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.

• The Lehrhaus “is pleased to announce a call for submissions to our 2024 Short Story Contest.” Deadline: July 31. (Thanks to Merri Ukraincik for the tip; I’ll be listing this contest, along with dozens of not-necessarily-“Jewish” opportunities, in the July edition of The Practicing Writer 2.0, which will go out to subscribers Sunday.)
• The Canadian Jewish News is seeking a full-time news reporter based in Montreal.
• This week has brought a new statement from the Authors Guild that condemns “censoring, threatening, or blacklisting authors.” Note: “The Authors Guild takes strategic legal actions when authors are censored based on their views, religious or national affiliation, race, gender, or sexual identity, and we step in to provide legal assistance to members when their rights are being violated or ignored. Our legal actions serve to protect all authors regardless of changes in the political or social climate over time.  The Guild encourages members and other authors who are experiencing censorship to reach out to us for support and to keep us abreast of what you are experiencing so that we may take action.” Contact info appears within the post. (Related reminder: The Jewish Book Council has also implemented a mechanism for reporting antisemitism in the literary world.)
• Recommended reading from Aviya Kushner: Breaking the Glass: A Contemporary Jewish Poetry Anthology.
• Speaking of poetry: “Things I Need to Hear Right Now (After Nine Days in Jerusalem)” is a poignant, powerful poem by Evonne Marzouk.

Updated this week: both “After October 7: Readings, Recordings, and More” and “Writers, Beware.”

Shabbat shalom.