Sunday May 3 | 11:30am-1pm
“Dear Uncle Bruce, I just took a shot of tequila. Well, maybe I did, and maybe I didn’t. Every time I even think about tequila I think of you. Every time I read — or think – about New York City, I think of you. Same when I see an image of Bill Clinton or John McEnroe, for you’d resembled each of them so closely. Uncle Bruce, I miss you. And I keep thinking of you. So I wanted to write you this letter to let you know.”
That is how Jenn began a letter she wrote to her uncle in July 2020. He died in March.
Five years ago, Jenn lost her uncle Bruce Director, z”l, after a rapid decline from pancreatic cancer, and she didn’t know how to process his death. So she turned to a tool known to provide solace when grieving: letter-writing. In sitting down and penning a letter to Uncle Bruce, it was like communing with the person she’d known via writing to him. There was a lot to share; there was a lot of processing to be done.
Laura Cohen, LCSW, agrees that writing is an important, uncomplicated and effective way to help manage hard times, including grief and the process of grieving someone or something that is no longer part of your life. An underutilized coping mechanism, letter-writing is a gentle therapeutic tool.
A journal, pen, and writing prompts will be provided. All are welcome—whether writing is a regular exercise or this is your first time trying this practice.
This program is presented as part of Without End: Recent Works on Grief by Cara Levine.
About the Facilitators
A journalist and editor for more than 30 years, Jenn Director Knudsen also has spent decades as a volunteer in the Jewish community and as a Jewish communal professional, including most recently at Jewish Family & Child Service, where she was its communications manager. She has also contributed to the Jewish Review since the early 2000s. Jenn is a writing coach for college-bound high school seniors. Jenn has a bachelor’s degree in history and French from UC-Santa Barbara, where she achieved Phi Beta Kappa, and she has a master’s in journalism from UC-Berkeley. A total nerd, Jenn loves reading, watching movies with subtitles, stumbling through Hebrew lessons and (cliché alert!) spending time with her family (that includes a black tabby cat who thinks he’s a dog).
Laura Cohen’s areas of expertise include helping people navigate the criminal-justice system; supporting and coaching parents with their job of raising their kiddos; and working one-on-one with children, teens, and young adults – especially on developing healthier communication styles – in a therapeutic setting. Laura’s experience around the U.S. spans more than 30 years and includes work in private, governmental and non-profit sectors. She holds a master’s in Clinical Social Work from Loyola University, Chicago, and a bachelor’s in Psychology and Jewish Studies from Washington University, St. Louis. Laura has two adult children, two adult stepchildren and a Chiweenie (Chihuahua – Dachshund rescue), Pretzel, and Laura just became a Glama.