Almemar Issue Three

Three stories of interest in the latest edition of Almemar.

First, Dinah Zeldin talks to GG-winning poet Julie Bruck about how she connects to the world through her writing. It's a highly readable piece about an innovative and thoughtful poet, a self-confessed "bad member of the tribe" who originally hails from Montreal.

Ernest Hoffman interviews international writer (though he hails from Holland) Arnon Grunberg about writing for different audiences. He also discusses a recent translation into English of his excellent 2006 novel, Tirza, and the controversy surrounding his novel The Jewish Messiah.

Finally, we have a piece on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Jewish Public Library of Montreal, at a critical time in this history of libraries generally as they are being asked to change what they do in many key ways. The Executive Director considers the library's past and its future.

Almemar: a Jewish Arts Digest

Today we launch Almemar*, an online journal that will explore the Jewish arts in Montreal.

"Womanned" by literary woman-about-town, Ingrid Bejerman, Almemar's Editor-in-Chief, the online magazine promises to shine a light on the arts of the vibrant Jewish community of Montreal: from writers and editors to musicians, dancers, and visual artists, we are excited to offer this new community-based focus page to bring together those interested in the Jewish arts.

This month we kick off our inaugural issue with a letter from Ingrid, our Editor-in-Chief, but Ernest Hoffman also checks in with a fascinating interview with Yael Perez on Photography, Burlesque and Loving Yourself (oh, yes, that kind of loving yourself!).

Check it out, like us on Facebook, join the Twitter feed (@AlmemarArts) and send us story ideas to this email.

*Almemar is an ancient Hebrew word which means "pulpit"