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Jennifer Lang
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Zibby Owens
Hi, this is Zibby Owens and you're listening to Totally Booked with Zibby, formerly Moms don't.
Podcast Producer
Have Time to Read Books.
Zibby Owens
In my daily show, I interview today's latest best selling, buzziest or underrated authors and story creators whose work I think is worth your time. As a bookstore owner, publisher, author and obviously podcaster, I get a comprehensive look at everything that's coming out and spend my time curating the best books so you don't have to stay in the know. Get insider insights and connect with guests like I do every single day. For more information, go to zibbymedia.com and follow me on Instagram. Ibbeowens Jennifer Lang is the author of A Yogi's Memoir in Pieces and Poses. Jennifer is a San Francisco Bay Area transplant in tel Aviv. In September 2023 she gave birth to her first book, Places We Left Behind A Memoir in miniature in October 2024, she welcomed Landed A Yogi's Memoir in.
Podcast Producer
Pieces and Poses into a different world.
Zibby Owens
Her writing focuses on identity, voice, faith, belonging and home. Graduate of Vermont College of Fine Arts, Jennifer was an assistant editor at Brevity Journal. You can Read more at www.israelwriterss. welcome Jennifer, thanks so much for coming on Totally Booked with Zivi to talk about Landed a Yogi's Memoir in Pieces and Poses. Congratulations.
Jennifer Lang
Thank you for having me.
Zibby Owens
Oh, it's my pleasure. I found this book interesting on so many levels. The structure and form of it, the way that you use the page and symbols and you know, short chapters and just the way that you tell the story. Interweaving timelines, all of it in the way that you do it, but also the content of what you're sharing and how in these brief little moments you are sharing endless amounts about your marriage, your backgrounds, your mothering, Israel. There's just so much in here and it was a very powerful read. So congratulations.
Jennifer Lang
Thank you.
Zibby Owens
Why don't you do a better job of explaining sort of what the book is about and what made you write it in the way that you did.
Jennifer Lang
Sure. So really, truly, I'm very grateful for you having me here and for letting me speak about this book. So it's a hard book to put into this world. It elevates it from I wrote this book targeting it to a non Jewish audience to teach them to show that not teach to show them what life is like in Israel, this very misunderstood country to wow. I put this book into this world in a during a terrible war, during a time of rising anti Semitism, having no idea that what I'd be up against to share this book because now I share it with fear. So this book, it landed Yogi's memoir and Pieces and Poses is my seven year search and then some on and off a yoga mat for answers to hard questions about my mixed marriage, midlife hormones, empty nest and making life in the Middle East. That's it in a nutshell. It's a moving forward timeline. It's a linear story that takes you through the present tense and through yoga poses, my time on the mat, both as teacher and as student. And it jumps back in time, as you mentioned thematically when I feel like I've mentioned something that requires a deeper dive. So for some people I can see with reviews, comments that it seems like a really mixed up, strange kind of haphazard structure, but it's really, really, really calculated. When I jump back in time is not random and the whole Goal started because I moved to Israel in 2011 from New York with my French husband and our two younger daughters, following our oldest, who was going into the Israeli army, making that decision at 18. And my yoga students in New York responded when I said that I was thinking of blogging, which in 2011 was a big thing still, you know, I think today we call it just substacking. And I mentioned that I was thinking of doing this to share about my new Israeli life. Would they be interested? And I was inundated, inundated by interest, blown away by the interest. And most of these people weren't Jewish. And that's where the whole thing started for me. Of, oh, I have something to tell, I have something to share. So that became my mission in my writing that I'd been doing for the past, what is that, 13 years. So that's that.
Zibby Owens
Wow. Well, first of all, the book shows how to kind of negotiate with a spouse. Because your resolution onto where you want to live has been interesting because you have jumped around a lot. You each, like, give each other a few years in this place. I'll do this for you for a few years. I don't know that I could do that. I don't know that I could suck it up for a few years. And I know you weren't always happy and you are open about that. You don't necessarily want to be where you are sometimes, and yet you do it because you love your husband. And this is the deal. And how did it feel writing all of that? Which I imagine is mostly in your private spaces. Right. But now it's become a thing. Like, how does he feel about it and all of that?
Jennifer Lang
Well, I don't know. If you read the first book called Places We Left Behind, A Memoir in Miniature, which is really, really, really about our 21 year search for home. It's. It's much more. It's also linear. It's also short chapters. It's also experimental prose, which is what I call this. I call this experimental, playful prose. And. And it's much shorter in length, and it's really like a love letter to my husband and an apology letter to myself. Because while we're in this marriage and we're moving and we're trying to figure out how to be whole and happy in the same place. And we're parenting, we're growing our family, something else is going on. And that something else has to do with me and my identity and what happened early, early before getting married, which was my traditionally Jewish French husband, who grew up When I say traditionally Jewish French, it already means something so different to an American Jew who grew up eating bacon and pork and shrimp and having no real sense of the Sabbath. He grew up with a sense of Sabbath observing it every week. Not to the same extent that he started to do in his early 20s when I met him. He grew up in a kosher home separating milk from meat. He grew up eating in non kosher restaurants, but never ordering meat or chicken or shellfish. Things that were not part of me, my identity. And when we were 23 and really, really like deep, you know, stupid and infatuated, he asked me if I would keep the Sabbath his way. And I said yes because I was so stupid and infatuated, I said I would try. And so really that decision that, that request on his part and that decision on mine, it wasn't a very, a very thought out decision. That's really where I look back. I looked back at the right while writing that first book and realized I had to stop blaming him, pointing a finger at him because I said yes. And that first book ended up being, and it makes me teary, an apology letter to my younger self. I realized I had to take responsibility for that. Yes. I never realized that in all the years of therapy with him, which we. That's also in the first book. I'd never realized it. So that's carrying through also. So search for home, but also search for self. I wanted myself back and I didn't know how to get it. So it was hard. A short answer to your question. H A R D. It was just hard. And there was a lot of, you know, I think I also look back and think, wow, I think I was just angry, but it was like a low, low simmering resentment and I was just carrying it from place to place and I was, it was with me at home because I was uncomfortable in my own home, raising my family, raising my children in a school system. I didn't like dressing them in a way I didn't want to. And, and that's so that's much more present in the first book. I try to move away from it in a second because the decision to return to Israel in 2011 came after years of therapy during which I brought to the table if I give you your country back, the place where we had met and married and he really wanted to live after an unintentional 16 years in America where I wanted to be then I wanted myself back. It was a conditional thing. We were constantly making these conditional clauses, not so healthy in a Marriage. Very, very manipulative. Very, you know, not healthy. But it's kind of the only way we knew how to play. And so the answer became yes, but then I had to figure out how to do it. And that's really the story landed. Wow. So, yeah.
Zibby Owens
And you're still together?
Jennifer Lang
Yeah.
Zibby Owens
Okay.
Jennifer Lang
Isn't that amazing? I find it amazing. So how does he feel about it? So the first book is like a love letter to him, and I think he recognizes that he's like the hero. The second book, a little less so. And he doesn't like it as much. I can only say it like that in quotes because that's kind of how it, you know, comes out sounding.
Zibby Owens
Okay. Well, for the reader, I feel, for what that's worth, it's really interesting as a read because we don't often get those inner glimpses with as much vulnerability and honesty about how sometimes we do things we don't want to and yet we're still not happy. And the things we do to be nice can eat away at you. Just the way that you talked about. So that's interesting to have the context now. I wish I'd read the other one, too. I'm so sorry, but thank you for the background of that. And now I see how that courses through. There's so much more than just that relationship. There's a lot about you with your children and you moving into new places and having new spaces. And then overlay, as you mentioned, this whole war situation now versus what it was when you were writing this. And there was this one scene. Can I just read this little bit? That I was like, oh, my gosh, it bifurcated, too. I'll just read one of these short sections. And each little section. It's not even an essay. These little.
Jennifer Lang
I call them chapterettes.
Zibby Owens
Chapterettes, okay.
Jennifer Lang
That's from Blair Glaser, writer Blair Glaser.
Zibby Owens
Okay. Okay. This chapterette is called bifurcated 2. Midway through my residency, I call our Israeli landline during workshop break. Daughter Number one answers with a huff. What's wrong? I ask. They found the boys dead. How do you know? It's everywhere. Facebook, Twitter, times of Israel, WhatsApp. With her brother in the army and her induction date set for the subsequent summer, she grasps the implications. Quick comebacks and fast thinking have never been one of my assets. How to respond? I'm sorry or I wish I were there. Even if untrue. Tell me what else is going on. What did you do today? Went to Jaffa. Jaffa. Jaffa, Jaffa.
Jennifer Lang
Whatever.
Zibby Owens
You're good with a friend. Walked along the port and around the flea market, ate falafel. It was super fun. Until now. I peer out the window. A charged sigh escapes my eyes. Moisten the push me, pull me between home in America and home in Israel. Tugs, we blow. Kisses. I slog two sets of stairs to the room. Clench a tissue, cover my face. My hands shake. A cavernous sob erupts. Are you okay? Strangers ask what's wrong. These three Israeli Jewish boys were kidnapped before I left home. Netanyahu accused Hamas. Hamas denied it. Dozen of eyes stare at me. They've never heard of these boys. My daughter told me they were found dead. Netanyahu vows severe retaliation. Their faces are blank. They have no idea what retaliation means in this region where everything's fair game. Missiles, suicide bombings, knifings, car rammings, where the biblical eye for an eye bullshit reigns, knows no end. I picture myself on my yoga mat, my legs spread apart in standing straddle pose, one foot there, the other here, and feel yawning, irreparable pulls between them.
Jennifer Lang
Okay, so I'm a little teary.
Zibby Owens
I'm sorry.
Jennifer Lang
Because that's what it's like to live there. And because. And because the beautiful day my daughter had had is also what it's like to live there. They both coexist, these things. I call it the beauty and the bedlam. And they just breathe the same air. And it's constant. And I don't consider myself a political person, but the personal is. The political. It's. It's. I can't. I can't write anything without that political. It's. It's part of the daily life. Sorry, daily life.
Zibby Owens
Well, the fact that these things keep happening and the larger world does not always know or pay attention or care. The fact that this is all happening a long time ago and many people. Hamas is only like a thing now that people care about. It's wild. And in many places in the book you put, I think even on the next chapter you have these asterisks, like, January 2024. How naive I was. We all were. Like all of these.
Jennifer Lang
Well, so that's what happened, is that Last January of 2023, I had to reread the manuscript for the first time in about six years. I'm not sure if that six is correct. Four years since I'd submitted it, signed a contract, had a yes, because the first book, Places We Left behind, had snuck in sideways and had and had come out first just by chance. Like I called an author's embarrassment of Richards. I ended up while this manuscript was on submission, I put together the manuscript for Places We Left behind and was submitting it to different contests for creative nonfiction prose chapbook contests.
Zibby Owens
Oh.
Jennifer Lang
And so that book came up like second. It was the earlier material of a much longer originally a much longer manuscript that wasn't working. And so I put it aside and started over upon landing in Israel in 2011 to do my seven year journey. And I just set aside the earlier material. And a fellow writer friend in San Diego emailed me in Tel Aviv to say, hey, I'm entering these contests. Because we were swapping flash stories all the time to just read each other's work, always nonfiction. And she said, I'm entering these contests. I think you should too. You should look back at your earlier work and link together by theme. And I was like, well, I have that. And I went into the original, earlier, long overwritten manuscript and kind of picked out and sculpted this under 10,000 word. Because the limit for all these different contests was probably somewhere in the 10,000 words, which some people would say, well, that's not a book, that's an essay. That's a long essay. Places we left behind is 14,000 words and published as a book. And so it all happened just serendipitously, and I call it Sideways. And so when I had to reread Landed In January of 2023, in the beginning of the war, it was so difficult, I almost couldn't do it. I almost pulled the manuscript. I emailed the publishers to say, I don't know if I can do this. I need to bring it up to date somehow. So that's why the preface is in there and that's why those asterisks are in there. That's what that is. I had to address October 7th.
Zibby Owens
Yeah.
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Zibby Owens
But aren't you glad it came out? And tell me about the fear that you mentioned earlier.
Jennifer Lang
Well, let's say this. Tonight is my first event in the States. It's at a fabulous little bookstore that hosted me for my first book as well. It's in Sausalito, California. What am I fearful of? And then I end my one month of events at your bookstore in Santa Monica. Thank you. And the fear of these two events in the non Jewish world is some crazy person coming off the street hearing somehow that I'm in from Tel Aviv, hearing somehow that this is what I write about. And I fear because of where I live, maybe something happening. Oh Jennifer, that was so real. It's so incredibly real. Yeah, October 7th has really changed everything. I didn't have that fear when I came for my first book tour in September of 2023. I came with joy and excitement. I approached everyone, Jewish and non Jewish for events. I had loads of events all over, not all Jewish. I also am in a library in New Orleans. In a couple of weeks. I have some fear advertised in the New Orleans newspaper, as in from Tel Aviv.
Zibby Owens
Well, if it makes you feel any better, we have had lots of events at the store when we have any concern, we have security there and nothing has, God forbid, happened yet. Even when I did the big launch event for I'm Being Jewish now, which was really out there and there was a line around the corner and whatever and it was fine, nobody came. So I don't know, maybe it's too inconvenient in LA to get all the way to the west side or something, but. But you know, I'm joking, but the Fear of all of it is real, Right? The fear. Have you experienced, you know, like so many authors these days, have you experienced online hate, anti Semitism, you know, any cancellations, all of that? Have you, have you had that?
Jennifer Lang
Yeah. So I really end your event at the books. My event at Zibies is the 26th and on the 27th, the reason I'm actually in LA and why I'm going and why I'm in the States for a month and I'm on a panel on. I forget what it's called. Narrow. Narrowing the bridge on writing against anti Semitism, like being resilient for awp. Associate of Writers and Poets Organization in la. I'm on a panel with Sarah Einstein, Howard Lovie, Elisa Wald and Amy Fish. Sure, yeah, yeah. The answer to your question is yes. And that's the thing, that's that. That, you know, it's like a constant push me, pull me, like, I don't want this fear. I've been trying to be so brave. I've been braver than ever these past year and a half in living in Israel. Like, I've really reached a point of I can't live anywhere else. I now understand I can't live anywhere else. I now feel more Israeli than I've ever felt if I ever thought I'd landed in 2018. When landed ends, I almost look back and think, well, I think that was a false landing. I think I landed on October 8th of 2023. I mean, that's. That's the craziness of it. I. I belong in Israel. I see that now. I am not a religious Jew. I'm Jewish, I'm not religious. I am not observant. I do not keep the Sabbath. I'm in a mixed marriage and I'm happier now than I've ever been. That's the crazy part, because I'm where I belong. I'm with a lot of people who. We share the same story and perspective. We are in it together. The bond is so strong. We can say things we don't have being canceled. We don't have this concept we don't have speaking politically correctly. We don't have these things hanging over us. We say it directly and we understand each other. And there's something really comforting about that. I can't say it to you here now, publicly at all, but I can tell you that it's comforting. And to be able to be so open and honest and to speak one's true feelings and to not have to hide and to cower. I Don't cower in my daily life and I am surrounded by people who understand. So that's, that's kind of crazy.
Zibby Owens
That was beautiful. Really beautiful. So what do you do when you feel the fear? Like how do you handle it there now here you carry it with you.
Jennifer Lang
So I used to tremble when I would hear an air raid siren and there's like a strange numbness that has happened. It's. I'm going to say two things. They, they both live together, which is I no longer tremble. I feel really calm on the one hand. On the other hand, I was somewhere in San Francisco where I am this week with family when I heard, I don't know, it was the beginning of an ambulance whine. And it's a visceral thing. No one else was triggered, just me. I didn't even say anything because I could see no one was triggered. So there's something in the sound of the siren that is very triggering viscerally in the body where you have a moment of fight or flight and then it, it, you know. But I, I used to actually tremble in the time of what landed is covering like the summer of 2014, which was a 50 day war with Hamas and Israel. I trembled every time I went down into our bomb shelter in our home in Ranana. I no longer tremble. So on the night of. I mean, this is crazy to just sit and talk casually, right? But on the night of the ballistic missiles coming from Iran back in the fall, back In September of 2024, my first daughter was visiting, she lives in New York. She was visiting us. It was my husband, myself and my daughter. We were in the middle of having dinner. We took our plates into the stairwell where we just, you know, talked and listened and heard the crazy stuff going on in the sky and heard the neighbors in the stairwell. My husband went back in to get refill on his wine because he's French. He came back into the stairwell with his wine like it was. There was. It's just this crazy calm shit, pardon my language, reality. And the other crazy thing, my youngest daughter, daughter number two, just spent six months in Taiwan immersing in Mandarin. She's. She now has to come back to Israel and will start to adult start to look for a job. She's kind of done having these amazing experiences and she was battling her first typhoon. She was hunkering down in Kaohsiung, Taiwan because there was a typhoon warning which she's calling us to say, like I don't know what to do. We're like, we don't know what you should do. You should probably Google it and good luck to you. And she's like, good luck to us. I mean, there's something crazy, right? And then the bigger picture of all that is the world feels a little like it's falling apart on us. And I cry really easily and I feel sad for my children. It's a really sucky world we're giving that. I didn't have these experiences. I had other things growing up at their ages, they're in their mid-20s. But like, this is. This is bad, what we're living, you know, it's in Israel with a friend. This summer, the conversation was, civilization goes through cycles and we're reaching the end of a cycle. That is what it feels like to us in Israel. We are reaching the end of a cycle. And the question for us in Israel is, will we survive once we hit rock bottom, will we make it to reset? That's our conversation. So we're approaching 60, we're 59 and a half, and our group of friends kind of ranges from mid-50s to almost 70. And this has been the summer for every one of us to either write our wills or update our wills, because the summer of wills and war, because that's what you have to do. And again, it's like, I don't say it unemotionally. I say it to you with a lot of emotion. It's just, this is our lives because there's a lot of beauty in it and you have to recognize it. Oh, Jeffrey, sorry. Kind of sobering for 8:30 in the morning. Zibby, sorry.
Zibby Owens
Oh, no, don't. Please don't apologize. Like, this is. This is what life is about. It's connecting over the. What we're all. What we all are dealing with. And it's really helpful to hear it from your perspective. I mean, I think a lot of people are wondering, like, oh my gosh, like, what's it like now in Israel? And are people okay? And, you know, it seems so dangerous and people here don't even want to visit. Like, but how can you live there? And da, da, da. So this is how you can live there. This is. This is the answer.
Jennifer Lang
Well, the answer to how you can live there is you move forward with life. I mean, this is hard for me to say because I've definitely had people comment on this, but if I say to you Tel Aviv, where we live, in the center, we live right near the Carmel Market, like a shook a sook is popping. You need dinner reservations because the restaurants are Full. You need reservations at the wine bars because the wine bars are popping. You need. The beach is open almost, almost all year. The beach is active and like surfers and kite surfers and I don't even know the names of all the sports on the water and runners and walkers and bikers and electric bikers and electric scooters and. And people yoga ing on the, on the seashore and all these. And suppers and like all of these. It's so, it's so dynamic and alive. It's. It's crazy.
Zibby Owens
You.
Jennifer Lang
You would have no idea there is a war, save for the posters of the hostages everywhere you turn. The graffiti, if you understand it, the street art, the graffiti on the street, which I miss a lot of it because I don't understand it. And my daughters stop and show me, like, break it down for me. I mean, I can read, but I read like a kindergartner. And the reminders of war are everywhere. The other thing that we see that we never used to see to this extent, soldiers get off like it's nothing. I think like the American army soldiers get off maybe every Friday for the Sabbath to go home to have Friday night dinner with their parents, maybe depending on the unit they're in. So if you've been called up and you're in the reserves, you might get home more often. And the opposite can be true depending on what unit you're in. Never have I seen so many off duty soldiers. And how do I know who they are? Because they're carrying their huge gun across their body. If you're in a unit where you're assigned a gun, which not everybody is, obviously that gun can only be left at home if it can be behind two locked doors. One, the door of your house or your apartment, and two, a locked closet because of the security situation since October 7th, what I think I'm seeing is no one's leaving their gun at home. No matter how many locked doors they can leave it behind. They're feeling a sense of, I need to be the person on the street when I'm out at dinner or the wine bar or the beach. I've seen a guy, group of friends on a Saturday at the beach. They're all removing their clothes, getting into the. Putting it on the sand and walking into the water. And this guy has his gun over his bare shoulder. He's in his swim trucks and he goes up to his legs and they're all hovering around him. Only where they can be up to the water, up to their legs, because he's carrying a gun. He can't go one step further. It's mind blowing to watch how real life syncs with war. So that's. That's what it is.
Zibby Owens
Are you writing about this?
Jennifer Lang
I've written an essay. I kind of don't want to give it. I haven't found a home for it. I've written an essay that I wish I could find a home for. But all of those venues that I used to write for, you know, they're no longer open to me.
Zibby Owens
Put it on our substack on being Jewish. Now we have new essays, like, every day, every week, if you want. I know it's not the same as, like, you know, a major newspaper.
Jennifer Lang
I don't think I knew that you had a substack.
Zibby Owens
Yeah. On being jewish. Now that's substack.com.
Jennifer Lang
Okay.
Zibby Owens
If you're interested, we would love to publish it.
Jennifer Lang
Okay. Yeah.
Zibby Owens
As a last resort. If. If you were interested, let it. Let us know.
Jennifer Lang
Yeah. I mean, that's the thing is, like, then I just feel like I'm writing to the choir.
Zibby Owens
Yeah.
Jennifer Lang
Right. I wanna. I used my whole mission all these years. Like, I'm so. I have to say, like, widely published on not in non Jewish places. And that was always and, you know, always been my goal. But thank you. I will look into what you're. Yes, thank you.
Zibby Owens
Well, Jennifer, this is a lot. You are holding a lot. You are being really brave. I know that's a stupid word to say when it's so many people, but by sharing what you're going through with the rest of us, it is empowering, it is enriching our lives to hear what's going on with you there. And, you know, the book is fabulous and also shows us a side of Israel that we might not know about. So thank you for taking us with you and letting us in. Really appreciate it.
Jennifer Lang
Thanks for having me.
Zibby Owens
And I hope you're okay and we're looking forward to hosting you.
Jennifer Lang
Thank you.
Zibby Owens
Okay. All right, thanks.
Jennifer Lang
Bye.
Zibby Owens
Hang in there. Bye.
Podcast Producer
Thank you for listening to Totally Booked.
Zibby Owens
With Zibby, formerly Moms don't have time to read books.
Podcast Producer
If you loved the show, tell a.
Zibby Owens
Friend, leave a review, follow me on Instagram, ibyoans and spread the word.
Jennifer Lang
Thanks so much.
Zibby Owens
Oh, and buy the books.
Paige Desorbo
This is Paige Desorbo from Giggly Squad. This episode is sponsored by Boost Mobile, the newest 5G network in the country. With compelling deals for new lines, Boost Mobile makes it easy to switch. Today, Boost Mobile is no longer that prepaid wireless company you Remember, they've invested billions into building their own 5G towers across America. With Boost Mobile's networks, customers enjoy the speed and service they'd expect from the Big three, plus groundbreaking benefits you'd only get from a true challenger of the industry. Boost Mobile will let you try the network risk free for 30 days, so visit your nearest Boost Mobile store or find us online@boostmobile.com today.
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Zibby Owens
Acast Powers the World's Best Podcasts Here's.
Boost Mobile Representative
A show that we recommend.
Daniella Taplin Lundenberg
How long was the original director's cut of the substance? It took how many days to shoot the sandworms in Dune Part one and two. And why did Brighton beach become the location of this year's Best Picture winner? Anora hi, I'm Daniella Taplin Lundenberg and I host Hollywood Gold, a podcast where I interview filmmakers about their iconic films. Listen every Wednesday as we uncover untold stories and fascinating trivia from this year's Oscar nominees and other legendary movies like Apocalypse Now, Scream, and the Devil Wears Prada.
Jennifer Lang
All of a sudden, I see Harvey Weinstein marching towards me. He's over the table. He grabs me by the collar.
Daniella Taplin Lundenberg
Oh my God. Subscribe to Hollywood Gold wherever you get your podcasts.
Zibby Owens
ACAST helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast. Com.
Totally Booked with Zibby: Episode Summary Featuring Jennifer Lang - LANDED: A Yogi's Memoir in Pieces & Poses
Release Date: March 19, 2025
In this compelling episode of Totally Booked with Zibby, host Zibby Owens engages in a heartfelt and insightful conversation with author Jennifer Lang about her memoir, "Landed: A Yogi's Memoir in Pieces & Poses". The discussion delves deep into Jennifer's personal journey, her move to Israel, the intricate themes of her book, and the challenges she faces amidst the turbulent socio-political landscape of the region.
Jennifer Lang is a multifaceted individual—a bookstore owner, publisher, author, and podcaster—whose literary contributions focus on identity, voice, faith, belonging, and home. A graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts and a former assistant editor at Brevity Journal, Jennifer brings a wealth of experience to her writing. Her debut book, "Places We Left Behind: A Memoir in Miniature," serves as a precursor to her latest work, "LANDED: A Yogi's Memoir in Pieces & Poses."
Zibby Owens introduces Jennifer with warmth and admiration, highlighting the unique structure and profound content of her memoir. She remarks, “...the structure and form of it, the way that you use the page and symbols and short chapters and just the way that you tell the story...” (03:34), emphasizing the book's experimental and calculated narrative style.
"LANDED" is described by Jennifer as a seven-year exploration conducted both on and off the yoga mat, seeking answers to complex life questions. She explains, “It's my seven year search and then some on and off a yoga mat for answers to hard questions about my mixed marriage, midlife hormones, empty nest and making life in the Middle East.” (03:41)
The memoir employs a non-linear storytelling technique, interweaving present actions with past reflections, all while aligning chapters with specific yoga poses. Jennifer refers to her short sections as "chapterettes," a deliberate choice inspired by writer Blair Glaser. This method allows her to delve deeper into themes when necessary, creating a mosaic of experiences that paint a vivid picture of her life in Israel.
Central to Jennifer's narrative is her mixed marriage to a traditionally Jewish French husband and their subsequent move from New York to Israel in 2011. She candidly shares the complexities of negotiating cultural and religious differences, particularly regarding Sabbath observance, which became a point of contention early in their marriage. “That decision on mine, it wasn't a very thought out decision.” (07:02) Jennifer reflects on the resultant simmering resentment and her journey towards self-identity and mutual understanding within the marriage.
Jennifer acknowledges the emotional toll of these negotiations, stating, “It's a love letter to my husband and an apology letter to myself.” (07:02) Her honesty about personal struggles and growth provides a relatable and authentic portrayal of maintaining a partnership amidst profound cultural shifts.
Jennifer’s move to Israel coincided with escalating conflicts, including a severe war with Hamas and rising anti-Semitism. She openly discusses her fears, particularly following the October 7th attacks, which have profoundly impacted her sense of safety and belonging. “[...] Tonight is my first event in the States... What am I fearful of?” (21:49) Jennifer reveals her anxiety about sharing her experiences publicly in a non-Jewish world, fearing potential backlash or danger due to her Israeli residency.
She poignantly narrates a passage from her book titled "Bifurcated," capturing the traumatic impact of violent events on her family and community. The excerpt underscores the coexistence of everyday joys with the constant undercurrent of fear and uncertainty. Jennifer shares, “It's what it's like to live there... the beautiful day my daughter had is also what it's like to live there. They both coexist, these things. I call it the beauty and the bedlam.” (14:05)
Despite the ongoing conflict, Jennifer discusses her resilience and the ways she copes with fear. She describes moments of unexpected calm during missile attacks and the emotional burden of witnessing her children navigate life's uncertainties in such a volatile environment. “[...] I now understand I can't live anywhere else. I now feel more Israeli than I've ever felt.” (25:57) Her acceptance of life in Israel, coupled with the solidarity and understanding from her community, provides a beacon of strength amidst chaos.
Jennifer also touches on the psychological impact of living in a war zone, detailing how certain sounds trigger intense emotional responses, though she notes a growing sense of calm over time. “[...] I no longer tremble.” (26:10) Her narrative conveys both the lingering trauma and the gradual adaptation to living under constant threat.
Living in Tel Aviv, Jennifer paints a picture of a city that remains vibrant and dynamic despite the surrounding conflict. She describes the bustling Carmel Market, active beaches, and the omnipresence of soldiers carrying their guns even in recreational settings. “[...] It's so dynamic and alive. It's crazy.” (31:16) This duality—joy intertwined with danger—highlights the resilience of the Israeli people and the persistent spirit of life even in the face of adversity.
Jennifer expresses the difficulty of finding a platform for her essay reflecting her experiences and feelings amidst the war. Despite the challenges, Zibby Owens offers support by inviting Jennifer to publish her essay on her Substack, "On Being Jewish." However, Jennifer remains hesitant, feeling that her potential audience might already resonate with her story, making it less impactful to a broader readership.
The episode concludes with mutual appreciation between Zibby Owens and Jennifer Lang, acknowledging the bravery it takes to share such personal and challenging experiences. Zibby commends Jennifer for enriching listeners' lives by offering an intimate glimpse into life in Israel, a perspective that many may not fully understand. “[...] Thank you for taking us with you and letting us in.” (34:12)
Jennifer's narrative in "Landed: A Yogi's Memoir in Pieces & Poses" serves as a powerful testament to resilience, identity, and the pursuit of belonging amidst chaos. Her storytelling not only highlights the personal struggles and triumphs but also sheds light on the broader socio-political realities of living in a conflicted region.
Notable Quotes:
Jennifer Lang [03:41]: “It's my seven year search and then some on and off a yoga mat for answers to hard questions about my mixed marriage, midlife hormones, empty nest and making life in the Middle East.”
Jennifer Lang [07:02]: “It's a love letter to my husband and an apology letter to myself.”
Jennifer Lang [14:05]: “It's what it's like to live there... the beautiful day my daughter had is also what it's like to live there. They both coexist, these things. I call it the beauty and the bedlam.”
Jennifer Lang [25:57]: “I now understand I can't live anywhere else. I now feel more Israeli than I've ever felt.”
This episode of Totally Booked with Zibby offers a profound exploration of personal and cultural identity through the lens of Jennifer Lang's experiences in Israel. It's a must-listen for those interested in memoirs that blend personal growth with broader societal issues, providing both emotional depth and insightful commentary.