Since about 1988, David Karpel has worked as an environmental campaign pamphleteer, a pool boy, an office furniture mover, a busboy, waiter, volunteer procrastinator, record store sales clerk, marketer, copy writer/editor, and a teacher's assistant. He is currently a high school English and History teacher, a job he's somehow managed to keep while staying somewhat sane for last 17 years. Miraculously, he is also married to the funniest woman in the world. And, despite everything better left unsaid, they are the parents of two freakishly well-behaved children.
Billye was a kid with a lot of questions about life, the Universe and everything. Now, an older woman - same questions, different day. She converted to Judaism a decade ago, at least partly because it encourages questions. She lives in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia). No kids, no pets, lots of quilts.
Elad Nehorai is the creator of Hevria. He also is the writer behind Pop Chassid. His writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Huffington Post, and more.
Lela Casey is the assistant editor at The Wisdom Daily and the guest post editor at Hevria. Her writing has been featured in many websites including kveller.com, brainchildmag.com, and femininecollective.com. She is a seeker of wisdom, adventure, and kindred spirits.
Matthue Roth's new picture book is The Gobblings. He also wrote Never Mind the Goldbergs and a bunch of other books without pictures. By day, he writes games for Google. He lives in Brooklyn and keeps a secret diary at matthue.com.
Tzvi Kilov lives in Atlanta, Georgia. He likes thinking, as far as it goes. He keeps a personal blog at NotAJungle.com.
Andrea spends the majority of her time playing with her two sons. She is a professional cellist, and the owner/creator of Wrapunzel. Her life seems to be about turning contradictions into harmony and giving her creator a good laugh.
Ayala has never been good at introducing herself. She enjoys bullet journaling, happy dancing, and making herself uncomfortable for the sake of compassion. She collects rubber ducks. You can find more of her creative work at crazyduckwoman.com.
Elizabeth is a Jerusalemite with a Rebbe Nachman-stickered laptop and a melody filling her heart. An aspiring “creative soul,” Liz can be found studying Talmud and doodling endlessly in the margins. An empathy enthusiast, she is driven equally by curiosity and free coffee.
Originally from small town Ontario, Emily Zimmer is a passionate creator with a love for writing music, poetry, and stories. She enjoys philosophy, coffee, and finding beauty in urban settings. Emily currently resides in New York City.
MaNishtana is an African-American Orthodox blogger and author whose unique, humorous, and often irreverent outlook on Judaism and racial politics both within and without Judaism has gained mentions in both national and international print. In 2013 he released his “not-autobiography”, Thoughts From A Unicorn: 100% Black. 100% Jewish. 0% Safe., followed in 2014 by "Fine, thanks. How are YOU, Jewish?".
Merri Ukraincik is a writer, artist, wife, and mother who talks to G-d all the time. Her essays have appeared on Tablet, The Forward, The Wisdom Daily, and Lilith, and in The New York Jewish Week and other publications. She is a columnist at the New Jersey Jewish News and the author of I Live. Send Help., a history of the Joint Distribution Committee. Find her on her personal website!
Peter Himmelman is a Jewishly observant, Grammy & Emmy-nominated rock and roll musician, visual artist, author, film composer, and speaker. His new book, Let Me Out: Unlock Your Creative Mind and Bring Your Ideas to Life, is available here. His latest recording, There Is No Calamity, is available on iTunes.
Support Rachel's poetry at Patreon. TEDx Poet Rachel Kann has been featured on Morning Becomes Eclectic on NPR and as The Weather on the podcast phenomenon, Welcome to Night Vale. She's received accolades from the James Kirkwood Fiction Awards, Writer’s Digest Short-Short Story Awards, LA Weekly Awards, International Poetry Slam Idol and Write Club Los Angeles. She's performed from The Nuyorican Poets' Cafe to Disney Concert Hall with people like Marianne Williamson and DaKAH Hip Hop Orchestra. She teaches poetry through UCLA Extension Writers' Program, where she is the 2017 Instructor of the Year. Visit her at rachelkann.com.
Rivka is an outspoken activist for creative spirits, believing that raw, redemptive art-making is the means for mental and spiritual health. Rivka teaches art classes to high schoolers and adults. Check out her current work here ! Rivka has three little ladies who realign her vision, constantly.
Rivki Silver wants to do all the things. In her creative endeavors, sometimes she feels more like a musician, spending time performing, composing, teaching, and, occasionally, making videos with dancing produce. Sometimes she feels more like a writer, typing pieces which can be found around the internet, and some on her blog, which she named before branding was a thing. Most (all?) of the time she is a wife, mother and community member, living in Cleveland with her husband and four children. Because this is an "about me" blurb, she feels compelled to include that she was a fellow in the 2016 Cleveland Jewish Arts and Culture Lab.
Saul Sudin is a writer and filmmaker advocating a new voice for Judaism in visual media. His production Punk Jews is in distribution through the National Center for Jewish Film and he is the co-founder of Jewish Art Now, a resource for contemporary Jewish visual art and design.
Yocheved Sidof is a writer, educator, speaker and social entrepreneur. After a decade as filmmaker and phorographer, in 2010, she founded a grassroots, progressive Chassidic school, Lamplighers Yeshivah, that gained international acclaim. She's a mom of five, just-getting-started meditator, avid dreamer, and willful doer. Stop by and say hi if you're in Crown Heights.
