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Nov. 2, 2007
Writing for their lives
Good stories come from a life of experience.
OLGA LIVSHIN
The Louis Brier Home and Hospital's Jewish Seniors Writers Club was established in October 2004. The original idea belonged to Nomi Fenson, a music therapist and a volunteer co-ordinator at the home.
"I've always been fascinated with creative writing as a hobby," Fenson said. When the idea of a writers club took root in her mind, she discussed it with many residents. Whereas some were excited from the beginning, others were apprehensive. "We are not professional writers," they said. After a few weeks of debates, the club opened its doors.
Walking with a walker or driving in a wheelchair, the members of the club steadfastly meet every week. They discuss politics and economics, memories and Judaism, children and medical hurdles. Supporting each other, they share joys and laughs. And, of course, they write. Once having discovered the joy of writing, many of them can't stop themselves; their stories and poems pour out. Frequently, Fenson names a theme or suggest an image and, a few weeks later, the members read what they've written on that theme.
Some members are unable to write, so they dictate what they want to say. Some members have trouble speaking, so Fenson or one of the other volunteers sits with them, listening intently, deciphering words and phrases. This slow process often demands lots of patience, but both parties persevere. Nobody is allowed to give up. In the end, a story blossoms like a flower, telling the readers about other times and places.
A few months ago, the club published an assortment of those stories, a collective effort of optimistic and determined people. The book, My Life as a Branching Tree, is available at the home's reception. Although, sadly, some of the writers are no longer alive, their stories are preserved in the book. New writers join the club from time to time.
One of the first and most prolific writers of the club is Marion Prasow. She came to Canada from Russia when she was 14 years old. After finishing high school, she worked as a secretary, taught English and, later, was a Hebrew teacher. Saturated with life and art, Prasow's stories highlight her humor, her appreciation of Yiddish and her passion for classical music. Her short essay about the thrills of shopping, simultaneously poignant and hilarious, reflects the concerns of many a woman.
Ann Goldberg shares with readers her memories of a happy childhood in Ukraine. When her family decided to move to Canada, a cousin in Montreal sent them sewing needles, hidden in corrugated paper tubes. By selling those needles, the family had enough money to buy the tickets to Canada. Goldberg also remembers being seasick on the boat. To cheer up his young daughter, her father offered her a few sips of beer. Eighty years later, she still remembers that beer.
Mira Givon, originally from Yugoslavia, was a farmer in Israel for 50 years before moving to Canada. In one of her stories, she recalls tree-planting in Israel. Another of her stories is a gripping memory of 1945, when her father returned home after a five-year separation. Givon is also an accomplished artist and has a large collection of her paintings hanging up in her room.
Freda Koffman, one of the original members of the club, is also an artist and a poet. She was born in Canada. Her Yiddish name, Fraydel, means joy; and she lives up to her name, despite many tragic blows that fate has dealt her. Her poem "My Walk through Life" describes her life story without omissions or embellishments. Melancholy and painful, it is at the same time full of spunk and gratitude. Koffman's second poem, "The Metal Thimble," dedicated to the memory of the author's mother, was published by Island Dreams in 2006.
Ruth Kliman, another Canadian-born woman, liked to write letters to her friends when she was younger. After graduating from the University of Saskatoon, she became a school teacher. Her story outlines a loving portrait of her mother, intermingled with a portrait of the generation that lived through the Great Depression, the Second World War and, on a lighter note, countless changes in fashion.
Pota Polykandriotis, unlike the others, is not a Jew. She is an orthodox Greek. Although she moved to Canada from Greece in 1952, she is still concerned about her English. Beautiful and lively, she loves everyone at the home, her fellow club members, the medical personnel and Fenson. "I'm happy here," she said. Faced with many health challenges, she wouldn't surrender to her illness, and her tenacity keeps her alive despite doctors' gloomy predictions.
Nobody is allowed to surrender at the writers club. No surrender and no retreat is the motto of this bunch of writers with the old bodies and young hearts. Disregarding the press of years, they charge ahead.
The 23rd annual Cherie Smith JCCGV Jewish Book Festival has scheduled a presentation of the Louis Brier Writers Club, called Memories Recorded and Shared, for Nov. 28, at 1 p.m. All members of the club plan to participate.
Olga Livshin is a Vancouver freelance writer.
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