Reading a New Story Live at AWP21

Read “The Grass Eater,” my new personal essay as part of a live virtual reading organized by the AWP Creative Writing Caucus at the virtual AWP 2021 on March 4. At the center of the story is a devilish 7-year-old who wrecks his mother’s seaside honeymoon. The setting is the Republic of Georgia; the timeContinue reading “Reading a New Story Live at AWP21”

“The iPad Wars” in City Tales 2020, a YouTube storytelling show

This was a new performance format for me to learn – I’d taped myself reading the essay “The iPad Wars” for City Tales, the annual storytelling reading by LACC students and faculty, and sent it to the organizers for post-production. The show went live on YouTube June 4. Previously published in The Citadel, “The iPadContinue reading ““The iPad Wars” in City Tales 2020, a YouTube storytelling show”

“Christmas Dreidels” in The Citadel 2020

“Christmas Dreidels” explores one gay couple’s experience of building an adoptive family built on the richness of Jewish and African American heritages, one in which widely diverse cultural, racial, and religious backgrounds add up to a new, organic whole.

Mujerista Theology, or Finding Sacredness amidst Poverty and Oppression

This post is part of Blessing the Sea 4. Is search for the sacred a class privilege? Or to put it differently, are the opportunities to touch the divine – beyond the formal religious settings open to the masses, like synagogues, churches, or mosques – luxuries afforded only to those who can afford them, andContinue reading “Mujerista Theology, or Finding Sacredness amidst Poverty and Oppression”

Spirit and Spunk of a Merchant’s Wife

This book review is part of Blessing the Sea 4 newsletter. Gluckel of Hameln’s memoir has many layers. Written in simple, vivid language for her children over 300 years ago, it makes a surprisingly fast and lively read. There are anecdotes galore – funny, heartwarming, or bizarre, like when she and her mother give birthContinue reading “Spirit and Spunk of a Merchant’s Wife”

Meeting Life’s Challenges with Palms Together

This fall, I am participating again in a three-month practice period at Zen Center Los Angeles. Traditionally called Ango, this is the time of intensified practice to strengthen awareness and concentration, built around a particular theme. The theme of this year’s ZCLA Ango is gassho. As its website explains: Gassho is the act of placingContinue reading “Meeting Life’s Challenges with Palms Together”

Serialized Blog on Morning Prayers as Meditative Practice

The Applied Jewish Spirituality institute in Jerusalem published my 3-part mini-blog called “Setting the Right Intention with Morning Prayers,” which describes how to set up an individual spiritual practice that combines Jewish morning prayers with mindful techniques.