Prompt - look at the relationship of “self” to the creative process. How do we bring all of our own lives into relationship with text and creativity—without being self-indulgent? When does the authoritative voice belong in the first person? Always a vessel, always one, always interacting. It never stops. We are generative, creative, locomotion. Seared briefly … More »
I’m trying to figure out new ways to write what’s inside, and connect with other people through that writing. Transitioning from the academic voice I learned to speak in my twenties and move towards a more emotionally vulnerable and intimate vocabulary in my forties feels terrifying and exhilarating. One of the first papers I wrote … More »
The ageless idea that God dwells among Jewish unity and tradition has become insufficient for me. Living in a generation where being a white Jewish female no longer makes the uniqueness cut, I crave creativity and authenticity similarly to how colleges view their applicants. As this crucial time in contemporary Judaism presents increasing rates of … More »
As a friend commented, I am “touchy-feely” but not “new-agey.” When a yoga teacher sonorously intones “your ‘self’ impairs your ability to ‘be present,”’ I glaze over and wonder when I next need to cut my nails. Yet, there is some truth to her statement, if we re-frame the sentiment: one’s sense of what would … More »
I was not much a student in high school.[1] I did not like studying for tests or doing homework, nor did I particularly having to take classes which did not interest me. What I did relish, however, was the opportunity to be one of the “theater geeks,[2] to be on stage and performing in the … More »
Steps out on to a roof, or leans her head out the window upon arising and expresses some sort of gratitude Gazes at the river every time the train crosses the bridge Studies Rebbe Nachman from Breslev Some type of jogging or walking or biking in the woods Recycles Tries very best to greet every … More »
Susan Turner is a Canadian artist, and her work deals with communication, memory, alienation, loss, and accident. Artist’s Statement These two self-portraits, Child as the Letter “Shin” and Young Woman as the Letter “S”, are part of my large series Fiction of Relationship that I’ve been working on for close to two years. The series investigates what … More »