Dear friends,

I am working my way through the thicket of options available for bloggers on blogspot.com while being coached, tutored, and encouraged by Lorelai Kude.  The preceding is my first sentence as a blogger.  It is a sample.  My purpose in creating this web-log (the source of the term "blog") is to disseminate, in cyberspace, my most successful work in poetry, fiction, memoir, Torah commentary, and essays, including journals.  Initially, I intend to post only texts that have won award recognition or been previously published in a magazine, journal, newspaper, anthology, or other website.  I would also like to post photos and videos.

For example, each summer, in Berkeley, and in other seasons in other places, I give public readings of published work and work-in-progress.  Above is a photo that appeared on a flyer for one of those readings.

The photo was taken by my wife Yehudit in the courtyard of our home in Tzfat in the spring of 2012.  In the original, I am standing next to Rabbi Leah Novick, who was visiting us for a couple of hours.  I credit Leah as well as Yehudit for whatever special energy you sense in the photo.  My daughter Maya reproduced the photo in a png format, gave it the oval shape, and incorporated it into the flyer, the text of which I composed.  This three-way collaboration resulted in the flyer our community in Berkeley used to advertise the event.

And the reading was videotaped! My friend Andy Alpert in Tzfat edited it, and Mel, from the East Bay Media Center, duplicated it and designed a label for the dvd.  At my request, he made 20 copies.  I've given a few as gifts to friends and family members and have saved some to sell.  My next step will be to post the video on YouTube.  But first I'll try to post an excerpt from the previous summer's reading.  When I have done so, I'll announce it here and provide a link.

I also have a website, www.reuvengoldfarb.com.  My friend Chaim Cohen has designed, managed, and added content to it.  It's gone through many edits and upgrades, but it remains a work-in-progress.  I intend to replicate some of the same content here, with somewhat different formatting.

Meanwhile, I've got to take a break and get on with my day (11 Sivan, 5773 / May 20, 2013).

All the best,

Reuven