2016 Spring Catalog

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. 18 .
LITERATURE & WRITING
One Day Book Discussion:
The Seven Good Years by Etgar Keret NEW!
Of his sister, who found religion and lives in Bnei Brak,
Jerusalem’s most orthodox neighborhood, Keret writes “...she
became religious and married just after the Lebanon war.” He
then repeatedly refers to her wedding day as the day she “died.”
Here is Israeli society in microcosm: a writer who doesn’t keep
kosher struggling to understand a mother of 11 whose rabbi will
not permit her to read his books. Concluding its review of The
Seven Good Years, a review in The Guardian said: “Keret is a
master: bracing, compassionate, so absolutely himself.”
Ze’ev Aviezer earned a BA degree in economics from Hunter
College, an MS degree in counseling from Lehman College
CUNY and his MA in Religious Education from Hebrew Union
College’s Institute of Religion.
Friday: May 20: 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Larchmont Temple Rm 2 / $25 /
American Lives NEW!
See full description in Discussions & Lectures section of catalogue.
A discussion of 3 biographies of some of the influential figures
who shaped America.
Leslie Blank received a BA from Emmanuel College, a Masters
in Russian Language and Literature from the University of
Pennsylvania, and a Masters of Liberal Studies with a concentration
in American Studies from Manhattanville College.
6 Tuesdays: Mar 8, Mar 15, Apr 5, Apr 12, May 3, May 10:
12:30 – 2:00 pm
Larchmont Temple Rm 3 / $150 /
Short Stories NEW!
From classic to contemporary, eight stories about “artistic genius,
the relationship between portraits and their subjects, the role of
muses and the effects of ambition, failure and success.” Authors
will include Edgar Allen Poe, Henry James, Bernard Malamud
and Julian Barnes, among others. Students should purchase
Stories of Art and Artists, Edited by Diana Secker Tesdell in the
Everyman’s Pocket Classic edition.
Leslie Blank received a BA from Emmanuel College, a Masters
in Russian Language and Literature from the University of
Pennsylvania, and a Masters of Liberal Studies with a concentration
in American Studies from Manhattanville College.
Wednesdays
8 Wednesdays: March 9 – May 4 (no class March 23):
12:30 – 2:00 pm
Larchmont Temple Rm 3 / $200 /
Thursdays
8 Thursdays: March 10 – May 5 (no class March 24):
12:30 – 2:00 pm
Larchmont Temple Rm 3 / $200 /
Coming of Age in Fiction:
Reading and Writing About Growing Up NEW!
Explore the coming-of-age narrative. In short stories by James
Joyce, Alice Munro, Richard Ford and others, we will read about
young people struggling against social and parental expectations
as they seek to discover their own identities. These stories will
guide our writing exercises, which will lead to a short story.
We will read and write about first loves and losses, about the
separation of parents and separation from parents, about the
discovery of life-long passions. We will also pay attention to
form — to narrative action (plot) and point of view (how the
narrator’s voice can be the young protagonist’s and then move to
adult reflection). We will use memory and observation to inspire
our fictional worlds. Class welcomes all writers!
Catherine Crocker has a BA from Cornell University, an MA
in International Relations from Yale University, and an MFA in
fiction writing from Sarah Lawrence College.
6 Mondays: April 4 – May 16 (no class April 25):
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Larchmont Temple Rm 1 / $190 /
Want to write? This course is designed to appeal to both new
and experienced writers of fiction, creative nonfiction and
memoir writing. Through examination of published works,
instruction about craft, in-class writing exercises, and take-home
assignments, you will develop confidence in your own voice,
acquire tools to improve your writing, and learn how to identify
and express the emotional truths in your work. Limited to eight
students to ensure individual attention, participants will receive
teacher and peer feedback in a supportive workshop environment.
Class size limited to eight students.
Amy Ralston Seife holds an MA in English Literature from Yale,
an MFA in fiction writing from Sarah Lawrence, and an MBA from
Columbia University. She is the Managing Editor of The Westchester
Review, a freelance editor, and a published short story writer.
6 Wednesdays: March 9 – April 20 (no class March 23):
12:30 – 2:30 pm
Larchmont Temple Rm 2 / $260 /
This class will help you tease out the stories that you alone can
tell, and help you develop and structure them. We will study
published memoirs to illuminate narrative technique, work
through in-class exercises using writing prompts and suggestions,
and have class discussions in a supportive environment. New
and experienced writers are welcome.
Joan Motyka is an editor of The Westchester Review, a literary
magazine, and a former long-time editor at The New York Times.
4 Thursdays: March 31 – April 21:
7:00 – 9:00 pm
MHS Palmer Rm 147 / $200 /
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