Writing from a Jewish perspective: four Ottawa authors speak

with Daniel Bezalel Richardsen, Rachel Eugster, Sarah Waisvisz, Gabriella Goliger, and Lawrence Aronovitch

Is there necessarily a connection, for Jewish writers, between the creative process and their cultural or religious identity? How does Jewishness manifest itself in the writing process, if at all? In this session, four prominent local writers discuss how being Jewish influences their writing and their creative
engagement.

Daniel Bezalel Richardsen is a graduate student in History with the Interdisciplinary Humanities program at Trinity Western University. He is a former federal political staffer, having served as press secretary and researcher. Daniel cares deeply about cultural literacy and fostering a concrete vision of what a rich common life can afford us.
He is founder and editor of Foment, the literary magazine of the Ottawa International Writers Festival—Canada’s largest independent literary celebration. Daniel also co-leads the Ottawa chapter of Readers of First Things, which is inclusive of Convivium Connections. Indian-born,

Rachel Eugster is an Ottawa-based writer and editor (and under another hat, an actor, singer, and music director). Rachel’s picture book, The Pocket Mommy (Tundra Books/Penguin Random House), won “best book” awards from the Canadian Toy Testing Council and the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.“The Pocket Mommy” is one of many works of children Eugster has published. A former editor of Walking magazine, Rachel has also been widely published in magazines for adults, and has edited everything from fiction to poetry to medical journals to architectural writings to children’s literature.In 2015, Rachel wrote her first original play, Whose Aemilia?, and appeared in the title role during its premiere at the Ottawa Fringe Festival.Rachel is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and of the Writers’ Union of Canada.

Dr. Sarah Waisvisz was born in Europe to a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, and multi-racial family. In Ottawa she attended Hillel Academy and then Lisgar Collegiate before studying Theatre and English at McGill University. Her PhD dissertation (Carleton University, 2014) is on human rights, resistance, and memory in Francophone and Anglophone Caribbean literature. Currently Sarah works professionally in the theatre as a playwright and performer.

Lawrence Aronovitch is a playwright who lives in Ottawa, Canada. His journey to this occupation was a roundabout one. After studying history and physics (itself an improbable combination) at Harvard, Lawrence found himself working in the U.S. space program. When the Canadian government decided to start its own space agency, he accepted the invitation to come home and be part of the team. After many years of working in the space program and various other decidedly non-theatrical activities, Lawrence began to write plays in 2007. Curiously, the many experiences he’s had outside the theatre have helped inform his writing on issues important to him. A former playwright in residence at the Great Canadian Theatre Company, Lawrence is currently working with Ottawa’s Bear & Co., who will be producing his new play, Finishing the Suit.

Gabriella Goliger’s first book, Song of Ascent, won the 2001 Upper Canada Writer’s Craft Award. She was co-winner of the 1997 Journey Prize for short fiction, was a finalist for this prize in 1995 and won the Prism International award in 1993. In 2011, Gabriella won the Ottawa Book Award for Fiction for her second novel,Girl Unwrapped. She has also been published in a number of journals and anthologies including Best New American Voices 2000 and Contemporary Jewish Writing in Canada. Her educational credentials include a B.A. from McGill University and an M.A. in English literature from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.