As I began working on a book on intergenerational trauma, I interviewed descendants of Holocaust survivors about their experiences growing up with survivors. I recorded the interviews on Zoom and used AI software called Fathom to transcribe them. What I quickly discovered was that machines cannot pick up all the subtleties of the English language, … Continue reading So Far AI Is No Match for Professional Writers and Transcribers

We’ve all heard the expression, "A trained monkey could do that job." But no one is really being serious when they say it. So, I was surprised to read last month that Rogers Communication was hiring monkeys to work in some of their stores on a trial basis. I thought to myself, what lengths will … Continue reading A Trained Monkey Could Do That Job

[Sung to American Pie] A long, long time agoI can still remember howThat hockey used to make me smileAnd I knew if they had a chanceThat they could make Leaf fans danceAnd maybe they’d be happy for a while But every April made me shiverWhen TSN would deliverBad news on SportsnetI’d have to turn off … Continue reading Dedicated to Toronto Maple Leaf Fans and Haters

When I queried my first manuscript, a political satire, one of the first things I noticed was that many literary agents don't consider humour or satire a separate genre. I often found humour in the nonfiction genre. I should have known then that I was going down the road of misery and frustration. There are … Continue reading Why There Are So Few Humour Books

I recently interviewed Jerome Preisler, a New York Times bestselling author, for my podcast show. During the interview, we discussed writer's block. He said that it doesn't exist. Writers sometimes just have to push themselves to write. Since the interview, I've given this a lot of thought. If Bo Bichette is in a hitting slump, does … Continue reading Is There Such a Thing as Writer’s Block?

Jenny (3rd from the left) shortly after liberation Jewish prisoners in Auschwitz who made it through the initial selection process (80% were sent directly to the gas chambers) typically only survived a few weeks. Conditions were so harsh that they quickly succumbed to disease, starvation, exhaustion, or a severe beating. Many gave up the will … Continue reading My Cousin Miraculously Survived Auschwitz With Only One Arm

I've written several posts about Jewish food. Food conjures different emotions and has different meanings for people. Food can be fun. Food can be comforting. Food can be connected to holidays. Food can sustain life. Food can be for celebrating. Food can be about family. Food can be about memories. Food can be about your … Continue reading Food Within a Holocaust Family Can Have a Different Meaning