About Ryan

A Little About Me

I am a novelist, essayist, poet, researcher, and professor of writing at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Global College.

I believe in good writing. I believe writing can be taught. I think the perfect sentence exists, and I look for it constantly. I believe that knowledge is more interconnected than we can imagine. I think the only way that writing can ever be learned is by writing, writing so much that your fingers hurt, and then writing some more. I think teachers of writing need to write frequently to understand their students. I believe research aids and supports the development of writing. I think that regardless of the question, more education is the answer. I believe in poetic grammar, extra innings in baseball, the power of compliments, soul mates, and that some feelings stay with you for a lifetime.