Here is an early draft of an essay I’m working on: It is the ten-year anniversary of that day. The day my life ended. The day my life began. Strewn about my dark, mahogany daybed like a broken doll, I lay writhing from the pain. My blackened, dirty feet poked out of my jeans and… Continue reading The Most Important Day of My Life
Harrison Ford is Jewish. I found this out on Shabbat. This, of course, led to an obsessive search for other Jewish actors on Wikipedia. I wish I could say this was my first search. But, alas, it wasn’t. Back when I found out Sammy Davis, Jr. converted to Judaism, I put in a good amount… Continue reading Driven to Distraction
I just finished The Situation and The Story: The Art of the Personal Narrative by Vivian Gornick. It’s one of the many books on writing stacked up in my new Los Angeles “office.” And what a read, it was more than a little overwhelming. By critiquing a number of great writers, Gornick attempts to convey… Continue reading Reading about Writing
Inspired by a line from Juno where the main character, a pregnant teen, refers to herself as a “cautionary whale.” Available at http://teewit.com. Motherhood is hard. And I don’t just mean raising the babies. I mean having them. I mean trying to have them. And yes, raising them is hard, too. After finishing up a… Continue reading Making a baby?
Red Canna by Georgia O’Keeffe An article in today’s New York Times, In Europe, Debate Over Islam and Virginity, explores a debate over Islam and virginity that has broken out in Europe recently. In France, a Muslim man asked to have his marriage annulled when it came to light on his wedding night that his… Continue reading Getting my virginity back
I spent my three-day weekend doing my part to help movie theaters stay open. I’ve been ignoring my Netflix DVDs in favor of hunkering down at my favorite air-conditioned and crowded theater in Manhattan to celebrate the new summer movie season. Did I mention that I’ve always been obsessed with movies? In junior high, I… Continue reading Back on my movie fix
Father’s Day came a bit early for me this week. An excerpt of a short story, Daddy’s Little Girl, about my strange relationship with my father and the trip to the Dominican Republic that brought us back into each other’s lives after a nearly ten-year estrangement was published in Tertulia Magazine. Given the format of… Continue reading Happy Father’s Day?
As a teacher, I was told the first rule of thumb is never to assume anything about your students. But many Orthodox synagogues presume a certain level of Jewish education and cater to a select number of congregants that can navigate the Hebrew siddur (prayerbook) with ease. Unfortunately, this raises a barrier for others who… Continue reading English, Please!
I’m writing so much my brain hurts. And it doesn’t seem like I’ve ever written enough. And then there are rewrites. Some really cool chicks from my Personal Essay workshop on family have been helping me edit “Attack of the Mothers,” the piece I wrote about my fears of motherhood and my own past with… Continue reading Creating a Scene
Aside from today being Hubbie’s 26th birthday (they do grow up so fast), I was published in The Jewish Woman online magazine at Chabad.org. The link, if I haven’t already bombarded you with it via email or Facebook, can be found on the left under “Aliza’s Published Works.” Does this mean I’m officially a Jewish… Continue reading An Update to Aliza’s Portfolio
Memoirs of a Jewminicana 