My Writing

Writing on Quora

In the past few years, I've become increasingly active on Quora.com. If Wikipedia is the sum of human knowledge, Quora aims to be the sum of human wisdom. I've read tons of incredible stories on Quora and learned many new points of view. Below are some of my own top posts.

• Why doesn't Batman just kill the Joker? (also reprinted in the Huffington Post)
• What are some things nearly everyone believes that actually aren't true?
• What are some mind-expanding books to read?
• How do atheists respond to Pascal's wager?
• What is the stupidest thing that you have ever done?
• Who is the greatest caricaturist in history?
• What does your bookshelf look like?
• How would you make a movie on "The Flash"?
• To what extent is the ability to draw innate?
• Why didn't ingenuity eradicate poverty?
• How can I learn to be satisfied by my drawings?
• Where is the best bagel in NYC?

What is the Secret Peace?

There's no doubt that countless dire crises consume the world. And yet, positive change is also all around us, under the media's radar. This book, written in 2010 after four years of research, explores history's true trend towards world peace: a convincing picture of declining war, advancing health, equal rights, revolutionary technology, and more, including the surprising reasons why. This powerful shift in perspective is needed now more than ever.

Read the introduction and first chapter (PDF, 600k)

Many of the rest of the writing samples below are from college when I was editor of the university newspaper. These are rather old; read at your own risk.

Art Column

• Photographic Memories
• Modern Art
• Art Stereotypes
• Art at Drew
• James Fiorentino
• Star Wars Art
• Caricaturing
• Art of the Wealthy
• Great Cartoons
• Technology and Art
• Leonardo da Vinci
• Art's Getting Better

Articles

• Drew's Interfaith Forum
• Persecution of Iranian Baha'is
• The Drew mailroom
• Pub break-in
• Guiliani attacks artists
• Letter to Editor: Religious Wars

Art: In-Depth

• Degas: The Ambiguous Scene
• Monet: 1867-1880
• Van Gogh and Spatiality
• Madness & Creativity
• Friedrich's God
• Screenprinting
• Appreciating Sequential Art
• Why Comics Aren't Popular

Writing Exercises

• Schooleys Mountain Park (PDF)
• Yoga in Cape May (PDF)
• Room Renovation (PDF)
• I am Hamilton, NJ (PDF)
• Origami (PDF)
• Writing Critique (PDF)
• Memories of the Writer's Workshop (PDF)

Interviews

• Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Steve Breen
• Index editor Cory Reynolds
• Football star Bart Oates
• Prolific NJ author John Cunningham
• Renaissance teacher Barbara Walker

Reviews

• The Matrix
• ART on Broadway
• Cool movies like Zero Effect
• Orpheus fiasco
• Chuck Close at MOMA
• Robert Birmelin