Welcome! On this site, I tell what I’ve learned from Aesthetic Realism, the philosophy founded by the American poet, critic, and educator Eli Siegel. It teaches people how we can see the things that affect us every single day in a way we’re proud of: our feelings about the people we know, our jobs, love, education, the arts, and endlessly more—including, in 2022, an ongoing pandemic and enormous worry about events in our nation and the world.
Studying Aesthetic Realism has strengthened me in so many ways, and enabled me to change in ways I always hoped for. I have a joyous and useful life, which includes a rich career as an English educator in New York City and a deep and happy marriage. Everyone’s life can be made better, stronger, and happier through the knowledge of Aesthetic Realism.
On the pages of this site, you can read:
articles on the tremendous effectiveness of the Aesthetic Realism Teaching Method,
which has been used with great success by many K-12 teachers in the NYC area, including me.
talks presented at public seminars at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation
on subjects that concern everyone: including love, kindness, justice, and how to see other people. From my papers, and some by my colleagues, you’ll see how the study of Aesthetic Realism makes for real pride and self-respect!
reports of lectures by Eli Siegel and classes taught by Ellen Reiss,
the Aesthetic Realism Chair of Education, with whom I’m proud to study. Some of these reports are on poetry, the relation of art and science, and the wonderful meaning of idioms.
links to many resources I find valuable.
I’ve included links to websites useful for English teachers. There’s also a page pointing to various resources about the study of Aesthetic Realism.
To start reading, click on any of the links on the right or the tabs in the menu above. You can also check out my blogs: “Aesthetic Realism and the Works of Edith Wharton,” and “The Aesthetics of…”. Enjoy!