I guess everything having to do with your background has some influence on how you tell stories but it's hard to parse how growing up in a Jewish community in Minnesota really affected it.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I'm the New York Jew who actually grew up in Minnesota.
I was nearly a teen-ager before I stopped assuming that everyone I met was Jewish.
The funny thing is that I write and I act a lot about being Jewish, but I don't really think about it as a regular person.
The first profile piece on myself came about after my Rabbi sent information to the Jewish Chronicle on what I was up to. The story was then picked up by one of the nationals and things grew from there.
As a journalist, I've always treaded carefully about being Jewish and caring a lot about Israel and having that not become too big of an issue that could affect my journalism. But I also don't think it's essential to my Judaism, as I think it might be for some other people.
I have very distinct memories about growing up as part of what was then a very small Jewish community in Buffalo Grove, IL.
The story that I wanna tell is pretty much about the way I grew up. Being bi-racial, growing up in a big city and being an artist.
I have a 10-year track record of writing for the Jewish community.
Jewish history turns out not to be an either/or story - as in, either pure Judaism detached from its surroundings or else assimilation - but rather, for the vast majority, the adventure of living in between.
I can't imagine writing something that didn't address Jewish themes and questions. It's such a big part of my life, a lot of the way in which I experience the world.