By Mary Dempsey
With a cast of literary superstars that includes writers E.L. Doctorow, Erica Jong and Pulitzer Prize winners Tony Kushner and Michael Chabon, it’s easy to understand why Time magazine dubbed Professor of English Faye Moskowitz’s Jewish Literature Live course as among “the hottest seats in class.”
Each spring, the seminar-style course brings a half dozen authors—from renowned novelists to emerging writers—to a Columbian College classroom where nearly 30 students and as many as 10 adult auditors hear about plotlines, writing techniques and the stories behind the stories. The curriculum requires students to read six books or collections of short stories. After each, an author speaks to the class and, later that day, offers an open-to-the-public presentation on campus.
At the completion of the course, students receive a collection of the assigned books, each autographed by the author. The class is so popular that it fills up on the first day of registration, and some students take it more than once. Ms. Moskowitz, B.A. '70, M.A. '79, is herself a noted author of five books. Time magazine also named her a “teaching star.”
Aryeh Lev Stollman, who has appeared twice to discuss his novel “The Far Euphrates,” said the class offers something unusual to authors.
“There’s a powerful relationship between the writer and the reader, but it’s an anonymous relationship because they are unknown to one another,” he said. “Ms. Moskowitz’s class offers an opportunity to meet the readers and talk to people who have studied your work and are taking it seriously . . . To have someone running the class who truly knows what it means to be a writer adds a whole other layer to the experience.”
Senior Justin Solar enrolled in Jewish Literature Live to fulfill his Judaic studies literature requirement. Unsure of what to expect, the course became his “most memorable class at GW.” Not only has Mr. Solar now taken the class twice, but he considers Ms. Moskowitz a mentor, describing their friendship as “something I am eternally grateful for. I know it will continue long past my GW days.”
One of Mr. Solar’s favorite classes featured Bel Kaufman, author of “Up the Down Staircase” and the granddaughter of Sholem Aleichem, whose stories inspired the musical “Fiddler on the Roof.” Just prior to class, Ms. Kaufman stepped out of her D.C. hotel perfectly coiffed and fashionably dressed. The multi-block walk from the hotel to Phillips Hall presented a formidable challenge for the 101-year-old author, but Ms. Kaufman refused to give up her high heels.
“Faye pulled me aside and said, ‘We need to get Bel to class if it’s the last thing we do. If she made it all the way here from New York City, she can make it 15 more feet,’” Mr. Solar said. The final stretch took place with Ms. Kaufman seated on a chair that Mr. Solar dragged to the classroom.
“It was a grand entrance,” Mr. Solar recalled. “I will always cherish it: schlepping Sholem Aleichem’s granddaughter down the halls of Phillips.”
Mr. Solar, who aspires to work in the entertainment industry, publicizes the class through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. He is joined in the outreach effort by volunteer student assistant Samantha Yakas, a senior who helped with the logistics of getting writers to campus. As a perk, Ms. Yakas and Mr. Solar often have dinner with the authors.
Ms. Yakas, who writes fiction, said both Ms. Moskowitz and her class have been inspirational. She marveled at the visiting authors’ honesty. Novelist and screenwriter Bruce Jay Friedman, for example, confided to the class that he’d told friend Mario Puzo that “The Godfather” was a terrible name for his novel. Ms. Yakas said it was also fascinating to hear “Love Bomb” author Lisa Zeidner discuss what it’s like to be a Jewish writer without religion. And Ms. Yakas was caught off-guard by the shyness of Nicole Krauss, whose fiction she found “open and honest and raw.” She also was surprised to learn that Ms. Krauss does not plot out her books. She simply sits down and begins writing.
Jewish Literature Live opens its “sixth season,” as Ms. Moskowitz puts it, this semester. The class owes much of its success to funding support by David Bruce Smith, M.A. ‘79. Among other benefits, Mr. Smith’s generosity allows the English Department to cover honoraria and travel expenses for visiting writers.
Upcoming Visiting Authors For Jewish Literature Live’s Spring 2014 Semester:
Dara Horn (A Guide for the Perplexed), Jan. 30. Evening presentation: Marvin Center 311 at 7:00 p.m.
Anouk Markovitz (I am Forbidden), Feb. 13. Evening presentation: Marvin Center Amphitheater at 7:00 p.m.
Helene Wecker (The Golem and the Jinni), Feb. 27. Evening presentation: Marvin Center Amphitheater, 7:00 p.m.
Claudia Roth Pierpont, (Roth Unbound), March 20. Evening presentation: Marvin Center Amphitheater, 7:00 p.m.
Joy Ladin (Through the Door of Life: a Jewish Journey between Genders), April 3. Evening presentation: Marvin Center Amphitheater, 7:00 p.m.