My Work
I blend creative expression with community building, using arts and culture to connect people to others, as well as to their own creative potential. My work spans teaching, coaching, theater productions, writing, a podcast, and public conversations — all united by the power of story.
For corporate clients, I offer specialized consulting through my practice StoryForward, where I help teams and leaders harness storytelling for greater impact. If that sounds like what you are looking for, head over to that site for more details.
Theater
"String Theory: Or, Martin Buber and Marie Kondo Walk Into A Bar"
My one-person show about overcoming shyness and finding connection through art and storytelling, performed at The Marsh in San Francisco, and the JCC in Berkeley. The J wrote a little bit about it here."At Rise"
A Vaudeville about improv and Jewish mysticism, two things that shouldn’t go together but do."Sweet and Sour"
A play about a family struggling with illness, exploring the question: Who owns our story when we die? This has been performed in both traditional theaters and as immersive dinner theater, with the audience eating and laughing along with the actors, as well as discussing core thematic questions amongst themselves.
Snapshots from stagings of “Sweet and Sour” in Berkeley, CA.
Public Conversations & Experiences
Museum Curator & Writer-in-Residence
I spent almost a decade full-time in the museum world, as a curator and writer-in-residence at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, and as a consultant with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, with whom I co-curated the exhibition “Beyond Belief: 100 Years of Art and Spirituality.” One take on this project, and how we can design spaces for creative collaboration, is here.
Facilitating Conversations
I’ve had the honor of facilitating community conversations with great authors and thinkers, such as:
Jonah Lehrer, City Arts & Lectures, On Art & Politics Series
Gary Shteyngart, Stanford University
Art & Other People Podcast
In early 2025 I launched a podcast where my cohost, Sophie Herxheimer, where we talk with artists, activists, and other mortals about the intersection of care and creativity at a time when artists and caretakers are more needed than ever.
We believe that everyone is creative, and accessing that creativity is fundamental to personal, familial, and social health. Join us as we explore this theory through conversation!
Listen to Art & Other People wherever you get podcasts. New episodes being released now.
Publications
Journalism & Articles
There are several hundred pieces out there. Here’s a handful suggesting my range of interests, from some older pieces in the Los Angeles Times on Gary Shteyngart and David Bezmozgis, exploring the isolation of immigration, to more recent work in The Giving List on the value of trust in philanthropy, and giving ourselves permission to take baby steps on the road to effecting social change.
Fiction & Creative Non-Fiction
"The Case of the Rabbi's Muse" (Ayin Press), which seeks to explore the bond between writer and reader.
"You and I,” (Exposition Review, Flash Fiction Award winner), about what it means to “see” people, and how language helps or hinders that goal.
"Forget Me Not, (Wilner Short Fiction Prize from SF State winner).
“This Cursed House,” (McSweeney's), an oldie but goodie.
Teaching
I teach two ongoing courses at Stanford University Continuing Studies:
Think on Your Feet: An Improviser's Guide to Business and Communications. This course (which regularly sells out!) is designed for business leaders, and is co-taught and co-designed with my sister Debra Schifrin, who created and teaches a similar course at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Speakeasy: The Pleasures of Writing Good Dialogue. This is a creative writing craft course, where we look at dialogue as a function — first and most importantly — of listening.
I have also taught creative writing at UC Berkeley and SF State.
Creativity Coaching
I work with many types of writers, artists, and academics, supporting their creative journey from idea to page/screen/canvas. Collaborate with me to:
Discover what is holding your creative process back
Sharpen your sense of a project’s goals and audience
Truly and finally finish the work that only you can make happen
