Lectures and Public Speaking Engagements

• Arizona State University (Phoenix)
• Barnes & Noble (Brooklyn, Philadelphia)
• Cambridge University
• Congregation Adas Israel (Washington, D.C.)
• Cullman Center of the New York Public Library
• Groliers (Cambridge, MA)
• Harvard University
• Library of Congress
• Poetry Society of America (New York)
• Stanford University
• University of California at Los Angeles
• University of Chicago
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Arizona (Phoenix)
• Washington University (St. Louis)
• Writers House (Philadelphia)
• Yale University

People familiar with the Jewish tradition are often surprised to learn how much the two religions have in common, beginning with the many overlappings between the Bible and the Quran. This talk introduces the Quran to non-Muslims, with particular attention to the stories of the prophets, views of the afterlife, and the laws.

Under the relatively benign rule of the medieval Islamic states in Iraq, Egypt, and Spain, medieval Jewry was able to produce a huge literature in both Hebrew and Arabic, including the especially impressive body of Hebrew poetry. This talk introduces Judeo-Arabic culture, delving into the work of such renowned thinkers as Maimonides and such poets as Solomon Ibn Gabirol and Judah Halevi, with readings from their work.

Ibn Gabirol, one of the greatest poets and philosophers of the medieval Hebrew Golden Age, was a troubled soul who saw himself as a misfit in a world of philistines. In his worldly poetry he speaks of his quest for wisdom, laments his misfortunes, and attacks his contemporaries. His devotional poetry expresses the universal quest for intimacy with the intellectual force that lies beyond this worldly life. This lecture includes readings and interpretations of poems that appear in my 2016 book, Vulture in a Cage.

Halevi is one of the most beloved of medieval Jewish personalities, the author of a key philosophical work and of poems that are still inspiring today. This lecture sketches his early life and tells the story of his famous pilgrimage, records of which have amazingly survived since the Middle Ages. The lecture also includes readings from Halevi’s poems about his pilgrimage from my book The Song of the Distant Dove.

It may come as a surprise that love is a major theme of medieval Hebrew literature. All the great poets of the Hebrew Golden Age wrote love poetry, which may or many not reflect their actual experiences in life. There is also a body of love stories ranging from the salacious to the spiritual.

This lecture will take up poetry and fiction from Spain and Italy.

Everyone knows the story of Job, but few pay close attention to the eloquent dramatic lament that makes up the main part of the book. This lecture attempts to show that the book represents an attempt to provide a literary, rather than theological, solution to the problem of suffering. The lecture includes readings from my translation of the book.