Joshua Foer

Joshua Foer (born September 23, 1982) is a freelance journalist living in New Haven, Connecticut, with a primary focus on hard sciences. He was the 2006 U.S.A. Memory Champion, which was described in his 2011 book, Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything. He spoke at the TED conference in February 2012.

Joshua Foer
Foer in 2007
BornSeptember 23, 1982 (1982-09-23) (age 38)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
OccupationJournalist, Writer
NationalityAmerican
Alma materYale University
GenreNon-fiction
SubjectsScience

Early life and education

Foer was born in Washington, D.C.. He is the younger brother of former The New Republic editor Franklin Foer and novelist Jonathan Safran Foer. He is the son of Esther Foer, former Director of Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, and Albert Foer, founder and former president of the think-tank American Antitrust Institute.[1][2] He was born in Washington, D.C. and attended Georgetown Day School.

Foer went on to attend Yale University, where he resided in Silliman College and Trumbull College and majored in ecology and evolutionary biology and graduated with a B.A. in 2004.

Career

Foer sold his first book, Moonwalking with Einstein, to Penguin for publication in March 2011.[3] He received a $1.2 million advance for the book.[1] Film rights were optioned by Columbia Pictures shortly after publication.[4]

In 2006, Foer won the U.S.A. Memory Championship, and set a new USA record in the "speed cards" event by memorizing a deck of 52 cards in 1 minute and 40 seconds.[5] Moonwalking with Einstein describes Foer's journey as a participatory journalist to becoming a national champion mnemonist, under the tutelage of British Grand Master of Memory, Ed Cooke.

Foer's works have appeared in The New York Times,[6] The Washington Post,[7] Slate,[8] The Nation,[9] and The New Yorker.[10] In 2007, the quarterly art & culture journal Cabinet began publishing Foer's column "A Minor History Of". The column "examines an overlooked cultural phenomenon using a timeline".[11]

Organizations

Foer has organized several websites and organizations based on his interests. He created the Athanasius Kircher Society, which had only one session, featuring Kim Peek and Joseph Kittinger.

Foer is the co-founder, along with Dylan Thuras, of Atlas Obscura,[12] an online compendium of "The World's Wonders and Curiosities".

He is also a co-organizer of Sukkah City.[13] Foer is also a co-founder of Sefaria, a non-profit organization dedicated to building digital experiences and infrastructure for Jewish texts.[14]

Bibliography
  • Moonwalking with Einstein, Penguin Press HC, March 3, 2011, ISBN 978-1-59420-229-2
  • Atlas Obscura: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders, Workman Publishing Company, 2016, 2019 ISBN 978-1523506484 (co-written with Dylan Thuras and Ella Morton)

References
  1. Dowd, Maureen (March 8, 2011). "Sexy Ruses to Stop Forgetting to Remember". The New York Times.
  2. http://www.antitrustinstitute.org/content/albert-foer
  3. Third Foer brother inks Penguin deal, Crain's New York Business, October 31, 2006
  4. Kilday, Gregg (March 16, 2011). "Columbia Acquires 'Moonwalking With Einstein' for Big-Screen Adaptation". The Hollywood Reporter.
  5. Foer, Joshua (February 15, 2011). "Secrets of a Mind-Gamer". The New York Times. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  6. The Kiss of Life, The New York Times, February 14, 2006
  7. "The Sky Isn't Falling (Yet)". The Washington Post. October 26, 2004. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  8. Rosin, Hanna. "How to win the U.S. memory championship. - Slate Magazine". Slate.com. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  9. "May 16, 2005". The Nation. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  10. Foer, Joshua. "Utopian for Beginners". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  11. "Columns". Cabinet (26): 7.
  12. "Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  13. "Sukkah City" Sam Grawe, Dwell, 2010-05-30.
  14. "'Sefaria' Text Site Could Expand Jewish Learning". The Jewish Week.
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