Jewish Literary Links for Shabbat

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
Every Friday morning My Machberet presents an assortment of Jewish-interest links, primarily of the literary variety.

  • In The Barnes & Noble Review: an interview with Israeli author David Grossman about his newly translated book Falling out of Time.
  • I haven’t wanted to spend my precious reading time with John B. Judis’s Genesis: Truman, American Jews, and the Origins of the Arab/Israeli Conflict. Here’s another review that explains why that’s the case.
  • From Tablet: “Second Seder,” a Passover poem by Andrea Cohen.
  • Catch up with the monthly Jewish Book Carnival: April’s edition is hosted by The Whole Megillah.
  • LABA, “a non-religious Jewish house of study and culture laboratory at the 14th Street Y” in New York, has issued a call for fellowship applications. Next year’s theme: “TIME.” No fee to apply. Deadline: May 12, 2014. The program awards stipends to its fellows.

    • Shabbat shalom.

    Wednesday’s Work-in-Progress: Spotlight on Elizabeth Nunez

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    This past week I had the privilege of reading Elizabeth Nunez’s latest book, a memoir titled Not for Everyday Use (Akashic Books). I obtained a digital galley with the intention of asking Elizabeth–whom I’ve been lucky to get to know through my “day job” at The City University of New York–if she’d be willing to answer a few questions for The Practicing Writer.

    I finished this excellent book quickly, and the ever-gracious Elizabeth agreed to answer my questions (in fact, she has already returned her responses!). I had to tell her, though, that the newsletter interviewees are booked (so to speak), for the next several months. This interview won’t appear until the August issue, which will go out to readers at the very end of July. (In the interest of keeping things somewhat suspenseful, I won’t reveal the identities of every interviewee between now and then, but I’ll tell you that our very next issue will feature Roxane Gay, who will tell us about her soon-to-be-published novel An Untamed State.)

    Meantime, I encourage you to watch this video of Elizabeth’s recent appearance at the Center for Fiction (although this latest book is nonfiction, Elizabeth is an acclaimed novelist). You’ll get to hear her read from the memoir, and listen to her conversation with Louise DeSalvo (who offers terrific questions and comments in a discussion that encompasses race, religion, writing and more). An hour well spent.