Helen
Bar-Lev, IL
Change
It has been a
strange winter here – little rain, the Sea of Galilee is at
an all-time low, the irises are blooming early – wild
anemones are coming up in our garden, as are wild orchids,
wild cyclamens, the clementines are bright orange and
delicious.
Well, the call for change seems to have gone out in this
region of the world, and Voices Israel has not been immune.
The incumbent President, these past 15 years, Mike
Scheidemann, has resigned, our secretary, Susan Rosenberg
has done likewise. On 30 March there will be an AGM in
Tel-Aviv. The new candidates are Wendy Blumfield for
President (see interview with Wendy in my contributing
editor’s report last issue of SKETCHBOOK), and
myself for Secretary. Exciting times. As of this writing
there are no other candidates, but we’ll see and I promise
to let you know the outcome.
Our Cyclamens and Swords is accepting poetry submissions on
a general theme until 31 March, short stories also, art work
especially.
www.cyclamensandswords.com
There are other English writing courses in this country that
you should know about – there is a creative writing program
at the Bar-Ilan University :
http://english.biu.ac.il/creative-writing
The Shaindy Rudoff Graduate Program in Creative Writing
is a magnet for English-speaking Israelis, as well as Jews
and non-Jews from around the world. The two-year Program,
housed in the Department of English at Bar-Ilan University,
offers an MA in English with specializations in either
Fiction or Poetry. Located on the outskirts of Tel Aviv and
only an hour's bus ride from Jerusalem, Bar-Ilan University
enjoys a diverse student body. Students in the Program range
in age from 21-71 and come from all over the world. Though
the Program explores the long tradition between Judaism and
writing, there are no agendas, only the pursuit of good
writing. The Program organizes annual conferences, sponsors
informal gatherings with writers at the Stern House in
Jerusalem and other venues and offers short summer writing
seminars open to the general public.
There is also a program of
English and American Studies at the Tel-Aviv University
which offers a Creative Writing Workshop:
A workshop is available in the Department of English and
American Studies for students who write poetry and prose
creatively. It focuses on developing creative texts through
close reading, writing exercises, peer critique, and
revision. The main goals of the workshop are to gain
inspiration, to learn more about one's individual voice and
style, to give and take productive criticism, to practice
the skill of rewriting, to prepare texts for publication,
and to acquire a greater appreciation for the art(s) of
creative writing. This workshop is taught by Dara Barnat, a
published poet and doctoral student in the Department of
English and American Studies. The workshop meets weekly in
the second semester. It is not for credit, and only for
students who are highly motivated and serious about their
work.
Perhaps some of you will be interested in these.
Last time I wrote to you that the Voices Israel Anthology
for 2010 had not yet been printed. Well, finally, on the
last day of the year, it was! Since then there have been 2
readings in Israel and one in New York at the Poets’ House,
all organized by the Chief Editor, Michael Dickel.
In addition, the results of the Reuben Rose Contest are in –
judge, Prof. Seymour Mayne of Ottawa, Canada. Poems were
judged anonymously. First prize: To read all the prize
winning poems, please go to:
http://www.freewebs.com/voicesisrael/winningpoems2010.htm
Read Helen
Bar-Lev's
Interview with Michael Stone
and the
Poems of Michael Stone, IL
First Prize
- Judy Belsky, Israel
Breathing
Light
Thirty six
elms sway in the rhythm of prayer
Arrows of light pierce the dark flesh of dreams
my father says: breathe, just breathe
to not be afraid is the holiest breath
I breathe my father back
to write the text in my right hand
and the color is blue
there is a well and the water is a silver tear falling into
itself
the water is a flame rising out of itself
the water is a bird whose wings repeat the rhythm of prayer
when my father points upward
finch sparrow cardinal light from the ends of his hands
the veins in his hands as familiar as back roads to old
orchards
he rubs an apple against his shirt
inhales its fragrance
blesses God King of the universe Who brings forth fruit from
the trees
juice makes his beard glisten in that light
on days laden with slow nectar
a sun warmed head beneath a father's hand:
bless these hands crossroads of grief and love
these shoulders square them off for the long journey
these breasts fill with knowledge of their own dark liquor
these hips rounded with the sign of earth inevitable as
gravity
this skin that it hold in memory
and on my tongue
O father on my tongue
let seventy tongues invent themselves
I leave you now
with this. Peace to us all,
Helen
Helen Bar-Lev, artist, poet
www.helenbarlev.com
Senior Editor,
Cyclamens and Swords Publishing
www.cyclamensandswords.com
Contributing editor,
SKETCHBOOK, A Journal for Eastern and Western Short Forms
http://poetrywriting.org/
International Senior Poet Laureate, 2009
Amy Kitchener Foundation
