Seattle-based Summer Class: Jewish Identity in Short Prose

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

I’m always pleased – and intrigued – when I see writing conferences and centers offer classes like this one, scheduled for four weeks this summer at the Richard Hugo House in Seattle:

Jewish Identity in Short Prose: This class is for aspiring writers interested in examining some themes of Jewish identity in short prose. We will begin by exploring short works including Yiddish tales and works by writers such as Issac Singer, Franz Kafka, Grace Paley and others. We will form our own classroom-driven definitions of identity and other terms of discussion. The instructor will offer various writing prompts to help students generate fiction or nonfiction.

For details on the class, visit the Hugo House’s summer catalog (and scroll down). (But be forewarned: If you adhere to what I’ll call “full” Shabbat observance, you will be disappointed to see that the class meets on Saturday mornings.)

Notes from Around the Web: Literary Links for Shabbat

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled
  • I was lucky enough to attend the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature awards ceremony last week, so I heard Deborah Lipstadt’s speech when it was delivered. But thanks to the Jewish Book Council, you can now read the text of Lipdstadt’s remarks, too.
  • A.B. Yehoshua praises Haifa and reminds me that I want to spend more time there.
  • Novelist Emily Barton writes about The Jazz Singer.
  • The Boston Bibliophile reviews and recommends The Last Brother, a novel by Nathacha Appanah (trans. Geoffrey Strachan). My own review was filed a couple of weeks ago; when it’s published, you’ll see that I’m 100 percent in agreement.
  • From the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center: ideas for social-justice book clubs.
  • Hurry up and read David Bezmozgis’s novel, The Free World, before next week’s Twitter Book Club session for it.
  • You may have heard that Edith Pearlman is the latest recipient of the PEN/Malamud Award for short fiction. I’ve admired Pearlman’s work for a long time–I’m eager to read her newest book, Binocular Vision–and I was thrilled to see my own book discussed alongside hers (and Laura Furman’s) in this review by Rabbi Rachel Esserman.

    • Shabbat shalom!

    Notes from Around the Web: Literary Links for Shabbat

    by Erika Dreifus on
    1
  • Josh Lambert examines “why a growing number of today’s young Jewish fiction writers…are grounding their novels in scholarly research.”
  • Author Hans Keilson has passed away.
  • “You are Jewish. Or you aren’t Jewish. Either way, you wonder about the relationship of Jews in the United States to Israel. Is it love/hate? Despair/hope? Anger/fondness? Fear/longing? You have your own thoughts on the matter. But you want to learn more.” (Reason #15 in Becky Tuch’s “21 Reasons Why You Should Read Dissent.”)
  • Check out The Forward‘s Summer Books section.
  • It’s been a busy week for my short-story collection, Quiet Americans.
  • Jeffrey Goldberg responds to a Scottish boycott of Israeli books.

    • Shabbat shalom!

    Jewish Newsweekly Seeks Editor

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    “J., the Jewish newsweekly of Northern California, is seeking a dynamic editor to lead its editorial staff. J. serves the San Francisco Bay Area, reaching approximately 45,000 members of the local Jewish community via its print edition, website, e-mail newsletter, and social media. J. is independently operated and has been publishing since 1895. Our current editor is retiring after 27 years.”

    For the rest of the announcement and application information, please visit JewishJobs.com.

    Words of the Week: Jeffrey Goldberg

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    It always seemed to me that Israel and Egypt, two independent states, decided jointly to blockade Gaza. Does the Times believe the Mubarak regime decided to participate in the blockade of Gaza because Israel ordered it to participate? Does anyone actually believe that Egypt closed its border with Gaza only because it was in Israel’s interest? Or was Egypt’s government and military worried about the spread of Hamas ideology into Sinai and beyond?

    Part of Goldblog’s response to a New York Times article lede that had disturbed me, too.