Q&A with David Hirshberg

   

 

David Hirshberg, the pseudonym for an entrepreneur and business executive, is the author of the new novel Crossing the Bronx. His other books include Jacobo's Rainbow. He lives in Westchester County, New York.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Crossing the Bronx, and how did you create your character Jay?

 

A: All my novels—My Mother’s Son, Jacobo’s Rainbow, and now Crossing the Bronx—comprise my Mid-Century Trilogy, works that illuminate the 1950s and ‘60s, a time framed by World War II and the Vietnam War, when Jews began to shed their outsider status, and integrate into the fabric of American society, cloaked with both its goodness and strife.

 

For the narrative arc of each novel, I’ve picked a central event and used it as the crux of the story around which all the action takes place.

 

In the case of Crossing the Bronx, I’ve always been fascinated by the construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway in the 1950s, which destroyed the Tremont area of The Bronx and was representative of the way in which governments exercised eminent domain without the input and consent of the local population.

 

The November 10, 2019, issue of Real Archeology had a story entitled “The Cross Bronx Expressway and the Ruination of The Bronx,” and The New York Times published an article on September 8, 2022, that gave an in-depth analysis of the destruction of the local community. I was hooked.

 

Since The Bronx was an ethnically diverse borough, setting a story about the Jewish, Italian, Black, and Puerto Rican people whose lives were disrupted gave me the opportunity to write about how the “little people” are affected by the (oftentimes callous) decisions of government officials and business interests.

 

The main male character—Jay—was not the first character I created. His father, Ike, was conjured up first, and once I wrote the following paragraph (which originally was the opening of the novel in an early draft), Jay emerged.

 

My father was more Italian than Jewish. deVenezia, from the original ghetto. Orphaned, which may explain his lust for acceptance by those in power and his rage when he beat the shit out of me. Or maybe not. Let’s face it, I’m not the shrink.

 

He was the only Jew in the orphanage with a hundred Catholic kids, and it was his good fortune that he had the physical characteristics to stand up for himself.

 

At 12, he pried a crucifix off one of the walls and used it to pound the daylights out of a kid four years older who’d taunted him in front of the others on account of his circumcised dick. That night, so he said, he got rid of Isaac and became Ike.

 

I had the idea from the beginning that Ike (né Isaac) would have two sons, so naturally they were named for Jacob and Esau (Jay and Eric). Jay’s persona and the story flowed from there.

 

Q: How did you research the novel, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: After reading the above-mentioned two articles, I dug in to learn more about the construction of the expressway and its fallout with the people of the community. And, also, living in New York, I had some familiarity with different sections of The Bronx going back to my childhood.

 

What surprised me was the rapaciousness of the interests that were aligned to construct the expressway and the depth of the extraordinary disruptive effect on the local community.

 

It’s one thing to read about a few people whose homes were seized by eminent domain, but an entirely different matter when one recognizes that 40,000 people were displaced, hundreds of businesses had to be located, and most of all, a sense of community was utterly destroyed.

 

One friend of mine commented that it was the 20th century version of Pompeii. Obviously an exaggeration, but there are similarities.

 

Q: The author Esther Amini described the novel as “both timeless and timely.” What do you think of that assessment?

 

A: Esther’s comment strikes at the heart of the book, in that it implies that the kinds of events that are recorded in the novel (both real and fictitious) have gone on forever, and are evident today.

 

The anecdotes are always different, but they speak to the same issues of the “little people” against “city hall” and the obstacles that ordinary people face when confronted by government and business interests that appear to have all the power.

 

Esther’s description is also relevant to the romantic relationship between Jay and his girlfriend Francesca, as well as the friendly relationship between Jay and Francesca’s brother. And, too, it recognizes the oftentimes tumultuous intrafamily relationships that don’t always end with all parties celebrating a “kumbaya” moment.

 

As it is said, “Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose” – the more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: The book can be read on three levels:

 

(1) The story of what it was like to have lived through the Depression and World War II era, and into the one that emerged after 1945—a society that was being altered almost unknowingly into something that would turn out to be significantly different in terms of social activism and ethnic politics;

 

(2) A metaphor for what is going on in cities today, in terms of the conflicts between “ordinary people” and powerful politicians and business interests; and

 

(3) How a Jewish family emerges from dysfunction to find its way despite daunting implacable obstacles in its way.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I have written drafts of screenplays for both Crossing the Bronx and Jacobo’s Rainbow. A screenplay is a completely different can of worms compared to a novel. Very challenging, but I am highly motivated.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Crossing the Bronx is a 1950s fiction depicting the clashing of cultures, as well as the intersection of politics, business, and community – a metaphor for today.

 

Recent events that deal with the interconnected worlds of political and financial corruption are generally framed as two-dimensional stories of good vs. evil, many times without shades of gray, and frequently have a political angle to them as portrayed in the media.

 

In Crossing the Bronx, the narrative digs down to give a full picture of the complexity of behaviors, and how the decisions—that have both intended and unintended consequences—are made by those who are powerful and connected, as well as by those who are just “regular folks.”

 

Persuasively illustrating how the world really works, Crossing the Bronx captures the essence of what drives us forward under the most daunting of circumstances.

 

While the novel exposes the underbelly of the criminal and political world, evidenced by brutality, rapaciousness, and a never-ending desire to seek retribution, the love story between Jay and Francesca counter-balances the grimness to show how some people can overcome the odds stacked against them by their birth and places of origin.

 

Smart, savvy women (Francesca, Jay’s mother Rebekah, Francesca’s grandmother Daniela Lagana, and Jay’s therapist Dr. Silverman) provide a strong counterbalance to the lies, thefts, beatings, concealments, murders, and prejudice evidenced by some of the men.

 

In addition to sustained tension-filled action, Crossing the Bronx is a story of romance, commitments, and beliefs, told with perceptive insights and humor. The characters come to life in a realistic fashion to illustrate who we are, how we behave, and what causes us to change.

 

It is intended to generate the kinds of reader reactions that audiences have when watching movies such as On the Waterfront, The Usual Suspects, and Gone Baby Gone.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with David Hirshberg. 

Q&A with B.W. Jackson

  

 

 

 

B.W. Jackson is the author of the new novel The Brotherhood of Barnabas. It's the second in his Rise of Lazarus series. He lives outside New York City. 

 

Q: This is the second in your Rise of Lazarus series--how did you come up with the plot for The Brotherhood of Barnabas?

 

A: There were definitely questions burning in my head after the first book. That was the natural springboard.

 

I think with any series, you have to try to balance providing satisfying answers with raising intriguing questions. The Brotherhood of Barnabas tries to address some of those questions from the first book. For instance, how does this whole Lazarus society thing work? And, if Aaron and Grandpa Moshe and Miriam are basically the good guys, who are the bad guys?

 

The other important element was Grandpa Moshe. I really wanted to explore his character and story more. He captured my attention, which is why he drives much of the plot in The Brotherhood of Barnabas.

 

The funny thing is that the first book was originally a short story, with only Aaron and Professor Freeman. But I couldn’t find a satisfying ending, and so I kept writing. That’s when I introduced Grandpa Moshe. Or, in a way, he introduced himself to me. That process is mysterious.

 

Q: Do you think your character Aaron has changed from one book to the next?

 

A: I think he has absolutely changed, or I hope he has, because his world gets turned on its head at in the first book. He starts out the series as a lazy and arrogant college kid with loads of potential, but he gets humbled. He’s forced to listen and learn, and he’s rewarded for it. He gains perspective and a sense of purpose.

 

In book two, Aaron begins to play a slightly more active role in the unfolding of the story, even though he takes a back seat to Grandpa Moshe. He doesn’t stop learning, though. That’s the crucial piece.

 

I’d say he is gradually developing into more of a true main character, which I like. In a way, it’s a good counterbalance to the main character syndrome that’s going around. We all have to face it. Maybe you’re not yet a main character in the first book. Maybe you never get to be a main character. Or maybe you have to listen and learn for a while and then you become a main character in book three or four or five. We’ll see.

 

Q: Do you recommend reading The Rise of Lazarus before turning to this novel?

 

A: Thank you for asking that question! Yes, it is crucial to read The Rise of Lazarus before The Brotherhood of Barnabas. The first page of book two comes right after the last page of book one, and it will be the same for book three. That was my vision for the series. Ideally, readers will finish one book and reach for the next. Of course, unfortunately, that’s not exactly how it works in publishing. It takes time to prepare a book for release. 

 

Once book three is out, my dream is that a new reader might go through them all in a few days. The pressure is on me to make them as quick and gripping as possible. 

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: First and foremost, I hope the book provides an escape into another world, a break from the day to day. Beyond that, I hope the book inspires some reflection.

 

Compared to book one, The Brotherhood of Barnabas is more playful in some parts, and more serious in some parts. Ultimately, it is still meant to be a book for any age—a book for the full family book club, from teenage grandchild up to grandparent.

 

I would say, though, that the second book introduces some more adult concepts and sinister elements, and also raises ideas about history and values for possible reflection.

 

Part of finding your voice as an author is coming to understand your capabilities and what aims are realistic. Whether I’m writing thrillers or literary fiction, I aspire to produce clever stories that read quickly, books that are engaging and thought-provoking. That’s the goal with the Lazarus series. I hope readers can’t put it down, and then I hope the ideas stick with them.

 

The challenge is finding the right balance. Ideas should always enhance the story, never distract from the story.

 

Q: What’s next in the series?

 

A: The Cave of Cleopas is the third book in the series. It’s coming along! I don’t want to give anything away about the book two ending, but I can say that the heroes are going to dive right in.

 

The series starts out as a story within a story, and, with twists and turns, the story comes to life in the here-and-now. Book three keeps that trajectory going, even if the series will always be rooted in history and legends and storytelling.

 

In the beginning, the stories come to Aaron, but that starts to change in book two, and it changes even more in book three. Aaron may not be able to stand on the sidelines so much anymore. As I said, he definitely has true main character potential. We’ll see how he develops.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: At the moment, I’m doing a thorough reading and editing of book three, which can be excruciating and invigorating at the same time, sometimes in the same sentence. When you let the manuscript lie fallow long enough, the ground gets nice and soft. It’s easier to dig out those ugly roots that wouldn’t budge before, and plant a few flowering shrubs.

 

Otherwise, I’m always jotting down notes for more books in the Lazarus series—the burning questions that come up as I go along. There is a whole world of Lazarus that has developed in my head, and only a bit at a time can make it into a book. Ideas have to wait their turn. 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with B.W. Jackson. 

May 18

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
May 18, 1925: Lillian Hoban born.

Q&A with Mary Keating

   

 

 

Mary Keating is the author of the memoir in verse Recalibrating Gravity. She is the poetry editor of ScribesMICRO, and is an attorney. She lives in Connecticut.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Recalibrating Gravity?

 

A: In 1973, when I was 15, I got into a teenager's Mustang convertible and never walked again. The moment the car crashed, I was transported to an alternate reality. One where I wasn’t “me” to the outside world. I was a trope.

 

I tried to find authentic books or stories about my new life. They didn’t exist. Disabled people were either tragic or inspirational, but not real people.

 

Except this one book my parents got me, called You Can Do It From A Wheelchair, with a cover that featured a middle-aged woman right out of the ‘50s. She was in a wheelchair mopping. Mopping! What an ambition to strive for.

 

I used to joke with my boyfriend about writing a book called You Can Do It In A Wheelchair and really shatter stereotypes. I think that’s when the idea to write my life story germinated.

 

It’d take me 50 years to compile it. And I never dreamt I’d write it in verse. But that makes perfect sense. The immediacy of poetry breaks the barriers that stereotypes create.

 

My memoir is the one I wanted to read when I was first injured—to know I could do it (life) in a wheelchair, go far beyond mopping, as long as I didn’t forget to laugh.

 

Q: The poet Ed Ahern said of the book, “These autobiographical free-verse poems are achingly honest and subversively creative.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: It’s a great feeling when another poet acknowledges the power of my work—it tells me the poems are doing what I hoped: shifting perspectives.

 

I chose verse so readers experience disability on a deeper level, with form always enhancing meaning. A long, narrow poem called “Hospital’s Care” might topple over at any moment, while “Still,” shaped like a wheelchair, reflects the glacial pace of progress in spinal cord injury care and cure compared to space travel.

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: After my accident, I couldn't sit without support. None of my core muscles worked. In rehab, my physical therapist said that my paralysis changed my center of gravity. He told me I had to find a new one.

 

That concept stuck with me long after I learned to sit without falling over, because recalibrating gravity is a metaphor for learning to adapt to, and navigate in, an alien world.

 

When it came to choose a title, Recalibrating Gravity clicked. My memoir is far more than a disability memoir—just as my life is far more than being a paraplegic.

 

Life is learning to keep balanced no matter what happens—to keep centered. That's a learned skill honed by adversity. We are recalibrating life’s gravity all the time. The title captures the physical, psychological, and spiritual recalibration illustrated in my memoir.

 

Q: What impact did it have on you to write this book, and what do you hope readers take away from it?

 

A: It was and continues to be empowering. From reconnecting with old friends to making new ones at speaking engagements and author events, I’m delighted how my world continues to unfold in ways I never imagined.

 

A Facebook friend shared a poem about my accident with a young woman who subsequently stopped getting into her boyfriend’s car when he’d been drinking. Hopefully, she stopped him from driving while intoxicated as well.

 

I hope my poems help others to recalibrate the gravity of any hardship or difficult time they are going through. That they realize disability is human and love is really what this life is all about. Each of us can make this world a kinder place. We don't have to be heroic. Small acts accumulate over time. 

 

One in four people are disabled, over a billion people. Ideally, my readers start insisting places are accessible to everyone. That would be a dream come true.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I just finished a new poetry collection, My Brain is an Octopus Hiding Haiku, which is loosely structured on the feminine hero’s journey. The overall arc is enhanced by my scuba diving experience of how pressure shifts while navigating a fluid space. The octopus is a perfect metaphor for intelligence, adaptation, and survival.

 

There’s still a dearth of authentic disability stories, especially on the big screen. I’ve written a few short stories. I hope to finish the screenplay I mapped out which is about a high school athlete who becomes paralyzed in a diving accident and discovers how to reinvent her life. And finally, I’ve begun a novel where the protagonist is a woman who uses a wheelchair and outsmarts her kidnappers.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Not so much what you should know, but things to remember: Take care of each other and the planet, hug a tree, and don’t park—even a millimeter—on the hatched-out lines next to accessible parking. You’ll block me from getting in and out of my ramp van. Then how will I, or others like me, be able to engage in this amazing world?

 

Readers can contact me through my website, www.MaryKeatingPoet.com.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Colette Lafia

  

 

 

 

Colette Lafia is the author of the new book Leaving the Shore: Experiencing Poetry as Prayer. Her other books include The Divine Heart. She is also a spiritual director and retreat facilitator. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Leaving the Shore?

 

A: The impetus for this book began on a sleepless night, lying on my sofa, feeling frustrated that I was unable to sleep. Gradually, as the hours went by, I found my attention drawn inward. I could feel a gentle pulsing within me. It was soft and subtle, almost like something was being peeled open. It may sound crazy to say out loud, but I had the palpable sensation of God’s love surrounding and holding me.

 

I had recently begun attending an online poetry workshop, and during the next class, I started a poem that I hoped would capture the feelings and sensations I had felt as I had drifted away that night from my ego self and surrendered to the feeling of being wrapped in Divine Love. That poem became “Leaving the Shore.”

 

After that poem had taken shape, I began in earnest to pull together a collection of poetry that would center thematically on finding the holy in everyday moments. So, I wrote about my life, about my job as a school librarian, about my marriage, and about my spiritual life.

 

As in my other books, I also wanted a way to allow the reader to enter the material and engage with their own thoughts and spiritual yearnings, and so the idea arose of including short prayerful practices that could be explored after reading each poem. And that’s how the subtitle, Experiencing Poetry as Prayer, eventually took shape.

 

Q: How did you decide on the order in which the poems would appear in the collection?

 

A: That’s such an interesting question. One afternoon, with a print-out of the manuscript in hand, I cleared a large space in my living room and began placing each poem, one after the other, on the floor. Once they were all laid out, I started to order and re-order each piece.

 

I always knew I wanted the title poem, "Leaving the Shore," to be first, but from after that, I looked at other poems and thought about how they would flow together, thematically and in some sense, musically, too.

 

Q: How was the book’s title (also the title of one of the poems) chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: As mentioned, "Leaving the Shore" is the centerpiece of the collection because I think it does a nice job of describing something that is very hard to describe and expresses the ineffable. The other part of this is the subtitle, and the importance to me of offering a book that readers can engage with and return to.

 

I’ve had the gift of leading both in-person and online workshops that focus on the book and invite attendees to share their own responses and poetry. This has been one of the most gratifying aspects of having published the book.

Q: The writer Christine Valters Paintner said of the book, “This lovely book is full of quiet spaces and tender moments where your soul can rest for a while and be.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I’m very grateful for Christine’s mention and for her insight.

 

In some ways, I agree that it is a quiet book. It’s a book that reflects on so many moments of everyday life and reminds us to stop and slow down, to look inward a bit more; and for those so inclined, to deepen our spiritual connection to the Divine, no matter what tradition we may come from.

 

There are poems about coming to a table that my husband and I have sat at for decades, about a cracked mug that I drank my morning tea from, about a bowl of soup that catches a child’s attention at school, and many other intimate moments of daily life that are worth our attention and reverence.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Well, I am still very much engaged with giving readings and delivering workshops around poetry and prayer and supporting the launch of my book.

 

But I will confess, I am already working on a new project: another nonfiction book about the spiritual life, which is about as much as I can say right now without giving the title away!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I have always felt the purpose of my life is to love. My journey has been one of growing in love and connecting more deeply to the Source of Love. I've devoted my writing and my spiritual teaching to this journey.

 

My work as a spiritual director, a retreat leader, and a writer invites people into seeing themselves as a manifestation of Divine Love, and I invite anyone interested in learning more to visit my website.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

May 17

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
May 17, 1912: Archibald Cox born.

Q&A with Elizabeth Goodenough

  

 

James Munro Leaf

 

Elizabeth Goodenough's late son James Munro Leaf was the author of the new poetry and prose collection A Revolution of One. Leaf was a New York director, actor, and writer. The collection was edited by Goodenough and Brigit Young.

 

Q: Over how long a period did your son write the poems and essays in this collection?

 

A: My co-editor, Brigit Young, and I chose to include James’s work from ages 15-32 (2001-2017).

 

This allowed us to create a tapestry that depicted several stages of his young life - from a published poem he wrote in high school inspired by watching the twin towers fall to thoughts scribbled on a pamphlet at Notre Dame in his 20s to texts in which he debates the meaning of art with a friend stifled by grad school to thoughtful meditations on the experience of mania in his 30s.

 

We hope that at least a piece of James’s spirit can shine through in this mosaic of his words from all stages of his life.

Elizabeth Goodenough

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: The title was found handwritten on a page in his notebook. It matches another mantra: Toujours L’Audace! We felt this phrase captured James’s spirit.

 

James yearned for revolution in art, in how we communicate with one another, and in the fight for the underdog and those invisible to larger society. His work consistently explores this theme.

 

He grapples with how inspiring the seeds of revolution can feel while also acknowledging the loneliness of carrying the weight of the world on one’s shoulders.

 

Q: The writer Jacob M. Appel called the book “an intense, mesmerizing collection that plumbs the depths of history and emotion in waves of literary force.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: It is perceptive and accurate! We are so thankful to Jacob for his support of this book. Jacob is a novelist, playwright, psychiatrist, Harvard Law School graduate, and even a licensed New York City tour guide. He’s done it all!

 

When he pinpointed exactly what makes this collection special, we couldn’t have been more honored. He is spot on in his assessment that James’s work scours history and great literature for clues and connections to our own lives, and the impact of that exploration brings the reader into a relationship with the great characters of history and literature.

 

Right alongside James, we grapple to find our place in humankind’s ongoing epic.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: We hope they come away from reading it with more of a spirit of rebellion against injustice. We are encouraged by the positive response we’ve received from those who live with bipolar disorder who have told us his work helped them feel less alone. It made them feel seen. That means the world to us.

 

If those readers, and readers of all kinds, can take on at least a sliver of James’s commitment to fighting for the humanity of all people, the collection will have been a success.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Liz is working on a picture book biography of James’s grandfather, Munro Leaf, who wrote Ferdinand the Bull. Brigit Young is in final edits of her fifth middle grade book, One More Time, which comes out in March 2027.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Thank you so much for having us on your blog. It’s such a great platform for writers, and we so appreciate it!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Elizabeth Goodenough.