Writing midrash is a way to circle the fire where history, culture, and mythology meet in search of vital truths and callings. In Caryn's first book, Lot's Wife, a collection of poems, to her most recent, the novel Miriam's Well, and in other writing, she has explored the edges of midrash to unearth insights, images, and guiding stories from what lies beneath Jewish myths and mythic characters. In this reading and discussion, including excerpts of her own and others' writing, she'll share what led her to the brambled trails, underground rivers, and wide fields of midrash, and how the journey, like any spiritual and artistic practice, has been one of continually unfolding mysteries, discoveries, and most of all, questions.

Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, 2009-13 Kansas Poet Laureate, is a poet, writer, and founder of Transformative Language Arts at Goddard College, where she teaches. Author of more than 20 books of poetry, fiction, memoirs, and anthologies, her most recent books include the novel Miriam's Well. Caryn leads writing workshops widely, offers one-on-one writing coaching, and roams the prairies as a visiting scholar. www.CarynMirriamGoldberg.com

Renee Perelmutter is Associate Professor of Jewish Studies and of Slavic Languages & Literatures at The University of Kansas. They specialize in Yiddish and Slavic morphosyntax and pragmatics, general and Jewish folklore, and Jewish culture. They write under the pen name Rose Lemberg. Their creative works have appeared in Lightspeed, Strange Horizons, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Unlikely Story, Uncanny, and other venues, and they have been a finalist for the Nebula, Tiptree, Elgin, Rhysling, and Crawford awards.

Rena Rossner lives in Israel where she works as a Literary Agent. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University's Writing Seminars program, Trinity College Dublin and McGill University where she studied history. All eight of her great grandparents immigrated to America to escape the pogroms in Moldova, Russia, Romania and the Ukraine - from towns like Dubossary, Kupel, Riga and Bendera. It is their story, together with her love of Jewish mythology and fantasy, that inspired her to write The Sisters of the Winter Wood.