People Magazine notwithstanding, gossip is fun. Learning about people’s backgrounds is too.
Typically, though, I don’t know much about the backgrounds of the people who submit to eLearn Magazine beyond their e-learning experiences. A notable exception to this is Roger Schank, because I read many of his books in graduate school, heard him speak, and have a friend who was Roger’s student.
Sue Landay, eLearn Magazine’s newest author, told me about her background and it is fascinating:

About a week before I graduated from Yale (’86), the circus was in New Haven. A pretty good school friend had a friend from home who was on the show. After chatting with him for bit, I learned that auditions would be held in NYC in Madison Sq. Garden during a week I had planned to be in the city visiting my sister. So I went to the audition (I’d done gymnastics in grade school and middle school, and did some humorous mime in college). I never REALLY planned to join… but after my first entry-level job in advertising got stale, I decided it would be an interesting experience – at least as good as taking some time off to travel! So I sent in my application and a few months later, learned I’d been accepted.
It was a great experience that gave me a lot of appreciation for people who choose physical (rather than intellectual or cerebral) work, but also helped me realize that I needed a balance of the two. It’s kind of fun/funny to see where I am now, 20+ years later, still doing that “balancing act” of mixing play with purpose.

Should this be a one-time thing or should I ask all eLearn Magazine authors – and readers – about their backgrounds and how it impacted them?