Amy Shearn, Author at JSTOR Daily

Amy Shearn

Amy Shearn is the author of the novels The Mermaid of Brooklyn (Touchstone/Simon & Schuster, 2013) and How Far Is the Ocean from Here (Shaye Areheart/Crown, 2008), and the introduction to the novella The Little Bastard (Anchor & Plume Press, 2015). Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Real Simple, Martha Stewart Living, Poets & Writers, Oprah.com, and elsewhere. Amy is the assistant editor at JSTOR Daily.

On July 17, 1955, Argonne's BORAX III reactor provided all the electricity for Arco, Idaho, the first time any community's electricity was provided entirely by nuclear energy.

Arts & Culture

What Did Idaho Have to Do With the Cold War?

The real life history behind the 1961 nuclear accident fictionalized in Andria Williams' The Longest Night.

Samuel Smiles by Sir George Reid, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo

Arts & Culture

Before KonMari and NotSorry, There Was the Samuel Smiles’ Guide to Self Help

Samuel Smiles' 1859 book, Self Help, offered a groundbreaking approach to self improvement.

Education & Society

Neighborhood Gardens: A Housing Project Born of Unbridled Optimism

Long before Ferguson brought it into the news, St. Louis became famous for its monumentally disastrous Pruitt-Igoe Housing ...

Editors' Picks

Arts & Culture

A Very JSTOR Daily Mixtape

Academics and musicians have a lot in common. The JSTOR Daily playlist combines songs and scholarship.

Politics & History

3 Women Explorers You Should Know

Their names may not be widely recognized, but these three intrepid women explorers deserved broader acclaim for their accomplishments.

Science & Technology

Be Honest, Can You Really Tell Left from Right?

Laterality, or left-right orientation, takes years to master. A surprising percentage of adults struggle telling left from right, including some surgeons.

Arts & Culture

10 Ekphrastic Poems

Broadly defined, an ekphrastic poem describes another work of art. Here are some by Ocean Vuong, Aziza Barnes, Robert Hayden, Frank O’Hara, Danez Smith, and more.

Politics & History

Being a Victorian Librarian Was Oh-So-Dangerous

In the late 19th century, more women were becoming librarians. Experts like Melvil Dewey predicted they would suffer ill health, strain, and breakdowns.