To make up for my silence these past couple of months, I'm linking to some of the things I've written for the YU Beacon recently.
We pass by thousands of people each day -- strangers who will never be anything to us, and strangers to whom we will never be anything. Those faces pass before our eyes and fade into oblivion -- and with them, thousands of opportunities to connect with other human beings, to have even a tiny little bit of impact on their lives.
On Monday, I sat behind a table with a poster bearing the title "Creative Writing & Poetry Club" and a sign up sheet right next to it. It was the annual Stern College Club Fair, and I was there as the president of the Creative Writing & Poetry Club. My mind flashed back to last September, a year ago, when I was a freshman and had stayed late in Stern after classes to wander through the Club Fair. I had signed up then for a number of things -- so many clubs and organizations caught my attention. I also clearly remember the Creative Writing & Poetry Club's table and talking to the president about the club. And this year, there I was. President.
With the release of the eighth and final Harry Potter movie this July (Deathly Hallows II), it seemed as if an era had come to a close. My friends and I had grown up with Harry Potter, and I remember eagerly awaiting the release of the last few books and devouring them as soon as they came out. It seemed appropriate to mark the occasion of the last movie's release by going to a midnight showing with a group of friends and dressing up like the nerd that I am. (Nowthat was a fun night.)
I realize I've been rather silent lately. It is not because I have had nothing to say, but rather because there was too much to say and think about and I wasn't quite sure where to start, or whether to start. I try to keep a little divider between my blog and my real life and I am careful with what I share here, especially since this blog isn't anonymous.
In my previous post, I mentioned breaking free in terms of the choices you make -- not allowing others' perception of you stop you from being the person you feel you have to be and making the choices that are right for you. For me, breaking free has another component: being able to stand up for justice when you witness injustice.
Choices are not easy to begin with; you have to live with your choice and it can completely change the direction of your life, whether for good or bad. But at some point you feel ready to make that choice, because after much deliberation you have reached the conclusion that it is what is best for you. You've agonized, spent sleepless nights thinking, scrutinized all the choices before you, spoken to people who would understand where you're coming from. And you're ready. You're ready for yourself.
It is written in corners of pages
Always at the very back of notebooks
A place none but I flip through
A truth none but I see.
It is drawn in the margins
So small it is barely seen
So insignificant it never matters
To none but to me.
It's April 2011, and I just realized that what it means is that I have been blogging for two years already. I was actually reminded of it by SternGrad's post, since she's also celebrating her blogoversary. It's been a great two years, and I am glad that I decided to start a blog back then. Big thank you to my readers for making it worth it and for giving me a reason to blog.
EVENT -- Jews and Jewish Culture in New Media
Posted by inkstainedhands in art, blogging, Jews, Judaism, media, museums, writing, Yeshiva University Museum
Hello fellow bloggers,
The popularity and influence of emerging media is empowering a new generation to question, challenge and raise their voices in unprecedented ways. It has fueled rebellions and revolutions around the world, and offers an exciting and ever-expanding reevaluation and re-articulation of culture. This issue is of crucial importance for Jewish culture and society.
The Yeshiva University Museum is excited to host an informal, open forum for emerging writers, bloggers, and others engaged with Jewish culture through New Media. We will meet May 11 from 6-8pm to tour the Yeshiva University Museum galleries and discuss Jewish topics in new media. Together, we’ll evaluate, critique and debate such topics as: how new media effects our understanding of Jewish culture, ethics in writing about Jewish communal and culture topics, preservation and redefinition of tradition through writing, and how Jewish topics are, should and shouldn’t be addressed.
Please RSVP to chersh@yum.cjh.org or call 212-294-8330 x 8808
I have wanted for a while to write about some of the issues in the dating system in today's Orthodox world, and although I have started writing a blog post about it (I'll post that one eventually), something I recently read provoked me to write this one, which I'll post first. This post might come across as judgmental and condescending to some people. If you're the type of person who dislikes that, feel free not to read it.
As I am writing this blog post, I am sitting in the auditorium of the Schottenstein Cultural Center, hearing Hamlet's desperate voice ringing from the stage. Rehearsals for Stern College Dramatics Society's spring 2011 production of Shakespeare's Hamlet are in progress, and we actresses are scattered across the empty auditorium, while Hamlet paces and ponders onstage.
When I was little, Purim contained a sort of magic for me. The costumes, the music, the dancing, the sheer joy. Purim created the kind of special memories that would stay with me and put a smile on my face years later. This year, however, having midterms right before and another test the day after Purim is putting a bit of a damper on it. So... for all those who need to get into the Purim spirit, check out the Maccabeats' new music video, and raise your glass. ;]
He's right in front of you,
We will never be never be anything but proud to tell our story
v'nahafoch hu.
Author
- inkstainedhands
- I am a student at Stern College (Yeshiva University) and a young writer with an interest in observing the world and recording in writing what I see, feel, and think. I appreciate expression and most forms of art, which are themselves forms of expression infused with beauty. It is my belief that beauty can be found in the most unexpected places and people if one only looks for it. It can also be found in fear, in anger, in despair -- and it is the job of the writer, the poet, the artist, the photographer, the filmmaker, the actor, the musician, and the performer to convey that to the audience... And I want to be that writer. I also want to be the girl who lives life loving every moment of it and being thankful to G-d for all the wonderful things in this world even when it seems difficult. I love to learn, to understand new ideas, to see the breathtaking way in which things fall into place. I want to get the most out of every moment of this thrilling rollercoaster we call life.
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Words of Wisdom
~ Eric A. Burns
"Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who
dream only by night."
~ Edgar Allan Poe
"The dreamer whose dreams are non-utilitarian has no place in this world. In this world the poet is anathema, the thinker a fool, the artist an escapist, the man of vision a criminal."
~ Henry Miller
"Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears."
~ Edgar Allan Poe
"There is no mistaking a real book when one meets it. It is like falling in love."
~ Christopher Morley
"Creativity is a drug I cannot live without."
~ Cecil B. DeMille
"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music."
~ Aldous Huxley
"There is only one admirable form of the imagination: the imagination that is so
intense that it creates a new reality, that it makes things happen."
~ Sean O'Faolain
Bookmarks
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Can a Girl Just Say No?2 years ago
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Parsha with Chana3 years ago
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Desperate times10 years ago
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Mazal Tov To Bad4Shidduchim!10 years ago
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גרים12 years ago
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Ouch.12 years ago
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Take a Step Back13 years ago
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The Car Door and A Bad Day13 years ago
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Free Choice13 years ago
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Parshas Netzavim–Vayeilech14 years ago