I feel like a Rock Star!
When you're a writer, as my fellow awardee Erica Silverman so aptly said, "you spend a lot of time in the darkness." You're alone in your head with your characters - if you're lucky and they're speaking to you that day - and, more often than not, your self doubts. Can I do this again? What happens if I can't? Does is this good or does it suck?
So I can't tell you what a fantastic experience it's been for me to be here at the AJL Conference, meeting people who have read and enjoyed my book. To have people ask to take a picture with me like I'm someone famous. I feel like a rock star. Ok, without the entourage or the huge bank account. But like a rock star nonetheless.
This morning I had the privilege of addressing attendees at the Sydney Taylor Committee's "What's Hot and What's Not" session. I spoke of how "Confessions of a Closet Catholic" was written as an answer to a question oft pondered by my teenaged self in response to the unspoken message I got from my family to "Be Jewish - But Not TOO Jewish." How exactly does one go about this? It confused me. It still does, to be honest. But like Jussy, the main character in "Confessions", I've learned to discover my own relationship with G-d and with Judaism, which is somewhat different than the way I grew up, but nonetheless still related.
It was a relief that my book was not one of the one's being discussed at the "Hot or Not" Session - but listening to the panel and the comments of the audience reminded me of how you can get 10 Jews in a room and end up with 15 different opinions. And that's one of the things I love about my people.
I'm about to go freak out about doing my speech tonight. Wish me luck!
So I can't tell you what a fantastic experience it's been for me to be here at the AJL Conference, meeting people who have read and enjoyed my book. To have people ask to take a picture with me like I'm someone famous. I feel like a rock star. Ok, without the entourage or the huge bank account. But like a rock star nonetheless.
This morning I had the privilege of addressing attendees at the Sydney Taylor Committee's "What's Hot and What's Not" session. I spoke of how "Confessions of a Closet Catholic" was written as an answer to a question oft pondered by my teenaged self in response to the unspoken message I got from my family to "Be Jewish - But Not TOO Jewish." How exactly does one go about this? It confused me. It still does, to be honest. But like Jussy, the main character in "Confessions", I've learned to discover my own relationship with G-d and with Judaism, which is somewhat different than the way I grew up, but nonetheless still related.
It was a relief that my book was not one of the one's being discussed at the "Hot or Not" Session - but listening to the panel and the comments of the audience reminded me of how you can get 10 Jews in a room and end up with 15 different opinions. And that's one of the things I love about my people.
I'm about to go freak out about doing my speech tonight. Wish me luck!
2 Comments:
Reading the blog it's almost like being there!
Todah rabbah!
By Eri, at 6:35 PM
Just want to make sure everyone realizes that the author of this post is Sarah Darer Littman, the author of our Sydney Taylor Book Award winner Confessions of a Closet Catholic.
By Heidi Estrin, at 9:50 AM
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