Jewish Muse's Profile

Professional: Journalist/writer, adjunct faculty at UMass-Lowell, and blogger at http://www.jewishmuse.com.

Recent work: Articles in the Globe, The Forward, The Jewish Advocate, and The Writer magazine.

Past jobs: Boston Globe education editor and reporter at several newspapers, including Globe, Dallas Morning News, and Orlando Sentinel.

Jewish connections: Sing in chorus and belong to Temple Isaiah in Lexington.

Recent Defining Jewish experience: Celebrating Shabbat with my husband and toddler - and realizing how amazing Jewish rituals are as seen through the eyes of a little boy.

My book-in-progress: Tentative title: Two Trees for Kevin, A Woman's Journey from Grief to Faith. A memoir, my book describes how experiencing grief as a young adult led me deeper into Judaism. When my brother was killed in a car accident at age 23, I had little connection to Judaism and little knowledge about the structure my religion gave to mourning. Over time, after struggling with grief, I learned more about my faith, a journey that peaked here in Boston in 2006 when I celebrated my adult bat mitzvah. My hope is this book will resonate with Jews the world over. The message: Take advantage of the community-building that Judaism offers and it will be easier to deal with life's blows when they come. Not to mention, having a community around is great during times of joy as well.