Reading with Dan Josefson

A Reading Experience

As a person who enjoys reading I must say that I had never before had the opportunity to attend to a lecture by an author especially when is about his first book. That’s not a feeling is the debut work of the New Yorker writer Dan Josefson. Josefson took some time to share his work with students and professors of Nassau Community College. I can definitely say that the presentation of Dan Josefson and his That’s Not a Feeling was a memorable experience.

Josefson has that look of a philosopher, a quiet and shy person but ready to listen to his audience. Dan Josefson is a person of few words who express himself through his writing. Josefson is certainly a promise of the creative and freestyle writing who once immersed in his reading turns into each character of his play.

            In That’s Not a Feeling Josefson reflects his experiences as former teacher at a boarding school. The novel revolves around Benjamin a formerly suicidal teenager who is left by his parents in the Orchard Boarding School for troubled students in upstate New York. The name of the novel is because of the feelings that are and are not allowed in Orchard’s. That’s Not a Feeling is an amusing novel which at the same time it is a satirical representation of our society.

Josefson spent some time interacting with his audience at the end of the reading. With a more relaxed appearance and in confidence Josefson shared how hard it is to write a book. It took to him about ten years among writing, editing, and find an editorial to publish his first work full of dreams and long hours of editing; certainly was a long way with a lot of rewarding and satisfactions for Josefson. Something remarkable about the presentation was noting Josefson enjoying the spontaneous questions of the students more than the prefabricated questions of his former interviewers.

That’s Not a Feeling is a highly recommended novel which is led to a variety of readers, not only a funny novel, but also critical of society’s ills. In a very personal opinion I think this novel has certain similarities with Looking for Alaska by John Green, but to say that is being disrespectful to a writer who took a long way to bring a very and playful work. I will also recommend to support Dan Josefson and other young writers by reading and appreciating their work.

Josefson, Dan. ʺThat’s not a feelingʺ n.p.. The Creative Writing Project. Holly Patterson Library, Nassau Community College, Long Island, NY. 29 October 2014

For more about Dan Josefson visit: danjosefson.com