Uncategorized – Lane Igoudin | Author, Professor, Dad

Mombian review of AFM

Delighted by a meticulously written and thoughtful review on Mombian, a popular LGBTQ parenting site, and the book’s inclusion in its online database of LGBTQ family books. Calling A Family, Maybe a “heartfelt memoir,” the review suggests that “other foster parents (and prospective ones) may appreciate the sheer amount of detail he provides, which mayContinue reading “Mombian review of AFM”

LACC’s Citadel seeks submissions

The Citadel, the annual literary magazine published by the English/ESL Department of Los Angeles City College, where I teach, is seeking submissions for its 2023 issue. A staple on the LA literary scene for more than 50 years, The Citadel features juried fiction and poetry by the writers from our college but also from theContinue reading “LACC’s Citadel seeks submissions”

Learning from the Embera of the Panamanian Rainforest

Reporting on a January 2023 trip Arriving in Embera Quera was like arriving in paradise. On the way to the village, as our dugout boat was gliding through the rainforest, we saw toucans, sloths, and capuchin monkeys, and heard the unmistakable rumble of the howler monkeys disturbed by our noise. There were cows in theContinue reading “Learning from the Embera of the Panamanian Rainforest”

“The iPad Wars” Published by the StoryHouse Writers’ Showcase

My parenting essay “The iPad Wars” has been picked up by the online StoryHouse Writers’ Showcase of The Preservation Foundation, a literary non-profit which has been “preserving the extraordinary stories of ‘ordinary’ people” since 1976.” It originally appeared in print in the 2018 issue of The Citadel, the literary journal published at Los Angeles CityContinue reading ““The iPad Wars” Published by the StoryHouse Writers’ Showcase”

“A Mindful Pilgrimage” in ZCLA’s Water Wheel

We started in a circle, hands in gassho, chanting “mu.” The sound first vibrated throughout my skull, like an inner bell inviting me to turn inwards, and then, when shared by a group of 30, it turned into a spontaneous vibration rising up to the morning sky . . . Continue to the article. InContinue reading ““A Mindful Pilgrimage” in ZCLA’s Water Wheel”

#AWP22 Panel Proposal Accepted

The upcoming #AWP22 (Philadelphia) has accepted my panel proposal for Where Every Voice Matters: Community College Literary Journal Showcase. I am thrilled to moderate a panel with such accomplished writers/teachers as Maria Frances Brandt, Joe Baumann, Omar Figueras, and Magin LaSov Gregg. #AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) – a carnival, a marathon, aContinue reading “#AWP22 Panel Proposal Accepted”

AWP20 “More Than Me” Panel Review in Assay

Great write-up in Assay: A Journal of Nonfiction Studies about our panel at AWP. I didn’t know about it until a friend alerted me. Thank you, Stacy Murison and Heather Kim Lanier.

“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.

Against Polarization

Something has changed drastically in the last several years in the political debates in the US: not so much the topics, but the debates themselves.

A Jerusalem Notebook

In the summer of 2019, I was studying in an intensive program at the Conservative (Masorti) Yeshiva in Jerusalem. It turned out to be one of the most transformative experiences I’ve ever had. Here’s a brief account of my discoveries from that time. Last year in Jerusalem… struck by a teaching of Rabbi Kook, explainedContinue reading “A Jerusalem Notebook”