Notes on Worlds Within Words

(Jennifer Arin, a published poet who teaches creative writing at City College of San Francisco co-curated the poetry readings in the Worlds Within Words series.)

As an adolescent, I wrestled with the fact of being Jewish. My mother predicted "when you're older, you'll return to the Jewish community." Amazing how mothers know; indeed, as an adult, I began longing for a greater Jewish presence in my life, so I began attending Jewish events and reading Jewish books. My mother and father, when they left New York to settle in Los Angeles, discovered there a "Temple for the Performing Arts." As a poet, I deeply regretted the lack of any similar organization in the Bay Area. Last year, A Traveling Jewish Theatre presented an afternoon reading by Jewish Women Poets (as it was titled). This, this, I thought from the third row, was what I wanted more of: an artistic, literary expression emerging from within, and because of, the community. Sad to learn it was a one-time event, I offered to help organize further readings, and so, here we are with an ongoing series, thanks largely to A Traveling Jewish Theatre's willingness to add this feature to the program. It's a delight to bring together for you the diverse poetic voices of the series, one more example of how, miraculously, we have not only survived, but continue to thrive.

(Robert Preskill, a writer, editor, and literary agent, co-curated the short story portion of Worlds Within Words.)

I am constantly seeking out the story. I am always looking for the use of charming detail, the culmination of what seemed like nothing all heaped-up miraculously into something or other. And whether I am reading fiction about someone's drinking binges or talking to my uncle about grandfather's slow demise, I am looking above and beneath for the reasons, the original spark for telling, and the drive that makes the teller carry on to an end.

It is my great luck in having the chance to co-curate this series. Pouring over dozens of fiction selections, I felt perhaps I was mainly exploring my Jewishness, but I found myself tossing aside perfectly interesting accounts of Jewish life, because they did not fit in my view of great story writing. And thematically, some pieces were at odds with others even though they might have been otherwise effective on stage.

And it made me remember my own stories, handed to me every day growing up. It made me think about the evolving way that I thought about events. At first, I perceived them as larger than I could ever be. Then gradually, I would understand the literal and figurative beauty in each volatile event or each heroic movement into time.

I dug and dug and discovered that my love for stories is somehow intertwined with my love of my self and my love of my Jewishness. I discovered that my state of Jewishness is aligned with my idea of what is a good story.

So, in arranging the three fiction events in themes -- "Marriage," "Fathers," and "Assimilation, Alienation, and Other Awkward Pauses" I am exploring the differences in the ways that Jewishness can be expressed. I could not help but be struck by the different ways a so called "Jewish" story could be told, and the themes were a random way we could experience that range on the stage. So readers and listeners, keep your senses open. I look forward to seeing you all at our next event.

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