But lately I've found myself wishing there were more people who could relate to the woes and wonders of installing punctuation or slashing apart a paragraph. She goes to lots of art functions with her boyfriend painter Bruce Pearson and sometimes finds it frustrating to be the only word person. But de la Torre believes that's changing. On the other hand, de la Torre questions the assumption that there are literary communities affixed to neighborhoods anyway. But she adds that Williamsburg, because of its small size, could become a neighborhood-driven community of writers if the writers continue to migrate here.
Artists are easy to spot.
They walk the streets in paint-splattered pants. They are in the hardware store buying sculpture supplies or high-wattage light bulbs. In restaurants, cafe, stores, and bodegas, they recognize and greet each other. They converse loudly about their studios, their art shows, their crappy day jobs. Maybe the problem is there are no office supply stores for writers to linger around in.