My First Interview and What I'm Up To This Week

Spoiler alert: it's a lot of sleeping and beach time.

I’m on vacation this week (more on that in next week’s letter) and not doing a heck of a lot. But here’s a little update and an interview with a cool pal of mine when you get to the end.

What I’m Reading

I’m having a lot of time this week to take walks in the sunshine so that means it’s audiobook time.

Luckily for me Samantha Irby has a new book out, Quietly Hostile, and she reads the audiobook. That’s called a no-brainer. This is my fourth Irby, which I think means I’ve now read or am reading all of her books, all on audio. She’s one of those people like David Sedaris that you want to listen to tell their own stories. I highly recommend her books for your next walk.

Postcrossing

Have you ever heard of Postcrossing? Before last January I hadn’t, but a pal in my quilting guild turned me on to this hobby where you send postcards to people all over the world and they send postcards to you.

I started by sending out Penguin book cover postcards and others that I’d collected over the years, but it wasn’t long until I started buying them just to send out, including the “kitten” postcard pictured, which I bought from the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. It’s one of a set of baby-animals-in-Yiddish cards they have. They also have Yiddish theater postcards and others. I have set of postcards from Weird NJ, a magazine covering the stranger side of life in the Garden State, which I’ll start sending soon, too.

I get all kinds of cool cards; I like cats so people send me cat cards a lot.

It’s a fun hobby. You can’t be picky about where you send or receive from, but it’s neat to get little surprises in the mail now and then.

Speaking of Yiddish Things- Kish Mir in Yiddish with Sol Awend

Last fall I took my first class in the Yiddish language, where I met a cool person called Sol Awend, who has his own podcast called Kish Mir in Yiddish. He tells stories from his childhood, talks about Yiddish, teaches some Yiddish vocab and basically just shares his love of Yiddish and Yiddish culture. I asked Sol to answer a few questions about his podcast for you. Click on the links below if you want to listen to the podcast itself, and keep reading.

1. How did you get started doing your podcast?

Life is a strange and winding road sometimes. Seems I was working with a trainer at the local YMCA. Big, burly, heavyset guy. Matt.

Ruddy complexion and rusty beard to boot. He knew a lot about body building and he was quite helpful. We talked aabout all sorts of topics and gradually he became interested in things Jewish, including Yiddish. Being that I'm technologically challenged, he offered to help get my blog set up.

I have a collection of original Yiddish poetry going back some forty years and came up with the title of Kish Mir In Yiddish!. One thing led to another and the site was created.

2. What's something fun or cool that's happened to you because of the podcast?

I have been able to connect with interesting people all over the world. To be able to connect with people in Yiddish is most mind boggling to me. 

3. What are your hopes for it for the future?

If I could still keep Kish Mir IN Yiddish! functional and arouse interest, that would be great, perhaps a show at Carnegie Hall (?!)

It's important for me to highlight the poetry. 

4. What kind of community have you found or hope to build with it?

I've been able to connect with the Holocaust Museum in Naples, FL. They have been most helpful in granting me time to share Yiddish on a monthly basis with those interested. Imagine hearing laughter coming from the Holocaust Museum.

5. What have you learned from doing it that surprised you? There's a lively interest in Yiddish. What other language has words from every corner of the world. And the world is round, no? 

6. On a personal note, what is your favorite snack?

Herring in sour cream  and apples, with toasted rye bread... you need to be there....

Thank you so much Sol!

This is hopefully the first in a series of interviews I’ll be doing with people I know who do cool things and are willing to answer a few questions for me and you.

Hope you are having a great week and thanks for reading!