Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen

Every Friday My Machberet presents an array of Jewish-interest links, primarily of the literary variety.

  • For your weekend listening: a Tikvah podcast episode featuring Liel Leibovitz on the Jewish poetry of Leonard Cohen.
  • New issue alert! Say hello to the summer 2017 edition of Lilith magazine.
  • The Jewish Review of Books also has a new issue out (fyi—some content is paywalled). Included with a newsletter alert about the new issue: “P.S. We’re looking for a great web editor to help us revamp and ramp up our website. Cover letter, resume, and (brief) writing samples should be sent to jobs(at)jewishreveiewofbooks(dot)com.”
  • The Whole Megillah has announced “the debut of Holocaustkidlit.com, a new website featuring an online searchable database of children’s Holocaust literature published in the United States and Canada from 2002 forward (excluding self-published and educational titles).” Details here.
  • And one concluding note: We’ll be hosting the July Jewish Book Carnival right here on the My Machberet blog. For background on the project and instructions if you’d like to contribute a #JewLit-focused link (not a self-promotional one, if you please!), do check the Carnival HQ. Deadline: July 10.
  • Shabbat shalom.

    Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

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

  • So much excellent work on Hevria this week, including “How the Rebbe Inspired Me to Be a Writer”; “Orthodox Writers, Meet Your Role Model”; and “Mermaid Esther: An Astonishing Fire.”
  • Montreal has a new mural–honoring Mordecai Richler.
  • A follow-up to Moment magazine’s recent list of Jewish podcasts—this time featuring readers’ recommendations.
  • If video is more your thing, check out the Forward‘s list of 10 Jewish movies you can stream for free (the Forward is calling them “overlooked,” but I’m not sure that’s always the case).
  • From the revelation that it took him about two years to really inhabit the protagonist of To the End of the Land to a reflection on how each of his books has been necessary to the writing of those that have followed, David Grossman shared a multiplicity of quiet insights—personal, professional, and political—during his recent appearance at the JCC Manhattan.
  • Shabbat Shalom.

    Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

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

  • This week brought the August edition of the Jewish Book Carnival, “a monthly event where bloggers who blog about Jewish books can meet, read and comment on each others’ posts.”
  • On my tbr list: Lara Vapnyar’s latest novel, Still Here. (See Adam Kirsch in Tablet for an preview.)
  • On Hevria: “Exile and Redemption,” a beautiful poem by Rachel Kann.
  • Someday, I am truly going to learn Hebrew. Annette Gendler’s experience is an inspiration.
  • Also inspiring: a Canadian Jewish News article about a book-publishing program for young campers with special needs.
  • Shabbat shalom.

    Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen

    Every Friday My Machberet presents an array of Jewish-interest links, primarily of the literary variety.

  • Some Israeli publishing data for 2015, courtesy of the country’s National Library.
  • “The Koffler Centre of the Arts is proud to announce a significant new literary award in Canada – the Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature.” (Unfortunately, I’ve found out about this too late to help anyone for the current round–submissions closed in early June.)
  • If I can manage to sit through a three-hour play, it may well be this one. And I’m sorry to have to miss this one–which I’ve just learned about but won’t be able to catch during its brief engagement.
  • In this talk, novelist and literary scholar Dara Horn explores the role Hebrew can play in a living contemporary American Jewish culture, as she has experienced it as a reader and as an American writer. This lecture was part of the 2016 Stroum Lectures, ‘Hebrew and the Creative Imagination,’ hosted by the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies of the University of Washington.”
  • And ICYMI: a note about a new essay of mine, on being a “3G” writer.
  • May it be a good and peaceful Shabbat for all. Shabbat shalom.

    Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

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

  • How I wish that I could attend the Tenth Memorial International Creative Writing Conference of the Shaindy Rudoff Creative Writing Graduate Program at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. It’s happening May 29-31.
  • This week brought new issues from both Lilith magazine and JewishFiction.net. So much good stuff tbr!
  • The week also brought publication of a poem of mine, “Black Sheep in the World to Come,” on Hevria.
  • And also freshly published: the latest newsletter from Fig Tree Books, edited by yours truly.
  • Finally, as we approach both Passover and, in a little while, Yom HaShoah, I’m grateful to my friend Suzanne Reisman for sharing this piece of hers.
  • Shabbat shalom, and have a meaningful Pesach.