Alden Solovy: Poetry and Liturgy at Limmud Vancouver

At Limmud Vancouver, April 14-15, 2018, we’ll be welcoming several out of town speakers — including poet and liturgist Alden Solovy.

Alden spreads joy and excitement for prayer. His work has been used by people of all faiths throughout the world. He’s written more than 600 pieces of new liturgy, offering a fresh new Jewish voice, challenging the boundaries between poetry, meditation, personal growth and prayer. He’s a teacher, a writing coach and an award-winning essayist and journalist. His ELI talk, “Falling in Love with Prayer” was recently released.

Alden’s writing was transformed by multiple tragedies, marked in 2009 by the sudden death of his wife from catastrophic brain injury. As a result, he deepened his exploration of meditation, poetry, liturgy and personal prayer as a healing, spiritual practice. His third book, This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day, was recently released by CCAR Press.

Alden is active in men’s deep emotional healing and personal growth work. He is spearheading the creation of ManKind Project Israel as the Acting Area Director and Head of Council. He’s also been a participant in interfaith dialogue through Jerusalem’s Circle of Light and Hope.

As a regular participant in prayer at the Kotel in support of women’s prayer rights, Alden was attacked as he defended the right of women to read Torah at the Kotel. Although seriously injured, in My Message to the Man Who Attacked Me at the Kotel Alden says that people should not use his experience as an excuse for hating other Jews.

A native Chicagoan, Alden made aliyah to Israel in 2012, where he hikes, writes, teaches and learns. He is currently working on a new anthology and a book of essays on prayer. Alden blogs for the Times of Israel and his prayers also appear regularly on ReformJudaism.org and RitualWell.org. His latest prayers are available at www.tobendlight.com.

Alden holds a B.A. in English composition with a minor in literature from Beloit College, an M.A. in journalism from the University of Illinois-Springfield and an M.B.A. in economics and finance from the University of Chicago. He previously served as executive editor and associate publisher for the Journals of the American Hospital Association.

Watch Alden speak briefly about how grief and joy have influenced his poetry:

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