Erika Dreifus

Toward the end of each week, the My Machberet blog presents a collection of links, drawn primarily from the world of Jewish books and writing. With so much programming currently scheduled in conjunction with Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM; simultaneously, Canadians are observing Jewish Heritage Month) and Short Story Month, this week’s post will focus on a number of upcoming free, online happenings to consider adding to your calendar.

• Moment magazine’s upcoming Zoominars include one focused on short stories (today!) and another, scheduled for May 22, which will focus on children’s literature and feature Richard Michelson.
• Coming May 11: “People of the Book: What’s Happening in Jewish Publishing?”: “Jewish Publication Society (JPS) Editor-in-Chief Malka Simkovich and Jewish Study Center President Amy Schwartz discuss the state of Jewish publishing, the current challenges that Jewish writers are facing, and the unique opportunities of the current moment.”
• Also May 11: The Jewish Poets Collective will be hosting the first of two JAHM-centered readings (the second will follow a week later, on May 18).
• May 14 will bring the Jewish Book Council/Paper Brigade‘s “Celebration of the Short Story.”
• Back to poetry we go, with a May 18 event hosted by Day Eight: “Join us for a Zoom reading of poems published in the October, 2024, Jewish Experience special section of the Mid-Atlantic Review. This event will include reading by twenty-three poets published in the section hosted by editors Ori Z. Soltes and Robert Bettmann and guest host Rabbi Sarah Tasman.”
• Still another May 18 happening: the next Literary Modiin event, which will feature authors Rebecca Wolf,  Helen Schary Motro, and Howard Lovy. Details/registration, and info on other literary events (and a lot more), in Julie Zuckerman’s latest newsletter.

And permit me, as part of the behind-the-scenes team at The Artists Against Antisemitism, to share with you our own latest newsletter, which includes a lot of JAHM-related news.

Shabbat shalom.