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.

  • Job alert: In the Twin Cities, “TC Jewfolk is seeking a highly motivated self-starter with experience in and passion for blogging, managing writers, and community journalism to be the Editor for TC Jewfolk. This role is a paid, part-time position (approximately 20-25 hours/week), with great flexibility.”
  • And in Boston, the Boston Jewish Film Festival is looking for a Festival Assistant and a Programming Assistant.
  • In the last moments of this week’s Unorthodox podcast (from Tablet magazine), Liel Leibovitz pays homage to George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda. Which inspires me to re-up this essay that I’ve written about that novel.
  • This week on Hevria: some “tough love” for artists & writers–with a Jewish twist.
  • ICYMI: Yesterday on this blog, I posted a call for applicants from the Yiddish Book Center. They’re looking for high-schoolers to attend the Great Jewish Books Summer Program (I wish this had existed back when I was in high school!).
  • 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.

  • “The Sydney Taylor Book Award [is] celebrating and showcasing its 2016 gold and silver medalists with a Blog Tour, February 8-12, 2016! Interviews with winning authors and illustrators will appear on a wide variety of Jewish and kidlit blogs.”
  • In which Anca Szilagyi addresses family history – & fiction-writing – for Jewish in Seattle.
  • Big doings at Fig Tree Books this week, including the announcement of our latest acquisition and the release of our Winter newsletter.
  • “Well represented among Mount Auburn [Cemetery]’s Jewish residents are people of letters, including ‘freedom of dissent’ supporter and journal publisher I.F. Stone, as well as ‘The Natural’ author Bernard Malamud, whose flat grave marker says, ‘The master of stories,’ in Yiddish.” (Matt Lebovic/Times of Israel)
  • And for Valentine’s Day: a selection of romantic lines in Jewish literature, courtesy of Talya Zax.
  • 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.

  • From Jewish Action magazine: “The State of Orthodox Kidlit” (thanks to @StuartSchnee for this one).
  • The Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit is advertising for a Director, Lenore Marwil Jewish Film Festival and Jewish Book Fair.
  • The Jewish Community Library (San Francisco) seeks a Program Coordinator.
  • This week brought the latest Jewish Book Carnival, with contributions from around the blogosphere.
  • And on the Fig Tree Books blog, you’ll find my summary of Shulem Deen’s keynote address at Sunday’s Jewish Book Council Jewish Writers’ Seminar.
  • Shabbat shalom.

    From My Bookshelf: SLIDING DOORS AND OTHER STORIES

    Readukkah-1Rebecca Klempner is one of the wonderful people I’ve had the privilege and pleasure of getting to know via the Internet, where I frequently read her essays and reviews and “converse” with her via email and social media. Several months ago, she announced that she’d be publishing a book of short stories for younger readers. As soon as Sliding Doors and Other Stories was available, I purchased a copy for my Kindle. It took me a little while to focus on reading them, but I’m happy to say that I have finally done so. And as part of the wonderful #Readukkah initiative from the Association of Jewish Libraries, I’m proud to share this Q&A with the author just as we prepare the kindle this year’s first Hanukkah candles. (I suspect that I am bending the #Readukkah rules somewhat by presenting a Q&A instead of a review, but I hope that I’ll be forgiven for so doing.)

    Sliding Doors and Other Stories comprises 17 short stories (and one essay). In a note to readers, the author explains that she wrote the stories in this collection “for several of the magazines that serve the Orthodox community.” Elsewhere, she has indicated that the target readership for this book is likely between 11 and 16 years of age.

    Rebecca Klempner is an wife, mother, and writer living in Los Angeles. Born in Baltimore, she grew up in Columbia, Maryland; Israel; and Las Vegas, Nevada. She attended St. Mary’s College of Maryland and American University, where she obtained a master’s degree in applied anthropology. In 1998, she headed to Los Angeles for a stint in Teach for America. She remained there and taught for five years before becoming a stay-at-home mother. In 2005, she sold her first picture book: A Dozen Daisies for Raizy was published in 2008 by Hachai. Subsequently, she’s written for many magazines – print and online – including Mishpacha, Ami, Hamodia, Binah, Tablet, and The Jewish Home.

    Please welcome Rebecca Klempner! (more…)