Here I am after delivering a paper at the International James Joyce Conference in Dublin in June 2004. Friends who booked a suite at the Dublin Marriott were startled to find this plastic swing in a futuristic glassed-in room that overlooked the living room below. We assume it is some sort of meditation center! Whatever it is, Joyceans dubbed it the "pod," and it became a popular spot for photos. The photographer is Claire Culleton, Professor of English at Kent State University. For a fascinating story, check out her latest book, Joyce and the G-Men : J. Edgar Hoover's Manipulation of Modernism available at Amazon.
Company Origins
Innovative technology can transform learning. I have taught literature and writing to college students for more than two decades. As a Professor of Literature, I develop software for my own classroom to help students think themselves back into the worlds of the writers, artists, and historical figures they learn about, and in the process, to become better writers and thinkers themselves.
Currently, not much software exists for the arts and humanities college classroom or for adults who just want to learn more about arts and humanities subjects on their own. Helen Lily is addressing this need by bringing together humanities scholars and software developers. Programs currently under development include The Digital Wasteland, Hemingway's Paris, and East Meets West: Caligraphy 101
The Name
My name is Sue Swartzlander. I have a Ph.D. in Literature from the Pennsylvania State University and extensive experience teaching literature and writing to college students. In addition, I have developed software for my own students, as well as online courses for teachers on subjects such as integrating technology in the arts and humanities classroom. If you are interested, you can view my resume here.
Helen and Lily were my grandmothers, both intelligent, independent, hard-working women who persevered in some difficult circumstances. One lived through the Great Depression and the other endured the Blitz in WWII London. What better place to turn to for inspiration as my colleagues and I take our ideas and innovations beyond our own classrooms?