As I began working on a book in intergenerational trauma, I chose to interview descendants of Holocaust survivors regarding their experience growing up with survivors. I chose to record the interviews on Zoom and used AI software called Fathom to transcribe the interview. What I quickly discovered was that machines cannot pick up all the … 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 to what lengths … 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 is that many literary agents don't consider humour or satire to be a separate genre. I often found humour as a nonfiction genre. I should have clued then that I was going down the road of misery and frustration. … Continue reading Why There Are So Few Humour Books

I recently interviewed Jerome Preisler, a New York Times bestselling author, for my new podcast show. During the interview, we spent some time discussing 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 … 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 a number of posts about Jewish food. In general, food conjures different emotions and has 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 … Continue reading Food Within a Holocaust Family Can Have a Different Meaning