jueves, 22 de septiembre de 2016

English Speaking Community Activities Column!‏

Book Club Member and Literary writer Marlena Maduro Baraf Establishes her own Website titled Breathing in Spanish and Welcomes all interested to Explore and Read her Essays!

The KSI English speaking community sponsored Book Club has been involved in a number of readings and discussions since it's inception.

At the beginning of my effort in making the book club relevant to both Panamanians and ex-pats in our community I was always on the lookout for a commonality of interest for the programs.

One day about two years ago, Rabbi Kraselnik, who was an original and enthusiastic supporter for organizing the Book Club, asked me if I know of Marlena Maduro Baraf? 

I was stopped in my tracks! You see, in preparation for "rolling out" the announcement for beginning book club meetings, accompanied with an extensive listing of books written in English on the Jewish experience in the Caribbean and Latin America, I never came across her name. And additionally, I was very frustrated by not finding any Panamanian Jewish author in history or in contemporary times who wrote of his experiences in a biographical context of what it meant to grow up Jewish in Panama. After making contact with Marlena, I knew that she was that person!

So began the Book Club's relationship with long distance member Marlena, Panamanian born and New York based daughter of KSI who is sister to Carlos, Roberto and Patricia Maduro and cousin, aunt and niece to many here in Panama.

Marlena in the past two years has been a presenter before the Club once via Skype and then this past March in person here in Panama. Each time she has discussed one of  he ever increasing repertoire of articles relating to growing up as a Jew in Panama; from being a young Jewish women at a Catholic High School, to worrying of the longevity of the Jewish community and synagogue she grew up in to reminiscing  about family members and events. 

Her writings have always been most informative, allowing me to better understand experiences of contemporary Jews born and raised here. They filled a void for me, for which I am thankful.

Last week I received a surprise email announcing she had created a website Breathing in Spanish dedicated to sharing her written works with others and welcoming their participation.

Following the photos of Marlena "in action" at the March 2016 presentation is her email and I invite you to logon as I did and register to be a part of her informed community. 

         Marlena addressing the Book Club at its March 2016 Meeting     
        


                                      With husband Donald and Cousin Roy Maduro of Aruba
                                                      



                                                     
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Her Email:

Hi Robert, Wow this was a lot of work. I am almost a geek now. Here’s my new website: “Breathing In Spanish.”
Would love if you would subscribe and share it with the KSI book club.  For people who subscribe there will be lots of great blogs—many which have to do with Panama and I have a new excerpt from my memoir being published soon—all of which I’ll link in future updates.  

Anyway, enjoy. What do you think?

And many thanks for everything.

breathinginspanish.com

Marelna

            From Marlena's website....


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