Gay Jewish Poetry Reading in Philadelphia

Free
at Giovanni's Room
345 South 12th Street
Philadelphia, PA


Join us at Giovanni’s Room, the historic gay bookstore in Philadelphia, for a poetry p>erformance by Nehirim Executive Director, Jay Michaelson, and former dean of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College Rabbi Jacob Staub.

Jay will read, shout, and declaim poetry from Another Word for Sky, his first collection of poetry.   Like the author, the poems run the gamut: from Ashbery-like analytics to raucous queer mystical love poems, Ginsbergesque rants and fantasies to quiet reflections on the passage of time. A recent finalist for the Koret Young Writer on Jewish Themes Award, Michaelson has performed his work (often with drum and musical accompaniment) at CBGB, Burning Man, the Bowery Poetry Club, and dozens of university campuses around the country.  His work will be complemented by some of Jacob Staub’s queer midrash and exploration of the intersections between spiritual and romantic love.