I do strongly identify with being Jewish. I was raised Orthodox and had a childhood complicated by the fact that my father was deeply religious and my mother was not.
Dani ShapiroMy journals were a clearing house - a garbage can. Once I was writing seriously, I understood that this was the stuff that didn't belong in my work.
Dani ShapiroThereโs a great expression in Twelve Step programs: Act as if. Act as if youโre a writer. Sit down and begin. Act as if you might just create something beautiful, and by beautiful I mean something authentic and universal. Donโt wait for anybody to tell you itโs okay. Take that shimmer and show us our humanity. Thatโs your job.
Dani Shapiro