Ashira Malka

Art is freedom .... - Vimeo

Interview with Ashira Malka, an Israeli-American poet on Beersheva, the desert, love and loss.

A poet from Beersheva discusses her sense of love and loss for the Negev and the reactions of Americans and Israelis to her poignant writings. Tune in for an interview with Ashira Malka as she recites desert poetry and talks about her inspiration. - Israel National News

Friday night was a special night for "We are Takoma" and the Takoma Park Arts and Humanities Commission. Anne Becker, the Takoma Park Poet Laureate (that's right, Takoma Park has a poet laureate), relinquished her post with a bang Friday night not just with poetry, but also music and dance. "Pleasures of Collaboration" was so well worth watching, it was broadcast live on the local Takoma Park cable channel.

There were ten pieces to the program, including the warm-up execise at the beginning and a conversation between the performers and audience at the end. Two of the performance pieces demanded audience participation, and the audience members fully accepted their role. In the first of the two, called "Ashira's Nameless Piece," cards and stickers were passed out to the audience, and after a line of poetry was given by poet Ashira Malka, the audience responded with words and phrases from their prompts as musicians and dancers responded to the audience. In the second audience participation piece, "The Body Speaks," the opposite occurred: the dancers started moving and the audience shouted out words and phrases that were inspired by the dancers. One audience member came up on stage and danced with the dancers as well!

All eight pieces were different from each other, and integrated all three artistic forms in a very organic give-and-take that was surprising and delightful to witness.

During the conversation at the end of the evening, an audience member commented on how these collaborations were big in the sixties and seventies, but that they sort of died as an artistic movement; it was nice to see this kind of improvisation again. Many in the audience were pleasantly surprised to see just how the role of dance kept evolving the pieces as they went on.

The musicians were Jodi Beder (cello), James Landry (keyboard), Sydney March (flute, saxophone -- also a poet) and Patrick Smith (guitar). The dancers were Greta Ehrig (also a poet/singer), Rima Faber, Hannah Leatherbury and Orit Sherman. The poets were Karren Alenier, Anne Becker, Ashira Malka and Yermiyahu Ahron Taub.

Sorry you missed it? Make sure you view the slideshow next to this article. Were you in the audience? You're welcome to leave a comment at the bottom of your screen! (Of course, you can leave one even if you weren't in the audience.)

While Anne Becker has left the post of Takoma Park Poet Laureate, she will not leave her community; she will continue to host workshops in the area and be involved.

While Anne Becker has left the post of Takoma Park Poet Laureate, she will not leave her community; she will continue to host workshops in the area and be involved.

Continue reading on Examiner.com A poetry collaboration celebrates the end of an era - Washington DC Poetry | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/poetry-in-washington-dc/a-poetry-collaboration-to-celebrate-the-end-of-an-era#ixzz1Q869m58d
- examiner.com

Friday night was a special night for "We are Takoma" and the Takoma Park Arts and Humanities Commission. Anne Becker, the Takoma Park Poet Laureate (that's right, Takoma Park has a poet laureate), relinquished her post with a bang Friday night not just with poetry, but also music and dance. "Pleasures of Collaboration" was so well worth watching, it was broadcast live on the local Takoma Park cable channel.

There were ten pieces to the program, including the warm-up execise at the beginning and a conversation between the performers and audience at the end. Two of the performance pieces demanded audience participation, and the audience members fully accepted their role. In the first of the two, called "Ashira's Nameless Piece," cards and stickers were passed out to the audience, and after a line of poetry was given by poet Ashira Malka, the audience responded with words and phrases from their prompts as musicians and dancers responded to the audience. In the second audience participation piece, "The Body Speaks," the opposite occurred: the dancers started moving and the audience shouted out words and phrases that were inspired by the dancers. One audience member came up on stage and danced with the dancers as well!

All eight pieces were different from each other, and integrated all three artistic forms in a very organic give-and-take that was surprising and delightful to witness.

During the conversation at the end of the evening, an audience member commented on how these collaborations were big in the sixties and seventies, but that they sort of died as an artistic movement; it was nice to see this kind of improvisation again. Many in the audience were pleasantly surprised to see just how the role of dance kept evolving the pieces as they went on.

The musicians were Jodi Beder (cello), James Landry (keyboard), Sydney March (flute, saxophone -- also a poet) and Patrick Smith (guitar). The dancers were Greta Ehrig (also a poet/singer), Rima Faber, Hannah Leatherbury and Orit Sherman. The poets were Karren Alenier, Anne Becker, Ashira Malka and Yermiyahu Ahron Taub.

Sorry you missed it? Make sure you view the slideshow next to this article. Were you in the audience? You're welcome to leave a comment at the bottom of your screen! (Of course, you can leave one even if you weren't in the audience.)

While Anne Becker has left the post of Takoma Park Poet Laureate, she will not leave her community; she will continue to host workshops in the area and be involved.

While Anne Becker has left the post of Takoma Park Poet Laureate, she will not leave her community; she will continue to host workshops in the area and be involved.

Continue reading on Examiner.com A poetry collaboration celebrates the end of an era - Washington DC Poetry | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/poetry-in-washington-dc/a-poetry-collaboration-to-celebrate-the-end-of-an-era#ixzz1Q869m58d
- examiner.com

Ashira's lived here, there, but not yet everywhere, liked open mics., drawing, painting, pretending while awake and currently has very boring, too-realistic dreams while otherwise blissfully sleeping deeply nightly, following many unfortunate years of meditation-inducing insomnia. - Purdee

Ashira's lived here, there, but not yet everywhere, likes open mics., drawing, painting, pretending while awake and currently has very boring, too-realistic dreams while otherwise blissfully sleeping deeply nightly, following many unfortunate years of meditation-inducing insomnia. - Purdee

Ashira speaks both English and Hebrew. She has honored us by submitting audio poetry in both languages:

Shortness of Breath

Some of Ashira's feelings about Israel are displayed in her work "Life Fall" in Hebrew:

Life Fall - Every Writer's Resource

“Ashira Malka is an exciting artist to see because she stands up for her creative beliefs and visions,” said Jennifer Judelsohn, founder of the Evolution of Art and curator of the exhibition. “Viewing Ashira Malka’s art, we can imagine a world in which everyone celebrates their own uniqueness.” - Patch