HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING I surf, which I suppose might be obvious, but I also spread the word, telling as many people as possible about the wonderful folks to be met on CS, and trying to counter any negative stereotypes. COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE Most memorable: Sharing a mattress with four other people in an over-air-conditioned Singapore apartment, with only one thin sheet to cover us all...

Zola, Murakami, Jean-Pierre Melville, Burgess, Chatwin, Dengue Fever, UA, Borges, the Clash, Portishead, the Wire... You know, I put those favorites down a couple years ago, and they're still accurate. But I might also add Neko Case, Sean Hayes (the singer, not the actor), Colson Whitehead, Gary Shteyngart, Geoff Dyer, the BPA and Sporto Kantès to bring things up to date.