Steve Almond

Writes with Irreverant Relevance

By Susie Davidson

Advocate Correspondent

SOMERVILLE – Somerville’s Steve Almond, who often appears with writer Dan Zevin as “Two Live Jews,” will read on Tuesday, August 6 at 12:30 at the Downtown Crossing Borders following his book “My Life in Heavy Metal.”

Almond teaches creative writing at Emerson College, B.C. and for the Grub Street Writers, and man, is he creative. “Metal,” which includes 12 stories chronicling man-woman relationships in graphic, no-holds barred fashion, was reviewed by the NY Times Sunday Book Review, Entertainment Weekly, Details, The Washington Post, LA Times and most other major dailies. He recently won a Pushcart Prize and was a finalist for the National Magazine Award.

Raised in Palo Alto, California, (“aka The Town Where G-d Will Retire,” he says), Almond spent seven years as a newspaper reporter based mainly in El Paso and Miami. For the past eight, he’s written fiction. “My work can be found in a whole bunch of literary magazines,” he says, “along with the occasional porn outlet.”

His short stories have been published in myriad magazines including the Harvard Review, Playboy, Ploughshares and The Missouri Review.

Stevenalmond.com is entertainingly, self-effacingly off-color. It includes a music e-zine called The Tip as well as his “executive summary” on the “Roadog” tour. It also includes a “New Work” section with a new, monthly short story or two.

“The breaking news,” he pronounces, “is that ‘Metal’ is being published in Merry Olde England this August by Random House UK (different cover, same book). Those of you feeling barmy (or, perhaps, daft) can check out the August issue of Arena Magazine, which has a big ole photo/interview of the Roadog himself. If you know any pervs over in England,” he asks, “please tip them off.”

His irreverent, goofball side belies, or he might say augments, genetic roots. Both of Almond’s great grandfathers were rabbis; in fact, he says, “I come from a long line of rabbis. “I write universal work that I hope will appeal to anyone. That's what good art should do. But, as I get older, I find more of my Jewish identity cropping up. In ‘Metal’, there are a number of Yiddish words, the best words I could find to express a particular sentiment.

“Morris Rosenthal came here from Eastern Poland; David Almond, on my father's side, came to London at the same time from Pruzhin, in white Russia. His name was Pruzhinski, but the assignments for his secular, not his rabbinical, school were posted alphabetically so he changed his name to something with an ‘a’, hence ‘Almond’. Nobody knows exactly why.

“Most Palo Alto Jews were secularized. My German paternal grandmother always felt pretty conflicted about her Jewish identity. My mother's parents were both Communists, so they didn't take part in religious ceremonies much, even though they both spoke Yiddish.”

His own Judaism is admittedly as conflicted. “I'm absolutely fascinated by the Old Testament and find myself increasingly drawn to Judaism,” he says. “I studied in Jerusalem during my sophomore year at Wesleyan and was utterly enchanted by the city. I briefly considered staying on. I loved the energy of the place, the sense of urgency and passion, a place where life really matters. I've traveled to Israel twice since and was drawn toward studying and writing about Shabbatai Zvi in exploring Jewish history.”

“My own interest in writing is an offshoot, I think, of the rabbinical role. I'm fascinated with the larger questions Judaism seeks to address: What is the meaning of life? How is one to lead a good life? What are men to do when faced with injustice? How might a particular person withstand their own desires? For me, writing is the chance to explore these big questions. Writing also allows me to express my emotions, my love for the world.”