Member of Noted Literary Family Publishes a Poetic Ode to the Hebrew Alphabet

NEWTON, Mass. - Dec. 9, 2020 - PRLog -- For poet Sharon Singer Salinger, writing and publishing is literally the family business. Her great-uncle was Isaac Bashevis Singer, the novelist and short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978. Her grandfather was the novelist I.J. Singer, author and playwright. Her father, mother, and a sister were also prolific published authors. Salinger, a native of Teaneck, New Jersey, had her first book, a novel, published by New York publisher Simon & Schuster.

Now, Salinger, a Newton, Massachusetts resident, has turned her creative talents to poetry, with Love Letters: Poetry of the Aleph Bet, an illustrated book of poems inspired by the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Salinger's grandfather and great-uncle both wrote about Jewish themes – the former from a social realist perspective and the latter with a decidedly supernatural bent. Her own embrace of Judaism is definitely spiritual.

"I have always loved alphabets and letters," said Salinger. "The Hebrew letters, however, are said to have special creative, generative power, each with its own spiritual energy. It is by uttering these letters that God created the universe."

Salinger says the poems are inspired by many aspects of these letters – among them, their traditional associations, words that start with that letter, and their form. "I wanted the reader to have access to that form to help make sense of the poem, but instead of just being a straightforward typographic representation, the images wanted to be much more and incorporate other elements of the poems," she explained.

Asked why these poems are important today, Salinger concluded, "The themes of these poems are what we as human beings have always needed in every place and age – hope, love, connection, and a sense that our lives have meaning and that what we do matters."

Barbara Louise Ungar, author of five full-length poetry collections, had this to say about Salinger's new book:

"Like both Dickinson and Whitman, Singer Salinger receives daily 'love letters' from G-d, and sees them everywhere in creation, particularly in the Hebrew Aleph Bet. These poems are her 'love letters' back, infused with that same mystical energy, and enlivened by her delightful line drawings."

Author Sharon Singer Salinger is available for media interviews, readings, and Scholar in Residence weekends via the contact information listed below.

Love Letters

Poetry of the Aleph Bet

Sharon Singer Salinger, Author/Illustrator


Lisa Breslow Thompson, Designer


Natasha Nese, Photographer

Published by Damianos Publishing

Paperback, 114 pages, 41 B/W illustrations

6 x 9," $18.00, ISBN 9781941573501

Books are available at these locations:

Silver Street Media: https://tinyurl.com/yxjqwuyc

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/y4rtsb7e

For more information, contact:

Sharon Salinger

sharonsalinger@gmail.com