I've been writing for decades now - on everything from pop culture to single life to grief - so what have I learned about writing and vulnerability, authenticity and the power of personal narrative?
Last week I did an ELI Talks on Air - a conversation with See3's Lisa Colton about my writing and connections to community - covering a flashback to my Jewish Week singles days, how I feel about clicking "publish," and what kinds of grief communities have been helpful to me (shoutouts to Modern Loss & The Dinner Party around 17 minutes in). Plus a preview of the content for my book-in-progress, "Nothing Helps (But This Might Help): A Guide to Loss and What Comes After." (And yes, I cry a little. But that's ok. Because I also invented a new Google Glass style product.)
Other highlights from the conversation (full video embedded below):
- At the 8:20 mark, we talk the role of authenticity in connecting to people online, in person and in writing;
- Around 30 minutes in, we field a question about why synagogues have such trouble engaging singles;
- We talk the post-shiva grief role of community and the connections between individuals and their Jewish community around 33 minutes in;
- About 36 minutes in, I talk about the silence that follows the flurry of comforting activity of the funeral and shiva;
- Does the processing of all of this online and in writing impede the process of moving on? We talk about this around the 40-minute mark.
- 42:00 or so has one of my favorite lines, if I do say so myself: "If someone hates you and thinks you're a racist, they'll tell you, but if they really enjoy your piece, you might not hear about it. That's the sad truth of being a writer."
- At the 43 minute mark, I literally use the phrase "drop the mic and leave."
- At 44:15, Lisa and I talk about the concept of Facebook as a living memorial that's perhaps more meaningful than leaving a rock on the gravestone, which gave me the chance to talk about Dave Burnett, z"l, and his Facebook wall.
Thanks to ELI Talks for hosting me - tune into elitalks.org weekly for live conversations with interesting people, and check out their produced TED-style talks at elitalks.org or on their YouTube channel.
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