Category Archives: Volta

The People’s MFA

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Julie Goldberg

I have a new essay on Neil Fein’s Magnificent Nose today about the People’s MFA, and about a particular session taught by Professor Michael Chabon. I’ve been thinking for some time about the process by which writers consciously and unconsciously model, … Continue reading →

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Bigger

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Julie Goldberg

(The following is a version of the speech I gave at my son Isaac’s bar mitzvah last weekend. To illustrate the point before I began, I took off my high-heeled shoes and stood next to him in front of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Motherhood, Volta | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Expanding the Universe

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Julie Goldberg

This week, a guest post from Ruth Hansen about the crucial role the arts play in expanding our circles of compassion. Acting teacher Sanford Meisner defined acting as no less than living truthfully in imaginary circumstances.  Actors are trained to imagine … Continue reading →

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Lobbing Nerf Rocks

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Julie Goldberg

At a workshop I attended recently, Emmy Laybourne, author of the Monument 14 series, shared a rule, well-known among screenwriters, that I had never heard before: “Chase your character up a tree and throw rocks at him.” It’s smart advice: … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Libraries, Motherhood, Volta, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Anti-Debate

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Julie Goldberg

If you like to get drunk, Presidential debate drinking games will never let you down. You can’t possibly lose. Candidates portion out their stump speeches into 2-minute chunks, answer the questions they feel like answering rather than the ones they’re … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Volta | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

An Imperfect Conduit

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Julie Goldberg

“… what they did for this country is still etched in the minds of not only you, but millions of Americans, forever. That’s why it’s so important that this memorial be preserved and go on for our children and our … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Volta | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

The Girl on the Garden State Parkway

Posted on September 1, 2012 by Julie Goldberg

A few years ago, I was driving north on the Garden State Parkway after attending a full-day graduate class. I was tired, and the trip home would take well over an hour. I harmonized with the radio to keep awake. … Continue reading →

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Against Positive Attitudes

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Julie Goldberg

A few days ago, I lost someone I cherish, my mother-in-law of seventeen years, Marjorie Feldman Springer, who died of an extremely aggressive form of leukemia. Marge was a vivacious, energetic, athletic person, who biked, hiked, swam, played a devastating … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Volta | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Adventures in Bothmind

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Julie Goldberg

I grew up both. Both Catholic and Jewish. Both an only child and the youngest of four. Both middle and working class. Both a child of the 70s and 80s and, by accidents of birth and history, a very late … Continue reading →

Posted in Volta | Tagged , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Confession of Love

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Julie Goldberg

Dear Facebook, I don’t know if this letter will come as a shock to you after all this time. I mean, it’s been three years now since your digital charms overcame my bookish resistance (it was February 27, 2009, not that … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Volta | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments