Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links
In which the My Machberet blog presents an array of Jewish-interest links, primarily of the literary variety.
Natan Notable Books, “a new iteration of what had previously been called the Natan Book Award,” welcomes submissions for its semiannual award. They’re seeking “a recently-published or about-to-be published non-fiction title that will catalyze conversations aligned with the themes of Natan’s grantmaking: reinventing Jewish life and community for the twenty-first century, shifting notions of individual and collective Jewish identity, the history and future of Israel, and the evolving relationship between Israel and world Jewry.” The award confers “a Natan Notable Book seal and $5,000 for the author, marketing/distribution coaching and promotion from Jewish Book Council and Natan, and customized support designed to bring the book and/or the author to new audiences.” The next deadline, July 15, 2019, is for books published or scheduled to be published in 2019.
Ahead of Hebrew Book Week (happening now!), the National Library of Israel has presented Israeli Publishing Statistics for 2018. “This year a special section is dedicated to examining the attitude toward disabilities and special needs in children’s and youth literature, from the establishment of the State to the present day.”
“Proposals are invited for a two-day symposium, February 17-18, [2020], at Vanderbilt University that engages with and theorizes women’s intellectual and artistic contributions to modern Yiddish culture. The dominant narratives of Jewish cultural history have, until very recently, excluded women’s contributions. Yet, women played central roles in shaping culture as intellectuals, artists, and consumers. Building on a rich and developing body of work on Jewish women’s writing, this conference will analyze and address women’s contributions to modern Yiddish culture. The conference aims to recover important cultural texts and mobilize them towards a richer understanding of Jewish modernity. How did women writers theorize their contributions to modern culture? How does their work challenge existing theoretical and historical paradigms? We define women’s writing broadly to include prose fiction, belletristic essays, criticism, memoir, and other forms of prose writing, either published or unpublished. Participants will present a paper on the work they have chosen and lead a discussion on the text and their interpretation of it. Papers should address not only the work, but also its place in Yiddish letters, theorizing its potential to transform existing narratives. Travel, lodging, and food will be paid for by Vanderbilt University.” Deadline: July 15, 2019.
Evidently inspired by Marc Chagall’s painting “Jew in Green,” Philip Terman’s poem “My Grandfather in Green” is one of many excellent pieces in the latest issue of Image.
And if you haven’t given up on Facebook yet, may I suggest following TVGoneJewy? (That’s where I learned, this week, of the happy news that “Russian Doll” will be back, sometime, with a second season.)
Shabbat shalom.