118. Jennifer Lang | Places We Left Behind: an experimental memoir, yoga, and a multicultural life

Arts Calling

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling the brilliant author, yogi, and writing teacher Jennifer Lang! (israelwriterstudio.com/about)

About our guest: Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jennifer Lang lives in Tel Aviv, where she runs Israel Writers Studio. Her essays have appeared in Baltimore Review, Crab Orchard Review, Under the Sun, Ascent, and elsewhere. A Pushcart Prize, Best of Net, and Best American Essays nominee, she holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and serves as Assistant Editor for Brevity. Often findable on her yoga mat with her legs up her living room wall: practicing since 1995, teaching since 2003. Places We Left Behind _was a finalist in _Chestnut Review’s chapbook prose competition.

Instagram @jenlangwrites | Facebook: @israelwriterstudio

Places We Left Behind, now available from Vine Leaves Press! https://www.vineleavespress.com/places-we-left-behind-by-jennifer-lang.html

About Places We Left Behind: When American-born Jennifer falls in love with French-born Philippe during the First Intifada in Israel, she understands their relationship isn't perfect. Both 23, both Jewish, they lead very different lives: she's a secular tourist, he's an observant immigrant. Despite their opposing outlooks on two fundamental issues—country and religion—they are determined to make it work. For the next 20 years, they root and uproot their growing family, each longing for a singular place to call home. In Places We Left Behind, Jennifer puts her marriage under a microscope, examining commitment and compromise, faith and family while moving between prose and poetry, playing with language and form, daring the reader to read ~~between the lines~~.

Thanks for this delightful conversation, Jennifer! All the best!

--

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com). If you like the show: leave a review, or share it with someone who's starting their creative journey! Your support truly makes a difference! Go make a dent: much love,

j

https://artscalling.com