I write poetry, prose, and music. As a child of immigrants, I spoke Yiddish before I learned English. Yiddish still informs and colors my syntax and word choices. My family history inspires my creative work and engenders my sense of kinship with individuals and groups who are marginalized or seen as outsiders.

My prose has been published in a number of literary magazines and my poem “High Holy Days,” appears in the anthology, Before There Is Nowhere to Stand: Palestine / Israel: Poets Respond to the Struggle (Lost Horse Press 2012). My ballad, “Learning How to Fly,” (Sony/Epic), was recorded by Tuck & Patti and is performed around the world.

One of my works in progress, a memoir, was awarded the Oregon Literary Arts Fellowship. I’m a graduate of the UO School of Journalism & Communication’s Literary Nonfiction Program and UC Berkeley’s School of Music (focused on composition). I feel fortunate to be a member of Oregon’s welcoming and supportive writing community.