O chestnut tree, great rooted blossomer, Are you the leaf, the blossom or the bole? O body swayed to music, O brightening glance, How can we know the dancer from the dance? William Butler Yeats Among School Children
April in Paris, Chestnut in blossom... Jardin du Luxembourg, 2014.
James Ryan was born and raised in New York City. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he holds advanced degrees in economics (MBA) and English literature (MA), a Master of Fine Arts degree (MFA) from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in literature. He writes and has published poetry, fiction, literary criticism, and political commentary. He taught creative writing at Columbia University in New York and literature at Kadır Has University in Istanbul, Turkey. His writings appear at: