has also reviewed books for publications including The Washington Post,[2] the Dallas Morning News,[3] and The Daily Beast.
The foundation of the work comes from a real-life bookstore that existed in Austin off U.S. Highway 290 that the author once frequented; he has stated that the book is largely based upon his own journey of coming out.
[1] The Los Angeles Review of Books wrote of his writing that, "guides us through this world of secret transactions and unwritten rules with skill and precision.