May 19 (Yetzirah Advisory Board Reading) Richard Chess, Jehanne Dubrow, David Ebenbach, Jessica Jacobs, Yerra Sugarman

Richard Chess is the author of four books of poetry, Love Nailed to the Doorpost (University of Tampa Press 2017), Tekiah (University of Georgia Press 1996; republished by University of Tampa Press 2000); Chair in the Desert (University of Tampa Press 2000); and Third Temple (University of Tampa Press 2006). He is a regular contributor to Close Reading, the blog hosted by Slant Books. He was a member of the core arts faculty at the Brandeis Bardin Institute for three years, after which he was on the faculty of the Jewish Arts Institute at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center. He is Professor Emeritus at UNC Asheville. He directed UNC Asheville’s Center for Jewish Studies for 30 years. He also played a leading role in UNC Asheville’s contemplative inquiry initiative. He is the Treasurer of Yetzirah. Visit Rick’s profile in Yetzirah’s Discover Jewish Poets database.

Jehanne Dubrow is the author of nine poetry collections, including most recently Wild Kingdom (Louisiana State University Press, 2021), and two books of creative nonfiction, throughsmoke: an essay in notes (New Rivers Press, 2019) and Taste: A Book of Small Bites (Columbia University Press, 2022). Her writing has appeared in POETRY, New England Review, Colorado Review, and The Southern Review. She is a Professor of Creative Writing at the University of North Texas. Jehanne is the Vice President of Yetzirah and the Reading Series Curator. Visit Jehanne’s profile in Yetzirah’s Discover Jewish Poets database.

David Ebenbach is the author of nine books of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, including What’s Left to Us by Evening, his latest book of poetry. His books have won such awards as the Juniper Prize and the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, among others. He lives with his family in Washington, DC, where he supports student-centered teaching at Georgetown University’s Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship. David is the Co-Secretary of Yetzirah. Visit David’s profile in Yetzirah’s Discover Jewish Poets database.

Jessica Jacobs is the author of Take Me with You, Wherever You’re Going (Four Way Books), winner of the Devil’s Kitchen and Goldie Awards; Pelvis with Distance (White Pine Press), winner of the New Mexico Book Award and a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award; and Write It! 100 Poetry Prompts to Inspire (Spruce Books/Penguin RandomHouse), co-authored with Nickole Brown. In March 2024, Four Way will publish unalone, poems in conversation with the Book of Genesis. Jessica is the Founder and Executive Director of Yetzirah. Visit Jessica’s profile in Yetzirah’s Discover Jewish Poets database.

Yerra Sugarman’s three volumes of poetry are: Aunt Bird (Four Way Books, 2022), which won American Book Fest’s 2022 Annual Best Book Award for General Poetry, and was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Awards in Poetry; The Bag of Broken Glass (Sheep Meadow, 2008), poems from which received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship; and Forms of Gone (Sheep Meadow, 2002), winner of PEN American Center’s Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry. Visit Yerra’s profile in Yetzirah’s Discover Jewish Poets database.