The Memory Chest - Book Tour

 

Poetry

Date Published: May 23, 2024

Publisher: Mindstir Media

 

With an unmistakable voice and a depth of presence, Leventhal's work zooms out and back inward, taking stock of it all. His poems survey the surrounding landscapes: be it historical, natural, political, or emotional. They reflect on love and loss with vulnerability, and on the prospect of aging with optimism and gratitude. They travel centuries back in time and simultaneously ask the question of what it means to be alive in the world today. Years of leadership in the Jewish community provides him access to Biblical language and wisdom. The artwork that accompanies the poems creates and elegant conversation between visual art and poetry. There is a deep reverence within many of these works that is balanced out by Leventhal's refusal to take himself too seriously, his zest for life, beaming in words and brushstrokes from these pages. (Dakota Read- Editor)

 

My Review

What a nice book. This would make a good gift, and I don’t think the giftee would need to be a poetry aficionado. You will most certainly see I am not an expert when I describe this poetry. There are some “big” educated words to describe the form of this author’s poems. I don’t even remember them from my English classes.

I’ll try to describe…this poetry is composed in a type of free verse. These are not cutesy rhyming poems with the same amount of lines in each verse. It's poetry written in abstract and yet clearly understandable. Is that possible? I don’t have an answer but it’s true. The pages of poetry are accompanied by paintings making this an even nicer volume to give to someone.

The overall best way to describe this poetry is to say Robert Leventhal must be an interesting individual.

 

About the Author

Bob Leventhal served as sales and marketing executive for cleaning products company O-Cedar Brands for 19 years. For more than 15 years Bob was a Jewish communal lay leader in Dayton, Ohio. He was a day school president, a JCC membership chair and federation campaign leader. He even taught seventh graders in his temple’s religious school.

In 2001 he chose to combine his MBA and his Masters in Jewish Education to create a unique synagogue consulting practice at the Alban Institute in Washington, D.C. In January 2012 he became the Director of Leadership at United Synagogue. He led the team which created the Sulam Leadership Curriculum.

As he approached 65 he began to develop his interests in writing and painting. He took painting classes in NYC. He wrote a memoir Swept Away (2022) about his transition from business to consulting. He wrote the Memory Chest (2024), a conversation between painting and poetry. He has intentionally sought out colleagues and mentors to support these new learning journeys. Walk with Bob.

 

Contact Link

Website

 

Purchase Link

Amazon