By Eileen Wingard
LA JOLLA, California — Three outstanding local poets will be featured on Tuesday evening, March 22, at 7 p.m. at the next Jewish Poets—Jewish Voices evening in the Astor Judaica Library of the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center.
Nina Garin is a San Diego native who serves as an arts journalist for the San Diego Union-Tribune and for KPBS. She studied creative writing at SDSU and was greatly influenced by fellow local writer Steve Kowit. Her work has appeared in Kowit’s poetry text book as well as in Third Coast literary magazine. She lives in La Jolla with her husband and two daughters.
Nelson Heller was born in the Bronx. He inherited his love for writing from his father, Morris, who wrote poetry and biographies of his Eastern European immigrant parents and relatives. Nelson started writing poetry in high school. He studied Electrical Engineering (Rensselaer Polytechnic, BEE), and Operations Research (MIT, MEE, and University of Pennsylvania, PhD). After a 10-year career in emergency services systems innovation, he went into the educational publishing industry. In 1989 he founded EdNET, an annual business-to-business conference and The Heller Reports, a business news publisher, for the K-12 educational technology industry. In 2009 Nelson was inducted into the Association of Educational Publishers’ Educational Publishing Hall of Fame. He retired in 2014. Currently, Dr. Heller is Education Advisor to the International Centre for Earth Simulation Foundation and heads its ICESedu Education Advisory Board, encouraging good planetary stewardship and improved public health, safety and well-being through student learning and engagement. Nelson and his wife, Pam, have two daughters, both married, both with a boy and girl each. The Hellers live in Cardiff.
The third poet is Genine Orah Rainbeau-Heart, a native San Diegan. When she became a Bat Mitzvah, the service included her original poetry. A graduate of Mueller College of Holistic Studies, she is a Holistic Health Practitioner. She also attended Palomar College for Electronic Publishing, San Diego State University for Art Multi-Media and Religious Studies, and Mira Costa College for Creative and Applied Art. Working with Nature’s Way Productions, her writing, narration and creative direction led to the formation of the Shenkman Family Charity legacy. She has shared her poetry, art and heart songs at events such as Earth Day and Theater of the World festivals, Healing the Earth rituals, and collaborative conscious music performances. Her current projects include development of the Genuine Genine Grief Recovery Method and the development of a narrative for her paintings and exhibitions, writings and music. Rainbeau-Heart lives with her husband, Don Reed, in Leucadia.
Following the featured poets, there will be a half hour of open microphone period when audience members are invited to share their original poems and songs.
The evening concludes with light refreshments. There is no charge and all are welcome.
The last Jewish Poets—Jewish Voices evening on February 23, featured the poetry of two of the great Jewish Poets of the past. Twenty six people participated, reading the poetry of Leah Goldberg and Zalman Shneour. Six teachers of Tarbuton, under the direction of Geula Hebron, presented in skit form, Goldberg’s children’s book, Dira L’Haskir (Flat for Rent), and Havurat Zemer; the Hebrew Choir ,under the direction of Rivi Raz, sang two of Goldberg’s songs. Zalman Shneour’s two grandsons, Mark and Alan Shneour read several of their grandfather’s poems, which made the evening very special. Elisheva Edelson concluded the evening with a charming rendition of Shneour’s song, Margaritkelach.
Susan Hagler, Library Program Assistant, provided invaluable support for the successful evening. YIVO in New York and the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA helped locate two of the Zalman Shneour’s Yiddish poems.The program attracted a full house.
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Wingard is a freelance writer, based in San Diego, who focuses on cultural coverage. She may be contacted via eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com.