Category Archives: authors

“Absentminded” by Lydia Davis

Posted on May 7, 2014 by jyourist
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“Problem” by Lydia Davis

Posted on November 16, 2013 by jyourist
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Tinkers “tinkers.”

Posted on December 26, 2012 by jyourist

I’m in Ann Arbor watching my sister’s and her partner’s dog, Odo, while they are away for a few days. Ann Arbor is only about 40 minutes from where my mother and CJ live so this afforded me the opportunity … Continue reading →

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When is a book a book V: A Void

Posted on December 7, 2012 by jyourist

I wrote last year about how I introduced to my students a series of books that pushed the envelope around “when is a book a book?” (I, II, III, IV) I wanted them to see authors who really took the construct … Continue reading →

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“Keep on writing, Thomas.”

Posted on June 6, 2012 by jyourist

Ray Bradbury died yesterday at 91. He was a prolific author and claimed to have worked to write 1000 words a day. As a blogger, I’m lucky to write a couple hundred and certainly these few are not as imaginative … Continue reading →

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So much for Walden Two and cultural engineering…

Posted on March 20, 2011 by jyourist

Today is B.F. Skinner’s (1904-1990) birthday. He was a radical behaviorialist, a psychologist, novelist, and philosopher, famous for his ideas on behavior modification using continuous and/or variable reinforcement. When I was in college, my psychology professor, a committed Skinnerian, explained … Continue reading →

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Snow by Orhan Pamuk

Posted on March 19, 2011 by jyourist

I just finished Pamuk’s Snow. There was something magical about starting it during the huge snowfall that fell on Chicago. It pulled me into the story in a very tangible way, watching both the literal and symbolic layers accumulate around … Continue reading →

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Virginia in the waves

Posted on January 25, 2011 by jyourist

I have always been intrigued with Virginia Woolf, as much with the dreamy stream of consciousness of her writing as with her life and dramatic death (putting on her overcoat, filling its pockets with stones, so she would be weighted … Continue reading →

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