Goodreads Choice Awards Finalists 2025
Barry Joseph
36 ratings | 33 reviews | avg rating:4.50

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Barry Joseph

Goodreads Author


Born
in Mineola, The United States
Website

Twitter
seltzertopia

Genre
Contemporary, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction

Member Since
August 2018


Barry Joseph is the Principal of Barry Joseph Consulting, a leader in innovating solutions for learning in a digital age. He is also the co-founder of the Games for Change Festival, the more than 20-year-old, multi-day event in New York City. As an early developer of after-school game design youth programming and now adjunct at New York University, Barry has been a national leader in both games-based learning and games for social impact, producing dozens of curriculums and games. Work and clients include the American Museum of Natural History, Girl Scouts of the USA, the RAND Corporation, the MacArthur Foundation, and the International Criminal Court. Barry has been featured by the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, CBS Morning N ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

Can you share any precepts/maxims that help you be the person you'd like to be?
Barry Joseph Justin, I see you like to ask this question; what interests you in it. A maxim I follow is "people first". That helps me to keep focused on what count…moreJustin, I see you like to ask this question; what interests you in it. A maxim I follow is "people first". That helps me to keep focused on what counts in most situations and not get distracted by shiny things. (less)
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How do you deal with writer’s block?
Barry Joseph I am very very lucky. I have never had writer's block. Maybe because I write because I love to write, because it gives me a natural high. When I write…moreI am very very lucky. I have never had writer's block. Maybe because I write because I love to write, because it gives me a natural high. When I write I am accessing a part of my brain that is deep and primal, and setting it loose - I feel powerful, like a superhero, like it's my power, a power to create. If I had to write for work, or under a deadline, I might get blocked up. That's why I wrote the entire book before I looked for an agent or publisher - I wanted to let the shape of the book emerge over time, through the creation process, and not shape by other constraints. Then again, to access the creative side of my mind, I actually find a little outside stimulation to be helpful, like music. In fact, almost the entire book was written then edited during my commutes to and from work on the NYC subway system - being locked in a train car for an hour, surrounded by all that stimulation, is all I needed to let my seltzer-prose flow. And, again, I hear from other's about dealing with writer's block and I just feel fortunate to have such a close connection with my muses. (less)
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Combine Editions

Average rating: 4.12 · 50 ratings · 18 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors
Seltzertopia: The Extraordi...
3.83 avg rating — 29 ratings — published 2018 — 5 editions
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Matching Minds with Sondhei...
4.92 avg rating — 12 ratings — published 2025 — 2 editions
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Friday is Tomorrow, or The ...
3.83 avg rating — 6 ratings — 9 editions
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Making Dinosaurs Dance: A T...
4.33 avg rating — 3 ratings — 5 editions
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* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

116 posts
Barry Joseph's Blog: Seltzertopia Blog

Book talk in Luna Park, Coney Island

Last night I had a blast giving my SeltzertopiaLive! presentation in Coney Island, with the screams from the Cyclone just feet behind me. The occasion was the monthly meeting of GANYC, the city’s association of independent tour guides. It was a treat to speak to an audience about what a gift it is to feel passionate about something and share it with others when that very audience lives this truth

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Published on August 07, 2025 06:34
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Barry is Currently Reading

Friday is Tomorro...
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by Barry Joseph (Goodreads Author)
bookshelves: currently-reading
read in January 2022
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Mar 03, 2022 11:26AM

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Barry’s Recent Updates

Barry Joseph liked Adam Brooks's review of Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Puzzles and Games of the Broadway Legend:
Matching Minds with Sondheim by Barry Joseph
"I think this book may be the most personally affirming thing I have ever read.

I’ve spent plenty of time reflecting on the spiritual nexus of puzzles, games, and theater writing, and this book was everything I could ever hoped for, and so much more. " Read more of this review »
Nov 13, 2025 04:00AM  · see review ·  preview book
Barry Joseph made a comment on Adam Brooks’s review of Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Puzzles and Games of the Broadway Legend
Matching Minds with Sondheim by Barry Joseph
" Wow! Thank you Adam. That is so rewarding to read. "
Nov 12, 2025 07:52PM  · see review
Barry Joseph made a comment on Kelli’s review of Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Puzzles and Games of the Broadway Legend
Matching Minds with Sondheim by Barry Joseph
" Thank you Kelli! I am so glad you enjoyed it, and for taking the time to share this here. "
Oct 27, 2025 07:14PM  · see review
Barry Joseph made a comment on Eva B.’s review of Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Puzzles and Games of the Broadway Legend
Matching Minds with Sondheim by Barry Joseph
" You're my kind of librarian! ...more "
Oct 27, 2025 07:12PM  · see review
Barry Joseph rated a book it was amazing
Matching Minds with Sondheim by Barry Joseph
Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Puzzles and Games of the Broadway Legend
by Barry Joseph (Goodreads Author)
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Oct 05, 2025 07:25PM  ·   ·  preview book
Barry Joseph made a comment on cossette’s review of Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Puzzles and Games of the Broadway Legend
Matching Minds with Sondheim by Barry Joseph
" Marvelous! So glad that worked out. "
Oct 02, 2025 12:15PM  · see review
Barry Joseph made a comment on Alex Nagler’s review of Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Puzzles and Games of the Broadway Legend
Matching Minds with Sondheim by Barry Joseph
" Thanks Alex for sharing it again (I thought folks here might enjoy hearing it right from you) "
Oct 02, 2025 12:14PM  · see review
Barry Joseph and 6 other people liked cossette's review of Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Puzzles and Games of the Broadway Legend:
Matching Minds with Sondheim by Barry Joseph
"let's match minds with papa"
Oct 02, 2025 04:18AM  · see review ·  preview book
Barry Joseph liked Stacey B's review of Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Puzzles and Games of the Broadway Legend:
Matching Minds with Sondheim by Barry Joseph
Oct 02, 2025 04:18AM  · see review ·  preview book
Barry Joseph and 1 other person liked Alex Nagler's review of Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Puzzles and Games of the Broadway Legend:
Matching Minds with Sondheim by Barry Joseph
"As someone who pestered Sondheim by means of written letter in 2018 for the instructions to the Murder Game after hearing about its existence thanks to a tweet from Mara Wilson in cab back on New Years Eve, I am so glad to finally have the detailed i" Read more of this review »
Oct 02, 2025 04:16AM  · see review ·  preview book
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