For the past three years, I’ve been living a double life. You might know me as TBE’s Communications Coordinator. For half the week, I’ve been updating our website, posting on social media, and designing posters for upcoming events. The same month I started working at TBE, I also began a graduate program at Emerson College, earning my MFA in fiction writing. On the days I’m not at TBE, I’m in my attic writing short stories…picture Jo March with a laptop!

As I switched back and forth between writer and coordinator, I found that my two lives were more intertwined than I anticipated. As Communications Coordinator, I’m still a storyteller. I preserve TBE history by posting photos of our community in action, both past and present. I make sure our website represents each TBE group and program so that anyone looking to engage with our community knows who we are and how they can get involved. And I am always writing and editing when I’m at TBE!

I’ve also grown as a fiction writer from my work at the temple. My fiction often features Jewish characters navigating today’s world. At TBE, I see that there is no single portrait of Jewish life today, and I try to portray that diversity in my writing. In our library, I find that there is always room for another Jewish storyteller on the bookshelf. Hopefully someday my books will be included in our collection.

I was reminded again of how integrated my two lives are when it came time to celebrate my graduation this May. It meant a lot to me that staff and community members alike shared enthusiastic congratulations. I feel lucky to be part of the TBE community, and I look forward to continuing to tell our stories!

Please feel free to reach out to me—I’d love to hear what you’re reading or help share your TBE story with our community!