I just finished writing rewriting this article for a Jewish writing class and I can’t bear that I don’t know when, if ever, it will see the light of day. So, I’m hoping some of you speed readers will give it a second chance and let me know what you think. Redefining Community: Ari Hart… Continue reading I ♥ Ari Hart
I miss teaching High School English. I miss the kids and their crazy stories. I miss the teachers and the constant gossip. I miss knowing deep down that no matter how horrible the day was, I made a difference. Lucky for me, I get fan mail on a routine basis that seems to suggest I’m… Continue reading A Little Hope
Photo: TheFlowerExpert.com April’s JCC Talk on Jews of Color was as explosive as it was packed! Jews of all colors and walks of live attended. There were two speakers, a Latin American Conservative rabbinical student and Jewish convert (of Jewish ancestery) and a half-Chinese, half-White secular Jewish woman, Jen Chau, who heads Swirl, “a national… Continue reading Reflections on JCC Talk on Jews of Color
“Sit down, and put down everything that comes into your head and then you’re a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff’s worth, without pity, and destroy most of it.” Colette Okay, now I’m cheating on my blog with my Personal Essay Writing class. I’m completely behind because of Pesach… Continue reading Revision Frenzy
http://www.mimisammis.comhttp://www.mimisammis.com/ Hey, people, despite the last post, I promise you, I had a fantastic set of seders. Stop apologizing.My favorite seder was the second because my non-Jewish little sister got to experience her first seder with my in-laws in Los Angeles. But the first seder was great fun thanks to my husband’s aunt and her… Continue reading Seder Confusion
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’ve been convalescing on the couch with a heavy dose of Gilmore Girls reruns. The rainy weather has got me down. Or maybe it’s all the running around like a Kentucky Fried chicken with its head cut off. It’s probably the latter. Yesterday was a very long day. I logged in my exercise hours (which… Continue reading A Good Old Fashioned Monster Story
One of my favorite Dr. Seuss quotes (and I have many) goes something like this: “So be sure when you stepStep with care and great tactAnd remember that Life’sA Great Balancing Act.Just never forget to be dexterous and deftAnd never mix up your right foot with your left.And will you succeed?Yes, you will indeed!(98 and… Continue reading Juggling Badly
As some of you know, I’ve been having a long drawn out fantasy about getting an MFA in Creative Nonfiction at Sarah Lawrence College. Their writing program has famously churned out some epic writers. The school requires two recommendations as part of its application process. Which is of course why I sent four, no? The… Continue reading The MFA Dream
The assignment for my Personal Essay Writing class was to “write about a moment that taught you something unexpected about yourself.” Those of you that read and enjoyed my previous blog Living in the Spotlight about the “wetsuit” incident at Bally’s, you may enjoy the rewrite for my class: The Good Little Teacher That Could.… Continue reading The Good Little Teacher
Memoirs of a Jewminicana 