Andy Couturier, MA
Andy is the author of Writing Open the Mind (Ulysses Press, 2005). He is an essayist, a poet and a professionally-trained writing teacher. His writing has appeared in newspapers, magazines and literary journals including Adbusters, Creative Non-Fiction, The Japan Times, The North American Review, The Oakland Tribune, Kyoto Journal, Fiber Arts, The Writer, and others. One of his essays received an editor's nomination for a Pushcart Prize. An excerpt from his forthcoming book, A Different Kind of Luxury: Wisdom for Living the Good Life from the Mountains of Japan.(Stonebridge Press, 2009) appeared in an anthology of ecological writings put out by MIT Press, Writing the Future. He has taught writing at California State University, Hayward, and at JFK University.Follow these links to read an essay by the instructor which was nominated for a Pushcart Prize "Selling Indulgence in Corporate Japan."
TRAINING:
Andy received his MA from San Francisco State University in 1997 in English composition (the teaching of writing).
Areas of emphasis included:
Emotions in the Writing Process (presented at the SFSU Composition Forum)
Bringing Improvisation into Revision
Organizing Your Writing
Theories of Japanese Aesthetics as they apply to Writing and Teaching
He has strived to bring the insights of the composition field beyond the academic arena where they were developed.
PUBLISHED WORKS ON WRITING:
An article from Open Exchange Magazine,"Using Intuitive Collage to Tell the Story of Your Life."
From Kyoto Journal, "Asymmetry Writing and the Mind"
From The Writer Magazine, “Playtime for the Subconscious,”
PUBLISHED WORKS ON RURAL JAPAN:
"Living the Abundance of Less" (an excerpt from A Different Kind of Luxury) published by MIT Press
Writing the Future and in a slightly different form, in Kyoto Journal.
ESSAYS ON RACE AND CULTURE:
from The North American Review: "Fry It How You Like It" (large file!)
ARTICLES IN JAPANESE:
Yutakasa wo Ikiru (Nakamura Osamu)
Jikan Wa Jibun De Design Suru by Junko Motoyama.