Being a Jewish Writer:
Themes from the 18th Century to Today
5 Sundays from 5:00 - 6:15 p.m. ET
Nov. 16 - Dec. 21
A rare combination of textual exploration and creative writing inspiration come together in this course with a master teacher and storyteller.
What does it mean to be a Jewish writer — today and throughout history?
This unique online course explores that question with an overview of essential figures and moments, beginning with Moses Mendelssohn in the 18th century and moving to the present day, highlighting key themes and challenges.
Each week, students will focus on one or two pieces of writing —drawing from short stories, essays, poems, and memoir excerpts by the likes of Elie Wiesel, Cynthia Ozick, Isaac Bashevis Singer and Etgar Keret — chosen to reflect specific themes. We will trace how Jewish writers engage with memory, identity, exile, humor and ethics, and we'll also think about the future of Jewish literature in this fraught moment.
For those participants interested in doing their own writing, the course will provide the opportunity to reflect on their own themes and interests, through the lens of Jewish writers past and present. Prompts will be given each week for participants who would like to develop their own original creative work.
Your guide is Shira Nayman, an acclaimed author of novels, short stories, a memoir and much more, who dives deeply into Jewish themes in all of her work.
Session 1 – Introduction and Overview
Session 2 — Memory and Transmission
Readings:
Omer Friedlander
Yehuda Amichai
Additional Readings for those who have time/interest:
Elie Wiesel
Cynthia Ozick
Session 3 — Identity and Belonging
Readings:
Shira Nayman
Grace Paley
Additional Readings:
Hannah Arendt
Adrienne Rich
Session 4 — Humor, Irony and Questioning
Readings:
Sholem Aleichem
Etgar Keret
Additional Readings:
Isaac Bashevis Singer
Gertrude Stein
Judy Blume
Session 5 — Contemporary Jewish Writing and Future Directions
Readings:
Dara Horn
Sarah Hurwitz
Additional Readings:
Art Spiegelman
Deborah Feldman
Purchases of this course are non-refundable.
About Your Teacher
Shira Nayman is an award-winning author, creative writing teacher and psychologist living in New York. She is the author of multiple novels and short story collections, including "Awake in the Dark," "The Listener" and "Mind of Winter." She has has published fiction and nonfiction in a variety of literary journals and newspapers, including The Atlantic, The Georgia Review, The New England Review, Psychoanalysis and Contemporary Thought and Columbia: A Magazine of Poetry and Prose. The winner of several grants from the likes of the Hadassah Brandeis Institute and the Australia Council for the Arts Literary Board, Nayman also holds a Psy.D from Rutgers University and explores themes of intergenerational Jewish trauma in her many works.
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