# Who's the hottest writer out there? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 8, 2005, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618 "2005-12-08T04:12:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/1 "2005-12-08T04:12:16Z")
It occurs to me randomly today as I’m leafing through my copy of The Poisonwood Bible (really brilliant, by the way–long, but absolutely worth every word) and looking at the picture of Barbara Kingsolver on the back that a writer is almost never judged by their public appearance. Your typical celebrities with fan followings–actors, singers… so much of their fame is predicated on how they look in public; with writers, it’s almost purely intellectual. You never hear anybody saying, “Oh, I read the latest Dan Brown novel because he’s sooooo cute…” Yeah, yeah, I know. Pretty easy conclusion. Work with me here. Since it’s kind of fun to turn things upside down on their heads, who’s the hottest (physically hot, no cheating) writer out there? ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/2 "2005-12-08T04:21:15Z")
As much as I disagree with her writings, [Anne Coulter](http://i.timeinc.net/time/covers/1101050425/gallery/photos/photo06.jpg) is pretty hot, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/3 "2005-12-08T09:57:56Z")
Her beauty isn’t Cosmopolitan-conventional, exactly, but Sarah Vowell is one of the sexiest ink-stained wretches goin’. Yeah, baby. Maureen Dowd is drop-dead gorgeous, too. On the other side of the aisle: John Irving is a rugged, good-looking fellow, iddn’t he? ---
**Author:** ![Billy\_Powell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Billy\_Powell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billy_Powell)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/4 "2005-12-08T10:58:07Z")
Martha Nussbaum. I know several people who have taken an “interest” in her writings on the basis of her appearance. It doesn’t hurt that she’s correct, most of the time, in her analyses of, for example, literary texts, which is unusual. There are loads of hot academic types, who seem to lack that cracked-tooth, painted-fingernail, greasy-haired appearance of your usual deadbeat pop writer or journalist. Finding one who isn’t full of crap, on the other hand, is a problem. Suppose it doesn’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/5 "2005-12-08T11:10:12Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > You never hear anybody saying, “Oh, I read the latest Dan Brown novel because he’s sooooo cute…” Although that reason would make more sense. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/6 "2005-12-08T11:27:43Z")
[Delia Falconer](http://www.bryson.com.au/cfalconr.html) is a not unattractive woman and a brilliant, brilliant writer. Anna Marlis Burgard (no pic, sorry guys) is a damn fine looking woman and a great writer, too. mm ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/7 "2005-12-08T11:28:37Z")
Zadie Smith is pretty hot on the _On Beauty_ dust jacket. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/8 "2005-12-08T13:24:28Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > As much as I disagree with her writings, [Anne Coulter](http://i.timeinc.net/time/covers/1101050425/gallery/photos/photo06.jpg) is pretty hot, IMO. I can’t see it myself. Sure, she’s blonde (as if that really makes a difference)… but she appears dried up and bony to me. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/9 "2005-12-08T13:52:21Z")
Yeah, I didn’t find a real good picture of her to use, **Who\_me?** ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/10 "2005-12-08T13:55:04Z")
Unfortunately, I can’t find a better picture than [this](http://www.bookbrowse.com/biographies/index.cfm?author_number=879), bur that’s the mother/daughter writing team going by the name P. J. Tracy. Take your pick. ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/11 "2005-12-08T14:49:15Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > On the other side of the aisle: John Irving is a rugged, good-looking fellow, iddn’t he? No kidding. I went to a recent John Irving reading in Chicago, and not only was it a full house, there was an almost audible gasp from the ladies in the audience when he walked onstage. [Glen David Gold](http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/au-gold-glen-david.asp), author of **Carter Beats the Devil** and husband of Alice Sebold, gets my vote. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/12 "2005-12-08T15:01:01Z")
If you go for the sexy librarian look, there’s always [Joyce Carol Oates](http://www.themodernword.com/borges/borges_infl_oates.html). Daniel ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/13 "2005-12-08T15:19:18Z")
China Mieville. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/14 "2005-12-08T15:26:22Z")
I can’t seem to find a decent picture of either of them on the net, but [Terry McGarry](http://www.sff.net/people/terry_mcgarry/bio.htm) (she tends to widen her eyes too much when photographed) and [Alexandra Elizabeth Honigsberg](http://www.sff.net/people/d.honigsberg/writer/alexmilo.htm) are quite attractive in person. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/15 "2005-12-08T15:58:21Z")
[Neil Gaiman](http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/05/050317.gaiman.jpg) ain’t hard to look at (or listen to). I have a friend who thinks [Dave Eggers](http://voice.paly.net/media/images/eggers-05-09-2005.jpg) is hot, though personally I find him too annoying to be attractive. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/16 "2005-12-08T16:02:34Z")
I haven’t read her books, so can’t comment on quality, but [Plum Sykes](http://images.usatoday.com/life/_photos/2004/2004-04/15-sykes.jpg) is a very attractive woman… ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/17 "2005-12-08T16:18:48Z")
> [@PookahMacPhellimey](#): > > China Mieville. Seconded also, sometimes, [Clive](http://www.metronews.ca/uploadedImages/books-BarkerClive_article.jpg)[Barker](http://andrejkoymasky.com/liv/fam/biob1/bark2/bark2.jpg) . Hard to believe he’s in his fifties. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/18 "2005-12-08T16:29:06Z")
I guess I’d better [cite](http://runagate-rampant.netfirms.com/author/photos/clarke_3.shtml) as well then… In no way was this post a gratutious excuse to google for pictures of China Mieville. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/19 "2005-12-08T16:32:24Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > Maureen Dowd is drop-dead gorgeous, too. Yeah, I was wondering if her NYT head shot was just a very good picture of her, but she was on The Colbert Report recently and was looking very attractive. I loves me the redheads! ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618/20 "2005-12-08T17:04:29Z")
I don’t care for her books, but [Laurell Hamilton](http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/) is a knockout. I’ve seen her in person and can attest that the photo isn’t a touch-up job. Clive Barker’s gorgeous too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-hottest-writer-out-there/334618.md?page=2)