Fall 2026
The WRITER’S LIFE: A Glimpse into a Writer’s Career
Jewish High Holidays
With Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur just around the corner, I’ve been busy preparing Temple Beth Solomon of the Deaf’s participation this year’s High Holy Day services at Temple Ahavat Shalom in Northridge, California. Our all-deaf congregation is small, so we partner with TAS during the High Holidays. My activities as president take me away from my writing, but the work I do for the Jewish Deaf Community inspires me.
Temple Beth Solomon was once a vibrant synagogue, but is now down to 15 active members. We attend most of our services in TAS’s small chapel.
New Hearing Aids
My old hearing aids were purchased in 2019 right before the Pandemic. Those devices are very expensive and not covered by health insurance, and two months ago they broke. When my audiologist told me the cost, $6000, I freaked. I don’t have that kind of money, so I decided to start a GoFundMe. And it worked. People donated small amounts that eventually totaled over $5000.
I want to thank all of you reading this who made a donation. The hearing aids are working beautifully and I can hear much better with them than the old ones. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!
Hardly Hearing: A Journey into Deafness
Three years ago, I started a memoir with the working title: Hardly Hearing: A Journey into Deafness. It is now complete and I’m searching for either a literary agent or a publisher.
Hardly Hearing: A Journey into Deafness is a 43,657-word memoir about hearing loss and its effects on the individual and their families. The book discusses my journey from hearing perfectly to deafness and the dramatic effect it has had on my life and the life of my family. Once my story is told, I interviewed nine other men and women. All of them had either a profound hearing loss (where a person cannot hear speech, but only very loud noises); to a moderate loss (where the individual struggles to hear normal conversations.)
Below you’ll see a cover one of my friends created. What do you think of it?
The memoir is an inspirational and deeply personal book chronicling my sudden descent into deafness at the height of my career, family life, and personal identity. At forty-four years old, I awakened one morning to an eerie silence that forever changed the course of my life. Diagnosed with a sudden and progressive hearing loss likely caused by a rare virus, I was thrust into a world of confusion, fear, and isolation.
Once the book is published, I’ll send you the link.
Sad News: Scribble is Gone
Many of you have met my wonderful dog, Scribble, a Shorky. She was my constant companion for the last 14 ½ years. I spent long hours training her, and it was worth it. I could take Scribble any place and she behaved herself perfectly. She was a real blessing.
Traveling During 2026
This past year I did some traveling. Back in March I flew to Atlanta, Georgia for a grand-niece’s wedding. I usually hate events like that because I can’t understand what is happening around me. (I explain all of that in Hardly Hearing.) At the wedding, my niece Jennifer surprised me with an ASL interpreter who sat by me throughout the event signing all that was being said. What a pleasure that was making this wedding very memorable for me.
In August I flew to Denver, Colorado to visit my friends Ford and Terry. We had a wonderful time, even though Ford needed a hernia operation mid-week during my stay. I was happy to help Terry and assist Ford’s recovery.
Future Plans
My plans for the remainder of the year and into 2027 is to find a publisher/agent for Hardly Hearing and begin writing Scribble: Boss of the Walk.
Feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Good luck with your new hearing aids. I like the cover that your friend made of your new book.