For several decades, he has worked in publishing houses like Grove Press, Serpent's Tail, and Simon & Schuster as well as literary agencies like Donadio & Olson and Sterling Lord Literistic.
"[1] In high school, Silverberg began heading to nightclubs in downtown New York; he also worked at Charivari Sport, an Upper West Side clothing store founded by the Weiser family.
Both there and Danceteria, he promoted events beginning in 1984; among them were book launches for Burroughs, artist David Hockney, and writers Brad Gooch and Dennis Cooper, the latter of whom became his client later on.
The anthology featured writings from over 20 authors including Burroughs, Kathy Acker, Dennis Cooper, Essex Hemphill, Mary Gaitskill, Lynne Tillman, Terence Sellers, Bob Flanagan, Cookie Mueller, and others.
[13][14] Silverberg has since become affiliated with many artistic, literary, and cultural institutions in New York City including BOMB Magazine and the Member's Council of PEN American Center.
He has additionally served as a judge for the Gregory Kolovakos Award for AIDS writing, as well as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts Literature Program and the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund.
Moreover, he has acted as an editorial advisor to the Portable Lower East Side, has been a visiting faculty member at The New School, and currently teaches at the MFA Writing Program at Columbia University.