Haiku Very Much: Heart

The prompt this week from Haiku Very Much is heart.  Fitting for the week before Valentine’s Day.

sacred love resides
dawn’s meditative prayer
holy heart tended

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

heart meditation
contemplates an unseen path
mandala center

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

heart given to you
eighteen adventures ago
pulse still strong, steady

Sydney Taylor Awards Blog Tour: Meet Ellen Frankel

 

The JPS Illustrated Bible for Children
 Sydney Taylor Notable Book for All Ages 

In January, the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) recognized thirty-three outstanding books for the Sydney Tylor Award. 

Today, I have Ellen Frankel, author of The JPS Illustrated Bible for Children Sydney Taylor Notable Book for All Ages here with me today.

 

JRM: So please tell me, how did you find out about be honored with this award? Did you get a phone call, did someone tweet you? 

EF: Wednesday, January 12, was a magical day for me. First, I received an email from Laurie Schlesinger, Marketing and Sales Director of The Jewish Publication Society, letting me know that my book, The JPS Illustrated Children’s Bible, had been named a Sydney Taylor Notable Book for All Ages. Then I got a call from Naomi Firestone, Program Associate at the Jewish Book Council, that my book had won the National Jewish Book Award for Illustrated Children’s Book and had been named a finalist in the category of Jewish Family Literature. I’m glad I was at home writing that day! 

 JRM: I have been looking at the JPS Illustrated Children’s Bible online. (My local library has not acquired it yet. Thank goodness for Google books). The stories are retold is such a splendid way and the illustrations are so beautiful. How did you decide that now was the time for creating an illustrated children’s Bible? 

 EF: Actually, I started thinking about this book more than fifteen years ago, a year after I became Editor in Chief of JPS. I was very fortunate to have as my editorial mentor Chaim Potok, who had been JPS Editor from 1966 to 1974, and had remained connected to the Society since then. When I began in 1991, Chaim served as Chair of the JPS Editorial Committee, and I raised with him the idea of my writing The JPS Book of Bible Stories. He was very enthusiastic about the idea and encouraged me to develop a proposal to present to the JPS Editorial Committee. I wrote up a few sample stories—“Cain and Abel,” “The Binding of Isaac,” and “Elisha and the Shunamite’s Son”—in addition to a formal proposal, which the committee members reviewed—and approved for publication. 

In preparing for this interview, I reread my original proprosal and was astonished to discover that the blueprint for the 2009 book was already sketched out in that first proposal: to preserve the feel and literary artfulness of the original Hebrew and the JPS translation while at the same time making the text accessible to contemporary American children. 

Why didn’t I write the book in 1992 instead of waiting fifteen years? There were a number of reasons, some of them personal, some professional. But I think the main reason had to do with what one of the early readers said. Although most of the members of the JPS Editorial Committee were scholars, one of them was Esther Hautzig, z”l, a renowned author of children’s books, and a devoted library volunteer at the New York Public Library. Critiquing my proposal and sample stories, Esther identified my basic ambivalence in attempting this project: Was I to act as translator or storyteller? Was I striving merely to abridge the original stories or to retell them in my own voice? In her report, Esther urged me to “give it [my] own heart and soul, and use words which are true to the text, yet direct and simple.” I guess when push came to shove, I didn’t yet know how to meet Esther’s challenge. 

So, I let the idea percolate for fifteen years, in the meantime writing and publishing a number of other books for adults. Yet I never stopped thinking about the children’s Bible, and kept recalling Esther’s trenchant observation that currently available children’s Bibles, whether Christian, Jewish or ecumenical, “seem bland and prosaic. Not a single true voice in the tangle of titles.” Since that situation didn’t change over time, I decided about two years ago to take another crack at writing a children’s Bible myself. 

Back to your original question: Is now the time for creating an illustrated children’s Bible? Absolutely! Even more to the point, now is the right time to create an illustrate Jewish children’s Bible. I’ll talk more about that later on. 

JRM: I am a K5 public school librarian with a very tiny population of Jewish families (maybe 1% if that). Yet, I am thinking that this title might make a good choice for the library. My 200 section of nonfiction has a variety of books on the different faiths including a Bible with the teeny tiny print. I have previewed many of the stories in the JPS Illustrated Children’s Bible. Would this be a good addition for a school library? Are there many differences in the stories that children would notice? What are the differences? 

 EF: Since the Hebrew Bible is the foundational text of the three main monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—as well as one of the basic touchstones of Western culture, I think that every library should carry a number of different translations as well as children’s versions of the Bible. Being familiar with the biblical text as literature is essential to being culturally literate in our society. 

When you ask about differences in the stories, there are two ways to answer that. First, there are definitely differences between Christian versions of most Bible stories and Jewish ones. Let’s take one of the most famous stories: Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In Christian tradition, this story, often referred to as “the Fall,” is understood as the source of original sin, proof that human nature is inherently inclined toward evil. And it’s women who get most of the blame for the story’s bad ending. Christian pictures of this scene sometimes depict the serpent in the garden as well as Eve as female temptresses. And both the text and pictures depict the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge as an apple, a notion that arose from the Latin pun on the word malum, meaning both apple and evil. 

Jewish tradition puts a different spin on this tale, one truer to the Hebrew text. The fruit from the Tree of Knowledge is referred to by the generic Hebrew term, p’ri, and the Midrash proposes a number of candidates: fig, grape, wheat, carob, and etrog—but not an apple. As for the interpretation given to Adam and Eve’s actions, their sin (although it’s never labeled that) is rebellion against God’s instructions, not a fall into temptation, and their punishment is really a mixed blessing—to suffer the pain of labor (earning a living and giving birth) in exchange for knowledge and free will. In Jewish tradition, this story does not brand human nature as essentially sinful. 

So, yes, the stories in my book will be different from many of the Christian versions of Bible stories. But they will also be different from other Jewish versions. My goal was to be as faithful as possible to the original Hebrew text, and to take as my model the 1985 JPS translation, which favors idiomatic English over literal or archaic translation. I also try to capture the rhythms, word play, various “registers,” and storytelling style of the original Hebrew version. In addition, my text is gender-sensitive; God is never referred to as “He” nor are male pronouns used generically to refer to all people. I believe that gender stereotypes begin very early, and that both girls and boys should be spared from the myth that God is an old man with a white beard and that only men heard God speak at Sinai. 

JRM: I agree that of a variety of translations of the Bible should be available to students.  I am always amazed when students and children are surprised to find the Bible in the library.  I have to remind them that it is literature. What kind of say did you have over the illustrations? They are really beautiful. 

EF: Yes, the drawings are wonderful! The JPS staff selected Avi Katz out of an impressive group of illustrators, and I was part of that selection process. I think he was the best possible choice for this volume. Because JPS is a small non-profit press, it asked Avi to illustrate only thirty of the fifty-three stories to keep costs down, but Avi was so committed to this project that he didn’t stop at thirty but insisted on illustrating every single story. That’s one of the reasons the book is winning such recognition. 

 JRM: Wow, what  a wonderful gift from Avi.  How did you select which stories to include? (I’m glad you included one of my favorites, “Jonah and the Whale”!) Is there a story you didn’t include and now wish it was in the book? 

EF: It was hard to limit which stories to include in the volume, but I knew that this couldn’t be a fat book. Children’s hands had to be able to carry it and balance it on their laps. I also understood that there is much in the Hebrew Bible that is not narrative: poetry, prophecy, songs, psalms, genealogies, legal material, ritual and priestly material, wisdom literature, and folklore. I left all that out. And I did leave out some stories as being too violent, sexually explicit, complicated, or not especially dramatic. Although I think that the decision to leave out “The Rape of Dinah,” “Judah and Tamar,” and “Jephthah’s Daughter” was the right one, I wonder whether we underestimate our children’s ability to deal with such brutal realities. After all, they see and read about rapes, sexual intrigues, and domestic violence every day on television, the internet, and the news. 

JRM: It’s rather sad how much children are exposed to from the media these days.  I read somewhere that you are recently retired from JPS. So what is next for you? 

 EF: I retired from JPS last fall after eighteen years as the CEO and Editor in Chief. My plans are to devote myself primarily to my own writing. I’ve just finished the draft of a libretto for a new opera on the Golem of Prague, based on an earlier oratorio, “The Golem Psalms,” composed by Philadelphia composer, Andrea Clearfield, for which I wrote the libretto. I also have plans for a few children’s books, a family memoir, and a collection of essays. In addition, I’m exploring the possibility of teaching courses on writing and publishing at nearby colleges, and doing some freelance editing and consulting. And of course, there are my two wonderful granddaughters in Maine who need a bubbe’s attention, getting back to my guitar, and volunteer activities in the community. I’ve also agreed to serve on the Academic Advisory Board of Gratz College here in Philadelphia. 

JRM: I hope you get to see those granddaughters soon!  And finally here are some questions I always ask my guests: 

 Chocolate: dark, milk. or white? 

EF: Dark! 

JRM: What’s on your nightstand to read? 

EF: I like to relax with crime and mystery novels, especially police procedurals, the more noir the better. I’ve just finished Michael Connolly’s Nine Dragons. I also like to read nonfiction books about science (especially neuroscience), natural history, and technology. Just finished The Singularity is Near by Ray Kurzweil. 

JRM: Ooh, we have some similar reading tastes.  Nothing better than a crime and mystery to escape with when school is bogging me down.  What was your favorite book as a child? As a teen? As an adult? Any particular genre stand out? 

EF: I loved reading folktales, myths, and fantasy as a kid—Bible stories, Midrash, Greek and Roman myths and legends, Andrew Lang’s colored “Fairy Books.” I also loved the Hardy Boys and Tom Swift. As a teen, I focused more on science fiction—Stranger in a Strange Land, Asimov, Clarke, Tolkein—as well as progressive and futuristic nonfiction, Growing Up Absurd, The Other America, Marshall McLuhan, existentialism. And my love of reading about science began early. I wanted to be an astronomer or an astronaut! 

As an adult, I’ve read pretty widely—feminism, religion, anthropology, books about writing and language, novels of all kinds, psychology, education. Some of my most persistent interests have been books about Jewish thought and history, Buddhism, and contemplative traditions. Because I’ve been a Jewish publishing professional for so long, my Jewish reading has mostly happened “on the job”—and there’s been a lot of it! I’m looking forward to returning to reading Jewish books for pleasure. 

JRM: Where do you find inspiration? 

EF: From good writing. I love to savor good sentences, artful turns of phrase, vivid metaphors. I’ve gathered a small library of books by writers on writing, which have been both helpful and inspiring. One day I hope to add to this shelf myself. 

JRM: Favorite time of the day to work? 

EF: I’m a night owl, so I tend to write from mid-morning to early evening. Once I sit down at the computer, I go into what my husband calls “laser beam mode” and rarely am aware of how much time has passed. 

JRM:  I have experienced  that “laser beam mode” as well. However, it is usually very early in the morning.  Coffee, tea, or…? 

EF: English breakfast tea, with skim milk. Or café au lait, decaf, with skim milk. 

A big thank you goes out to the Association of Jewish Libraries for organizing the this blog tour.  Hop over to Teen Reads where Annika Thor, author of A Faraway Island Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category is interviewed.

Read Write Poem: Narrative Wallpaper

Dave Jarecki’s prompt was to create a narrative wallpaper poem at Read Write Poem.  He encourages us  “to find the “narrative wallpaper” that resides in your home, apartment, memory, etc. Maybe you’re the child in the bedroom watching stories burn in the sun. Perhaps you can wander into a remembered or even fictional place and let the poem jump off from there…” 

Here is my contribution, a pantoum about childhood. 

Just Two Kids

just two kids, sister and brother
who played hide n’ seek
as we rambled down the street
me afraid of quicksand, you collected blue bellied lizards.

 played hide n’ seek
until dusk’s blanket hid us all
me afraid of quicksand, you collected blue bellied lizards
I escaped inside a book while you looked through a telescope

 until dusk’s blanket hid us all
nightly routines: dishes, homework, practice the violin
I escaped inside a book while you looked through a telescope
parents sat at the kitchen, drinks in hand

nightly routines: dishes, homework, practice the violin
television droned on and on, with the body counts
parents sat at the kitchen table, drinks in hand
I plotted my escape to college

television droned on and on, with the body counts
as we rambled down the street
I plotted my escape to college
just two kids, sister and brother

For different takes on the prompt, visit Read Write Poem.

Haiku Bones: Peace

chance converation
unintended consequence
peace journey for two

Look for more at Haiku Bones.

Old Chair

 

Read Write Poem had a picture prompt about an old chair this past week.  (I decided to use my own photo of an old chair).
The Poetry Stretch prompt was to write a tritina:
10-line poem made of three, 3-line stanzas and a 1-line envoi
There is no rhyme scheme but rather an end word scheme. It is: 

A
B
C

C
A
B

B
C
A

A, B, and C (all words used in the last line/envoi)
Generally the end words are unrhymed. 

 

Old Chair, Hagerman, Idaho, 2009 

Here’s my response to both prompts: 

A broken fence, a rusted chair
waits in the deserted garden
for the return of the farmer 

“Water is for fighting over,” declared the farmer
family gathered around the rusted chair
vegetable roots withered in the garden 

Winter winds whip through the bare garden
carries the voice of the farmer
no longer in need of the rusted chair 

A rusted chair, a vacant garden, longs for the farmer 

Picture Book of the Day is hosting Poetry Friday.

Haiku Very Much: Octopus

Thanks to Lisa, I have a new place to get haiku prompts.  At haikuverymuch they will send you a weekly prompt.  This week: octopus.

octopus branches
undulate, sun peek-a-boos
silhouette  at dusk

++++++++++++++++++++++

bare limbs of winter
undersea octopus swims
daily horizon

Haiku Prompts

There are several places I look each week for haiku and poetry  prompts.  One is One Single Impression. The other is a recently discovered one, Haiku Bones.

This week’s prompts:

One Single Impression: chaos
Haiku Bones: incandescent

Sometimes I can fuse the two prompts into one poem:

incandescent light
whirling dervish moths careen
luminous chaos

Have you ever been in the middle of a writing project? The kind that at some level your head is there whether you realize it or not? That’s where I m right now.  It’s a challenge to participate in the weekly prompts. I come up with nothing.  So I am happy when the prompt pops for me.

Please visit the sites above for other great takes on the prompt.

Poetry Friday: Trembling Firsts

Poetry Stretch this week is about “firsts” for the new year.  A first for me is the discovery of Haiku Bones.  It provides a weekly prompt much like One Single Impression but for the haiku in all of us. 

Two poems came to mind.  One is in honor of the 20 years since I met my husband.

winter’s first snowflakes
dance the twirl-a-whirl  at dawn
hummingbirds tremble

seek refuge from cold
hidden in branches

++++++++++++++++++++

first trembling kiss
mountains and valleys the paths
a twenty year journey 

Great Kid Books is hosting Poetry Friday.  Haiku Bones list many responses to “trembling”.   The Miss Rumphius Effect is writing poems about “firsts”.

Kidlit Contest

Do you write kidlit stories?  Do you have one finished?  There is a terrific opportunity  to enter the first 500 words of a completed MG and/or YA novel.  Winner recieves comlimentary critique of the beginning page/s.

Kidlit Contest is a feature of Mary Kole’s blog, Kidlit.com. She works for the Andrea Brown Literary Agency as an associate agent.

Got to enter before January 31, 2010.   There are a couple of other requirements for the contest but you can do it! Go ahead. Jump in. I am.

Kidlit.com is a new blog for me but one that I will visit and read more often now that I have found it. There’s a lot of great posts about revision and publishing world.

Poetry Stretch: Shadorma

The poetry stretch for this week from The Miss Rumphius Effect was to write a “shadorma”.  This poetry form is six lines, unrhymed with a 3-5-3-3-7-5 syllable count for the lines. The prompt at One Single Impression is wings.

Today on my way to work (at o’dark thirty) I noticed a girl who appeared to be homeless and carrying a bundled up baby.  My inspiration for the following:

backpack girl
stands on street corner
carries tiny
wrapped bundle
silent wings flap across a
“sailors take warning” sky

Visit both The Miss  Rumphius Effect and One Single Impression for more shadormas or poems of a wingly fashion.
Poetry Friday is hosted by none other than The Miss Rumphius Effect.