Jana M. Perkins, PhD

@janajm.com

5081 Followers 172 Following

🎙️ host, @womenofletters.org ✍️ conversations on work, writing, & professional success with the women shaping our cultural landscape 📍 croatian-canadian 🏳️‍🌈 in 🇭🇷 📸 mostly on insta these days: @janajm

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Ripple effects and waves: In conversation with Anna Malaika Tubbs "I was invited to give a TED Talk, and I was pregnant at the time. I knew that I would have to deliver the TED Talk when my baby was only three months old." WOMENOFLETTERS.SUBSTACK.COM
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A screenshot of text that reads: “I’ve been talking about this book to anyone who will listen, ever since I had the chance to proofread it. So often, I work on fiction or memoir. It was a treat to step into this world of data and ideas. As an economist and professor at Wharton, Corinne Low insists that no one-size-fits-all goal exists to describe happiness. Any self-help book that assumes people of all genders are aiming to maximize the same result, such as money or fame, will be inherently flawed, according to the author. Instead, Low advocates for calculating your own “personal utility function,” which accounts for both indirect means to fulfillment and direct fulfillment. If you love your job, for example, you might get indirect utility (wages) and direct utility (enjoyment) from it. Although no one is likely to pay you for spending time with your kids, the direct utility of doing so has value, nonetheless. We all get to make our own individual valuations in these matters, and Low provides the tools to do so. I don’t have a background in economics, but this idea seems to me like a refreshing take.”
A photo of me at my desk, with a microphone in one hand and my laptop in front of me
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 Emily J. Smith mentioned your publication in their note. Absolutely LOVED this conversation with @Jana M. Perkins who is one of the kindest interviewers out there. About my path to writing, inspirations that kept me going, my next book, and much more. Thank you so much for having me, Jana!
A New Yorker cartoon depicting a bride and groom at the altar. The caption reads, "Now the bride and groom will read their own vows while we silently assess whose were more thoughtful"
A screenshot of text that reads: Pushing against the pull: In conversation with Emily J. Smith "Part of me wishes I’d opened my eyes up to writing earlier, but in a lot of ways I'm grateful that I had a different experience than most writers I know." WOMENOFLETTERS.SUBSTACK.COM
A screenshot from the Podcasts app on an iPhone, where an interview from the Talk Easy podcast is playing
A screenshot of text that reads: Having It All: In Conversation with Corinne Low "I really did not want my book to gaslight women about the real challenges that we face in making it all add up. I wanted to be really honest about my own struggles to make that all work." WOMENOFLETTERS.SUBSTACK.COM
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In conversation with Nikkya Hargrove "I am a hopeful person, and determined too, and my hopeful determination has never led me astray." WOMENOFLETTERS.SUBSTACK.COM"
The tiniest bunny you have ever seen in your life crossing the sidewalk of a city street
Large pink flowers in a small landscaped flowerbed
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A screenshot of text that reads: “There are two kinds of writers: those who write what they know and those who write what they don’t know. I’m in the second camp. I wake up excited to ask questions that confound me and to find answers that surprise me.” Jana M. Perkins A measure of worth: In conversation with Carrie Sun WOMENOFLETTERS.SUBSTACK.COM
An image of Henri-Edmond Cross’s “Landscape” painting, which features a lush and brightly coloured impressionistic landscape.
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 “The manner in which I had loved people was a symptom of how I moved through the world and understood my place in it. I had understood one of my life's tasks to be the management of others' perceptions of me. It was my job to attract them and then meet or placate their desires. I had performed this unconscious labor in every realm of social life. I had earned my living that way, my self-esteem, and my physical safety. It defined the silent economy of all my romantic relationships, which insisted that the rest of my life's passions must fit into the space cleared by a lover's satisfaction. My freedom was earned by their contentment. No one in possession of that ruthless part, whose first love was art, could sustain such a dynamic. Eventually, it exhausted me, the relationship collapsed, and I was on to the next. I had not invented it, but I could choose to set it down.”
An image of Paul Cézanne’s “Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses” painting, which features flowers and apples placed over a tablecloth on a small table
The book cover for Cory Leadbeater’s THE UPTOWN LOCAL
An image looking down over a wooden desk that features a laptop, keyboard, mouse, cup of tea, glass of water, and microphone
The cover of LIARS, a novel by Sarah Manguso
An image of a garden full of tulips
A screenshot of text that reads: “One thing I’ve learned, over the course of my career, is that you never know when someone from your professional past will later come to play a role in your professional present. And while you have no control over the circumstances that lead to a potential reconnection down the line, you do have control over how you treat people during those periods when you’re actively a part of each other’s lives.”
An image of Francis Danby’s painting “The Avon Gorge at Sunset,” which features a pastel-coloured landscape at sunset.
An image of a large atrium within an aesthetically-designed building
A screenshot of text that reads: “On the internet, protocols are a bit like a city's electrical grid-crucial to its functioning but invisible to most civilians. When you send an e-mail, you are making use of the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). When you visit any website, you are using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (hence the letters at the beginning of every address, HTTP). Because of SMTP, your e-mail account can send messages to any other e-mail account; you don't have to be a Gmail user to e-mail a Gmail user. Daniel Holmgren, one of Bluesky's head engineers, likened the company's protocol-called the Authenticated Transfer, or AT, Protocol-to an "open data lake"; whatever is in the water is public property, and any boat on the lake can dredge it up. Conventional social media, by contrast, is siloed: a Facebook account cannot follow or message a TikTok account. In recent years, Google,”
A screenshot of text that reads: “I also remember another strange moment — I suppose these are the forms in which mentorship arrives — that, when I was in graduate school, I received an acceptance from a journal called Paideuma, at the time focused on Pound studies. Most of us weren’t publishing, at that time, during doctoral work. … I still remember just deciding that I was going to send in an article because something had been going right with one of the papers that I’d been writing on Ezra Pound and his connection to deluxe editions. I found Paideuma, and I decided to send in the essay. And the senior editor — who was a grand figure of Pound studies, Carroll Terrell, who did the companion to Ezra Pound’s Cantos — wrote back; it was he himself who wrote back, with a typewritten letter. He had written something terse to the effect of, “You have a point. This is very interesting. We will publish this.” I think I may even have spoken to him by phone. At the time, we weren’t so elaborate in our professionalization. Quite otherwise. It was quite exciting to get an honest letter back, from Carroll Terrell directly. So those were a few of the moments of mentorship. Often there was very little about it that was formal or formalized.”
A screenshot of text that reads: “Writer, director, and actor Mark Duplass gave a 2015 keynote at SXSW where he debunked the concept of what he calls ‘the cavalry.’ The cavalry is any person, group, or company that you think will miraculously happen to notice your tremendous ability, your amazing work, your untapped potential — and, from there, pluck you out of obscurity into success.”
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An image of Roxane Gay on stage with Sasha-Ann Simons, with WBEZ Chicago projected on the screen behind them
An image of clouds against a blue sky
An image of Eugène Cicéri’s “Design for a stage set” watercolour drawing
A screenshot of text that reads: “Particularly in the context of recent events, it seems that the conditions are going to remain impossible for some time, and that the onus is only going to increasingly be on us to find some way to make a life in the midst of it all. I’m reminded, here, of something Marshall McLuhan shared in 1966: “There is a well-known story by Edgar Allen Poe. It is called ‘The Maelstrom’ — about a sailor who goes fishing one afternoon and becomes so absorbed in his thought that he forgets to notice the turn of the tide and suddenly is caught in a great whirlpool. He realizes he can’t row his boat out of the maelstrom and so he begins to study the action of the maelstrom. He observes that certain kinds of materials are sucked down into it and never return while other kinds pop up again. He attaches himself to one of these recurring objects and survives.””
A screenshot of text that reads: “In a recent Women of Letters interview, author Noreen Masud shared that she often thinks back to a saying of Doris Lessing’s: “Whatever you’re meant to do, do it now. The conditions are always impossible.” “And oh my goodness, it’s so true,” Masud says: “The conditions are always impossible, particularly if you’re a woman, if you’re a woman of colour — the conditions are always impossible. So you just have to. Whatever feels too overwhelming to do, do a kind of adjusted version of it. If you can’t write 500 words, write 300 words. That’s the other thing I do. I’m very indulgent with myself about targets: if I don’t meet a target one day, I halve the target. I don’t double it for the next day. If I can’t write a paragraph, I write a sentence. If I can’t write a sentence, I open the document and look at it.  I’m a big believer in that. And once you’ve opened the document, you can write a little bit. You know? That’s usually how it works.””
A screenshot of a YouTube video featuring Saoirse Ronan. Generated alt text: “A closer shot of the woman from the previous image, wearing the same cream-colored draped dress. She appears to be in an animated moment during the conversation, gesturing with her finger and expressing surprise or disbelief, with the caption "What?" at the bottom of the frame. The BFI logo is still visible in the top left corner.”
A screenshot of a YouTube video featuring Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet. Generated alt text: “An interview or Q&A session at what looks like the BFI (British Film Institute, based on the logo visible). Two people are seated in black chairs on a stage — a woman in a cream-colored dress and a man in a brown leather jacket and khakis. Both appear to be in a relaxed, casual conversation, with water bottles on small side tables next to them.”
A screenshot of a YouTube video. Generated alt text: “A podcast recording setup with three people sitting in comfortable chairs around a round coffee table. The room has a wood-paneled wall, decorative plants, and a TV mounted on the wall. There are microphones set up for each person and white coffee mugs on the table. The iHeart logo is visible in the corner of the frame.”
A screenshot of text that reads: “Elisa Gabbert on Her Writing Career | Women of Letters "I was a little too self-sufficient in my youth, I think, and a little too confident." WOMENOFLETTERS.SUBSTACK.COM”
The cover of Anna Funder’s book Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell’s Invisible Life
A screenshot of text over a background image of a painting featuring a prairire landscape that reads: “Women of Letters | An interview with Noreen Masud "The important thing is the time spent doing the thing that absorbs you. And in this world, that doesn't necessarily get to be a career." Available January 21st, 2025 WOMENOFLETTERS.SUBSTACK.COM”
A screenshot from the interview that reads: “Fast-forward to today. How did the path to what you’re doing now unfold? AS: I was always very interested in literature, but I never considered that I could study it. It seemed too easy, or indulgent. I studied anthropology in college and spent the years after graduation working whatever administrative, tutoring, and babysitting jobs I was offered. I did not really stand out in my academic accomplishments, and I didn’t get the types of intellectually stimulating jobs in the social sciences that I thought should be my career path. I had, at this time, moved to California where my boyfriend was completing his PhD. When my U.S. visa expired, I decided to apply to graduate schools just so we could be together. I’d been writing short stories during my lunch breaks and thought I could maybe get into a writing program. In part because I wanted to write, and in part because I didn’t seem to be good at anything else. This is all to say that I wouldn’t have started writing if I had gotten an interesting job after graduation, or started a graduate program in anthropology.”
A screenshot of a Word document. Displayed on the page is the following: “Where can our readers find you? In my novels and short stories.”
A screenshot of a thread from Hacker News. It reads: “- Arguably the goal post for AGI has moved about as much, if not more. One wonders if Turing reading a 2024 LLM chat transcript would say "but it's not really thinking!". - Passing the Turing test has always been a non-binary thing. Chat bots have been able to pass off as a human for a short time under certain circumstances. Now they can pass off as human for a longer time under more circumstances. But I don't think you can claim that they can pass any variation of a Turing test you can come up with. Has the AGI goal post been shifted? Or are we just forced to refine what exactly those goals are, in more detail, now that it's actually possible to run these tests with interesting results? - I think the Turing test came in part because Babies and Children take so long to learn language…”
Eadweard Muybridge’s “Mirror Lake, Valley of the Yosemite” photograph from 1872. Generated alt text: “A historic photograph of Mirror Lake in Yosemite National Park. It features a serene lake reflecting the surrounding landscape, including granite cliffs, mountains, and pine trees. The distinctive shape of Half Dome is visible in the background. The sepia tone suggests the photograph is old.”
Generated alt text: “This image is a surreal and creative digital composition that blends elements of technology with nature, particularly focusing on aquatic and sky themes. The central element is a computer monitor or screen emerging from what appears to be water. The screen displays a world map or global image in shades of blue. Around the monitor, there's a splash of water that seems to be frozen in time, creating a dynamic, circular shape. Swimming around the monitor are tropical fish, specifically what look like butterflyfish with their distinctive yellow and black striped patterns. There's also a small clownfish visible. Above the water line, the scene transitions to a bright blue sky with fluffy white clouds. Several seagulls are shown flying across this sky. Interspersed throughout the image are transparent bubbles or spheres of various sizes, some of which contain glimpses of what looks like a world map.”
Generated alt text: “The image shows a speaker event taking place at what appears to be an academic setting, specifically associated with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Grainger College of Engineering. The backdrop behind the speakers prominently features the logo of the University of Illinois (an orange "I" symbol) along with the text "Grainger Engineering" repeated in a pattern. Two individuals are seated on a stage in front of an audience. The person on the right is speaking, gesturing with one hand, while the other person is seated on the left, appearing to be preparing or reading notes. The audience is sitting in rows of chairs facing the stage, with some people taking notes or recording the event on their phones.”
Generated alt text: “The photo shows an airplane wing taken from a passenger's view inside the plane. Below the wing, there is a vast landscape featuring rolling plains, likely grassland or farmland, with a few scattered roads and structures visible. The sky above is mostly cloudy, with some patches of sunlight breaking through, casting light on parts of the land. In the distance, faint mountains can be seen on the horizon. The overall atmosphere is calm, with a mix of clouds and open sky.”
A screenshot of a Letterboxd review for the movie CHALLENGERS. The screenshot includes a poster for the movie and indicates that this review has received 24,084 likes. The review reads “This movie made me attracted to men”
Generated alt text: “The image shows a stuffed bear with a light brown color, wearing a pink and white striped shirt, blue pants, brown boots, and a small brown shoulder bag. The bear is standing in a field of yellow and white daffodils with green stems and leaves. The bear is holding one of the daffodils, and the background is filled with more daffodils and green grass. The lighting suggests it is a sunny day.”
A screenshot of a tweet that reads "GPT-6 will have an advice blog on how to switch from academia to industry." The tweet references a screenshot of a news article whose headline reads "GPT-5 will have 'Ph.D.-level' intelligence"
Generated alt text: “The image depicts a scene in a dimly lit diner with two characters seated at a booth. On the left, a woman with blonde hair, wearing a light-colored shirt, is looking towards the person on the right with a somewhat contemplative or serious expression. The person on the right, a woman with dark, curly hair, is dressed in a light grey shirt and appears to be listening intently. The booth is surrounded by dark wood paneling, enhancing the intimate atmosphere. Various items are visible on the table, including multiple beer bottles and glasses. A lamp on the table provides a warm glow, contrasting with the darker tones of the setting. The scene has a cinematic quality, suggesting a moment of dialogue or contemplation between the two characters.”
A screenshot of a video from Instagram featuring Colm TĂłibĂ­n standing in front of a Costco
Generated alt text: "This image shows a snapshot of the Apple website from July 14, 1997, as displayed on a vintage web browser interface. The top part of the browser includes navigation buttons like Back, Forward, Stop, Refresh, Home, Search, Mail, Favorites, and Preferences. The browser’s address bar displays a URL from the web archive, indicating that this is an archived page. The main content of the webpage features several sections. The overall design and functionality reflect the typical layout and user experience of late 90s web pages."
Generated alt text: "The image shows a scenic landscape featuring a coyote standing among vibrant yellow wildflowers. The background includes a variety of green vegetation and trees, with rolling hills extending into the distance. The sky is a light blue with some scattered clouds. The coyote, positioned slightly to the left in the image, appears to be alert and attentive. The photograph was taken on June 18, 2019, at 7:54 AM, according to the timestamp at the bottom of the image. The temperature was 50°F, as indicated in the lower left corner. The location is noted as Idaho, as per the label "IDAHOCAM03.""
Generated alt text: “The image depicts a screen from an old graphical interface, specifically from Apple's eWorld online service. The screen shows a virtual town with various buildings representing different sections of the service”
A screenshot of a post from This American Life that reads: "Hello! We're working on a story about a romantic relationship that ends after one person in the couple reads the book "South of the Border, West of the Sun" by Haruki Murakami. Has this happened to you or anyone you know after reading this specific book? We want to hear from you. Email story@thislife.org."
An image displaying two volumes of the Norton Anthology of English Literature
Generated alt text: “The image shows a dramatic scene of a lightning storm at night, with bright, jagged lightning bolts illuminating the dark sky. In the foreground, two deer are lying down on a grassy field, appearing calm despite the storm. The lightning creates a striking contrast with the night sky and the dark silhouette of trees in the background. The grass around the deer is brightly lit by the lightning, highlighting the natural beauty of the scene.”
A photo of the cover of Elisa Gabbert’s latest book, titled ANY PERSON IS THE ONLY SELF