Annette Gendler's Blog, page 6

Three Uplifting but True-to-Life Books for You to Read during these Trying Pandemic Times

In the face of depressing news I always ask myself: What can we set against it? And I always end up with the same answer: The pursuit of beauty and the spreading of kindness are the antidote. I am supposed to read Wave for my workshop this month. But I am dragging my feet because I really dont want to read a story about grief right now. I am craving positivity and lightness these days, so I thought Id share some of my favorite reads today that deliver just that.

If youre looking for a funny...

Enjoying a Quirky, Tranquil and Off-the-Beaten Path Part of London: the Regent’s Canal Towpath

My favorite photo from our walk along the Regents Canal Towpath: My brother bending his way through one of its tunnels.

I have another virtual trip for you: off the beaten track, along Regents Canal Towpath in London. I spent a few days last week putting together a photo album of my trip to London last November with my siblings. The album was my gift for my sisters birthday as this trip had been my brothers and my gift for her 50th last year.

Assembling a photo album of one of my recent trips...

Come Along on a Virtual Tour of the Ballestas Islands, whose Atmosphere is More Striking than that of Famous Machu Picchu

Whenever I think of the Ballestas Islands, I see this image in my mind. It is my favorite photo of our entire trip to Peru.

As we are into our fourth week of stay-at-home orders in the U.S., and my friends and family around the world are suffering the same confinement,

I am ever more thankful for the great trips I have been able to take in the past.

Such as my trip to Peru with two of my children last July. Since none of us can even go to a nearby park, let alone travel to another country, I...

A Friend in Prison Made Me Appreciate Personal Freedom, Something that Seems Oddly Appropriate during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Having a friend in prison has been an illuminating experience for me.

I have been contemplating and learning about what that life means, on a day-to-day basis, by corresponding and visiting my friend. It has made me aware of the treasure of physical, personal freedomsomething I had never thought about much before. Who would have thought that the resulting essay, freshly published in Tablet, would be so appropriate at this time of the COVID-19 Pandemic when we all around the worldfind...

One Important, Mindful, Calming and Life-Affirming Thing You Can Do During this Challenging COVID-19 Pandemic: Keep a Record

War time diary of 12-year-old Sheila Cohen, living in London, 1940 (Jewish Museum, London I took this photo in December 2018)

Be sure to keep a diary of these challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic!

It doesnt have to be a diary like the one pictured above, kept by 12-year-old Sheila Cohen during World War II in London. In this day and age, you can download and save your Facebook posts, WhatsApp Chats or Snapchat stories. You can plop the photos youre sharing of empty toilet paper shelves...

Keep Calm and Carry On – That’s All I Can Say at the Moment

May you live in interesting times is purported to be a Chinese curse but it actually isnt. Nevertheless we currently live in interesting times, and it does feel like a curse. Apparently this saying can be traced back to the British diplomatic corps, which also fits because the best directive for this time of the coronavirus pandemic is the famous British World War II motto:

Keep calm and carry on.

Thats what I wish for all of you, dear readers, if indeed you have the wherewithal to even read...

A Favorite Recipe for the Jewish Holiday of Purim: Chocolate-Poppy Seed-Filled Hamantashen

It’s the time of year again! The Jewish holiday of Purim is around the corner. I have shared why it took me a while to get into giving Mishloach Manot for Purim, a custom that first struck me as rather odd. How I got into that is captured in my Kveller article Why Jews Need This Silly Purim Tradition.

Baking Hamantashen, however, was not something I had a hard time getting into, mainly because I love the traditional poppy seed filling.

Problem was, my kids weren’t into anything poppy seed!...

How to Get Started Writing your Family History in an Engaging Way

The pile of letters Donna’s father sent to his sister in Chicago while he was stationed in India during WWII, including the silk he sent her to make herself a dress.

Welcome to installment two of my advice column

where I answer readers’ questions about writing compelling stories from family history:

Donna, who lives in Israel, asks: “I would like your advice! About 10 years ago when I visited family in Chicago, my aunt who had started to get Alzheimer’s, gave me a box of my father’s letters...

The Three Toughest Challenges in Writing Compelling Stories from Family History and Other Insights

My ever handsome friend Larry Palmer (on the left) with his niece and younger brother. I’m very proud that his excellent family memoir Scholarship Boy is coming out in May because I saw its beginnings when I served as a teaching assistant at the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop in 2013.

Barbara Krasner from The Whole Megillah recently interviewed me about my new book How to Write Compelling Stories from Family History.I’m happy to share one insight from our conversation here:

TWM: You’ve been...

10 Unusual Prompts to Help You Start Writing Your Family History

If you want to write your family history and are floundering with where to start, look no further!

Sign up here to receive my booklet 10 Unusual Prompts to Start Writing Your Family History! I promise you will get something down on paper if you follow at least one of these prompts. Chances are, you’ll end up with a lot more! And remember:

Something is better than nothing.

That is one of the main axioms of my book How to Write Compelling Stories from Family History.

Happy Writing!

The post 10...