Smokler is the author of "Practical Classics: 50 Reasons to Reread 50 Books You Haven't Touched Since High School" (2013), and the editor of “Bookmark Now,” a San Francisco Chronicle Notable Book of 2005. His writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Salon, BuzzFeed, Vulture, the San Francisco Chronicle and on NPR. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, cat, and most of MTV's first year on vinyl. His newest book is “Brat Pack America.”