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A Writer with an Insatiable Passion for Kanji!
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Eve Kushner is a writer in Berkeley, California. She has published two books, as well as hundreds of articles in dozens of markets. To learn about her background, see About Eve.
Current Focus: Joy o' Kanji
Eve has written about kanji since 2005, first in creating Crazy for Kanji, then in writing the blog Kanji Curiosity for JapanesePod101.com from 2007 through 2010. All the while, she wrote other articles.
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Now Eve is focusing exclusively on kanji as part of her exciting new project, Joy o' Kanji. Because Joy o' Kanji is all-consuming, Eve is not accepting any new freelance work.
With Joy o' Kanji, she is writing an essay about each of the 2,136 Joyo kanji, the characters needed for daily use in Japan. This is obviously a lifelong project! These essays, which are downloadable in PDF format, give readers a full understanding of each character as nothing ever has. They also feature photos of kanji that bring the characters to life. You can download these extremely affordable essays from Joy o' Kanji. For even less money you can view photo albums of kanji in real-life contexts. The captions explain everything you'll want to know. There's also plenty of free material, all lending order to the often chaotic world of kanji.
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What's New
March 2014
Here's the latest at Joy o' Kanji:
February 28: I posted essay 1481 on 昔 (past; old times; long ago; ancient times; once upon a time; decade), "For Old Times' Sake." That's the 115th essay! I also posted the JOK Notebook entry "Making the Flowers Bloom." Finally, the February Joy o' Kanji newsletter is now out with a new contest and results from the last one, as well as behind-the-scenes exchanges with Mark Spahn and Wolfgang Hadamitzky, creators of the famous Kanji Dictionary. Catch up on all that you missed in February!
February 22: I posted the JOK Notebook entry "If It Takes All Day" and essay 1789 on 暮 (to live; earn one’s livelihood; grow dark; come to an end), "Born to Die." That's the 114th essay, which means that I've now completed 10 percent of the junior high school set! I also posted revisions of two essays, as detailed in the latest "What's New" post.
February 15: I posted the JOK Notebook entry "Crazy Names," Radical Note 72 on 日 (featuring a quiz by Mark Spahn and Wolfgang Hadamitzky!), and essay 1248 on 更 (furthermore; to renew; change; grow late; brand-new; night watch), "Time for a Change." That's the 113th essay!
February 8: I've posted the JOK Notebook entry "Giving an Inch" and essay 1587 on 駐 (parking; residing in; stationed), "Coming to a Halt." That's the 112th essay! I've also updated several essays, as detailed in the latest "What's New" post.
Eve's Books
Eve's 2009 book, Crazy for Kanji: A Student's Guide to the Wonderful World of Japanese Characters, is available for purchase on Amazon. You'll find lots of information about the book here, including press.
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Her first book, Experiencing Abortion: A Weaving of Women's Words, came out in 1997 from Harrington Park Press (which Taylor and Francis has since acquired) and is also available on Amazon. Ten years later, Experiencing Abortion received a mention in Newsweek!
Eve's Articles
Eve has written many types of articles, including profiles, features, book reviews, personal essays, and how-to articles. She has most enjoyed writing about the following interests:
- People with fascinating passions and visions
- Innovative and environmentally sensitive architecture
- Reproductive issues
- Movies
- Writing technique
- Personal experiences
- Food
Sample Articles on This Site
- "The Way of Kanji"
The East Bay Monthly published Eve's essay on kanji as her path to serenity. You can download this essay as a PDF. - "The Greater Goods: East Bay Companies Live by the Triple Bottom Line: Profits, the Planet and People"
This feature story about an inspiring new sector of the economy ran in the East Bay Monthly. Don't miss the five profiles posted on their own pages. (See the red links on the right-hand side of the main page.) The business world was uncharted territory for Eve, but the article fit with her longtime interest in profiling people with passions, visions, and missions. Susan H. Mac Cormac's InSight magazine article "The Emergence of New Corporate Forms" references "The Greater Goods." - "Building Blocks: Coordinating Contractors and Other Disasters"
This two-parter ran on the cover of the San Francisco Chronicle's "Home & Garden" section in November 2003. Don't miss Part Two, which is posted on its own page. - "Life Ahead of the Curve"
A profile of visionary architect Dan Liebermann, whose houses abound with curves and salvaged materials. This ran on the cover of the San Francisco Chronicle's "Home & Garden" section in July 2003. Don't miss the accompanying sidebar about a colony Liebermann has built. - "Artist Loves Chanciness"
A profile of papermaker Linda Lemon, who lets randomness control her artistic process. This ran inside the San Francisco Chronicle's regional section in May 2002. - "Go Forth and Multiply: Abortion in Hollywood Movies of the '90s"
This article originally appeared in Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture and was reprinted in the online magazine Bright Lights Film Journal. That's where the article link will take you. The article has also been reprinted in ProQuest Information and Learning, an educational database. In spring 2006, the article was recommended as side reading in a Rutgers University course, "Current Moral and Social Issues." In summer 2007, the article was quoted extensively in a piece by the Alliance of Women Film Journalists. After a Newsweek editor saw the article, she interviewed Eve and quoted her in a December 2007 article about the movie Juno. Finally, the article played a prominent role in a January 2010 article on Gender Across Borders. - "Beagleman"
This has to do with Eve's dog, her husband, and a man they met every night for years. The piece appeared in the East Bay Monthly.