I wasn’t entirely certain what to expect as I opened this book, but whatever my original expectation… this book far exceeded it.

Click on the above photo to purchase this book from Amazon.

Synopsis:

The Tiferet Talk Interviews is a fascinating collection of twelve interviews transcribed from the Tiferet Talk Radio show, hosted by Melissa Studdard. Some of the world’s most notable writers and spiritual leaders share their thoughts on writing, tolerance, and the world we live in today. Gain incredible insight into their perspective on ways to tell the truth of our lives, access creativity, and balance magic and craft. The Tiferet Talk Interviews includes a special introduction by Donna Baier Stein and interviews with Julia Cameron, Edward Hirsch, Jude Rittenhouse, Marc Allen, Arielle Ford, Robert Pinsky, Dr. Bernie Siegel, Robin Rice, Jeffrey Davis, Floyd Skloot, Anthony Lawlor, and Lois P. Jo.

Even though the interviewees are nearly all writers, many of them poets, every interview is completely unique in the information it provides and the take the authors have on their industry. Each interview also provides valuable exercises and take-aways for the reader. This is not a self-absorbed meditation on the unrelateable process of successful artists. Those types of books have always left me feeling discouraged because of how little my own life usually resembles that of the artists’ I admire. Rather, I feel as though this book purposes to lift you up to the success of its interviewees by showing you how and why they have succeeded. Never condescending, I finished this book feeling driven and with a new found sense of drive and possibility.

For a taste of what to expect, within these pages: Edward Hirsch discusses that special magical ingredient that is necessary in authentic art. This ingredient has less to do with “natural talent” and more to do with bravery, drive, and a willingness to allow your true self to show through your work. Jeffrey Davis shares the routine that allows him to access his inner muse before every writing session. He also provides some excellent “preparations” (to be completed prior to your creative work) which involve breathing and meditating on the question “why?” I have experimented with his “concentration sequence” a few times since reading this interview, and was pleasantly surprised at its’ effectiveness. Jeffrey, as the editor of the Tiferet literary journals, also generously shared the 7 things he looks for in a manuscript. Robin Rice bravely delved into the topic of depression, and what she believes is at the root of this mental illness. Anthony Lawler shared his three-step process for healing. Dr. Bernie Siegel examined what it really means to be an active participant in your life, and Marc Allen shared how he transformed his life by focusing on his “ideal scenario” and going after what he wanted.

Of the twelve authors which fill this book, there were certainly ones which resonated with me more than others. For me Jeffrey Davis, Marc Allen, Robin Rice, and Jude Rittenhouse were the stand outs, but I think every reader will be attracted to a different energy and topic.

What attracted me to Jude Rittenhouse, was the voice that came through in her poetry. This brings me to what I believe is the most valuable aspect of this book. During the span of each interview, almost every interviewee is given an opportunity to read a selection of their own creative work. An interview with Julia Cameron, author of “The Artist’s Way,” opens up “The Tiferet Talks.” Cameron’s own work has been hugely successful in helping many artists to break through their creative blocks and discover their authentic voice. That being said, while working through her 12 week program I’ll admit to being selfishly consumed with discovering my own voice to the point that I didn’t even think about being interested in hers. In this interview Cameron shares an excerpt from her own creative memoir “floor sample.” This reading shared a very different side to the author. “Oh yeah, she’s an artist too!” I thought to myself. The excerpt gives you a new appreciation for the generosity of her spirit, and an insight into the origin of the vulnerable and driven voice that created “The Artist’s Way.”

As I read the original creative work of each artist, I came to feel that there was something that was missing. This book is transcribed from verbal interviews, and as I read Jude Rittenhouse’s poetry I experienced a yearning to hear the words spoken aloud from the authors voice. I could feel that in the context of the interviews, the works were truly meant to be heard not read. With that in mind, having them on paper gives you an opportunity to go back and really think about the text – something that I did a lot. That opportunity would be lost in a live interview.

Overall, I highly recommend this novel. The interviews are top-notch, and you are almost certain to walk away from every interview with something of value.

Best of all, finding this book has put me in touch with an entire network of like-minded artists within which anyone is encouraged to participate.

To find out more about the Tiferet Talks, visit their website and facebook page:

http://tiferetjournal.com

http://www.facebook.com/TheTiferetJournal

Lastly, I just wanted to share some of the books that were recommended by the interviewees. Many of these were written by the authors themselves, but some are from outside sources. These certainly look like valuable texts to add to your library. I’m going to be adding a few:

• “A Walk Between Heaven and Earth” – (a journal on the creative process) by Nina Holzer
• “Letters to a Young Poet” – by Rilke
• “The Essential Writer’s Notebook” and “Writing down the Bones: Freeing the Writer within” by Natalie Goldberg
• “Soul without Shame-” by Byron Brown (on quieting the critical voice)
• “How to Read a Poem: and Fall in Love with Poetry” – by Edward Hirsch
• “The Journey from the Center to the Page: Yoga Philosophies and Practices as Muse for Authentic Writing” – by Jeffrey Davis
• “A Book of Miracles: Inspiring True Stories of Healing, Gratitude, and Love” – by Bernie Siegel
• “The Greatest Secret of All” and “The Millionaire Course” – by Marc Allen

To close, here are the bios of the author/interviewer Melissa Studdard and editor Donna Baier Stein:

Bios:

Melissa Studdard is the author of the best­selling novel Six Weeks to Yehi­dah, and its companion journal, My Yehidah (both on All Things That Matter Press). Since its August 2011 release, Six Weeks to Yehidah has been the recipient of many accolades, including the Forward National Literature Award,  the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award and January Magazine’s best children’s books of 2011. It was also named a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Awards and the Readers Favorite Awards. Along with Scott Lutz, Melissa is co-author of For the Love of All (Trestle Press), which is the fifth story in the Mark Miller’s One series and debuted in the number one spot for Hot New Releases in Literary Criticism and Theory in the Amazon Kindle store. As well, her poetry, fiction, essays, reviews, and arti­cles have appeared in numer­ous magazines, jour­nals, and antholo­gies. Melissa cur­rently serves as a Reviewer-at-Large for The National Poetry Review, an editorial advisor for The Criterion, and an edi­tor for Tiferet Journal, where she hosts the journal’s radio interview program, Tiferet Talk. Melissa received her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and is a professor for the Lone Star College System and a teaching artist for The Rooster Moans Poetry Cooperative. She loves anything related to writing and reading, whether it’s sitting alone with a book and a cup of hot tea, or attending a large poetry reading or literary festival. She also loves travelling, meditating, going for walks, bicycling, practicing yoga, and spending time with family. She currently resides in Texas with her wonderful daughter and their four sweet but mischievous cats. To learn more, please visit www.melissastuddard.com. (Note: Bloggers, please feel free to cut or rearrange as you see fit for your audience)

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Donna Baier Stein’s writing has appeared in Virginia Quarterly Review, Kansas Quarterly, New York Stories, Prairie Schooner, Washingtonian, many other journals and anthologies from Simon & Schuster and The Spirit That Moves us Press. Her short story collection was a Finalist in the Iowa Fiction Awards and will be published, as Sympathetic People, in 2013 by Serving House Books. She has received the PEN/New England Discovery Award for Fiction, a Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars Fellowship, Bread Loaf Scholarship, a grant from the New Jersey Council of the Arts, prizes from the Poetry Council of Virginia, two Pushcart nominations, and an Honorable Mention in the 2013 Allen E. Ginsberg Poetry Awards. Her poetry chapbook Sometimes You Sense the Difference was published in 2012 by Finishing Line Press. One of her stories was performed by Tony-award winning actress Maryann Plunkett at Playwrights Theatre in Madison, NJ. Donna was a Founding Editor of Bellevue Literary Review and founded and currently publishes Tiferet: A Journal of Spiritual Literature (www.tiferetjournal.com.) She is also an award-winning copywriter. Her website is www.donnabaierstein.com.