Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

The words "Jewish Lit Links" are printed over what appears to be a portion of a Torah scroll.
In which the My Machberet blog presents an array of Jewish-interest links, primarily of the literary variety.

  • When Ayelet Tsabari was a student in an MFA program, “her Yemeni identity caused tension. ‘A professor once said to me about one of my characters, “So she’s Yemenite and she looks Indian but she’s Jewish and from Israel? That’s so confusing.” And my response was, “Really, is that so complicated? Try harder.”'” This, and much more, in a profile by Joy Bernard for Haaretz.
  • Ayelet’s new memoir is one book that’s still waiting for me in my mammoth tbr stack; Boris Fishman’s is another. For now, I’m just hoping to listen to the latest episode of The Virtual Memories Show podcast, which features a convo with Boris.
  • From Ruchama King Feuerman: “Does anyone have unpublished short stories between 1,500 and 3,000 words that pull you in and won’t let you go till the end? I’m co-hosting a fiction contest with AmiLiving Magazine. It’s happening this summer, 2019. Eight stories will be chosen (by me) for the July and August summer issues of AmiLiving. Each story will get paid between $150 and $300, depending on its length. The final winner will be decided by…reader vote, and the winner will be awarded an additional $300. One runner-up will also receive a $250 gift certificate from Menucha Publishers, in addition to regular payment. Not too shabby!” NB: There are two deadlines for this contest. The first has passed (yesterday); the second is July 20. Also note this guidance regarding topics: “Any topic appropriate for a Torah-observant audience. I have a soft spot for awesome dialogue, 3-D characters, stories that explore fresh territory, have literary merit, and/or deepen and expand the reader’s experience of Judaism/Torah/religious life. And most of all, the story must be compelling.”
  • And speaking of fiction: check out this stunner of a story/novella by Lily Meyer, a reworking of the Jacob/Esau tale published by Catapult.
  • Did you miss the 2019 conference of the Association of Jewish Libraries this week in Los Angeles? So did I. I tried to lurk from afar via the #AJLLA19 hashtag on Twitter and via Facebook posts and photos. PLUS: Attendee Rebecca Klempner has shared some tips that she picked up in person; “several of them will be useful for writers of #Jewish #kidlit and of #jewishfiction in general.”
  • Shabbat shalom. I’ll be away for a chunk of the next week, but I anticipate that I’ll be able to publish a new post here next Friday.