a hearth for Jewish poetry

Valerie Bacharach

Current City
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Birth City
Richmond, Virginia, USA
Genre(s)
Poetry
Photo credit: Photo Credit: Paul Bacharach

Biography

Valerie Bacharach is a graduate of Carlow University’s MFA program and a proud member of Carlow University’s Madwomen in the Attic writing workshops. Her book, Last Glimpse was published by Broadstone Books in August 2024. Her poem Birthday Portrait, Son, published by the Ilanot Review, was selected for inclusion in 2023 Best
Small Fictions. She has been nominated for three Pushcart Prizes and two Best of the Net.

What is the relationship between Judaism and/or Jewish culture and your poetry?

Jewish holidays, the idea of God, the Talmud and the Torah, all seem to show up in my poems. I write primarily about family, but I have many questions, many wonderings about my faith, how it affects my life and how I see the world. Basic Jewish ideas, such as forgiveness and remembrance are in many of my poems.

Published Works

Poetry
Ghost-Mother (chapbook; Finishing Line Press, 2021)
Fireweed (chapbook; Main Street Rag, 2018)

Links to Sample Works

Subject Matter

Aging, Antisemitism, Cultural Identity, Death, Family, Grief & Elegy, Jewishness, Loss, Love, Marriage, Nature.