Spotlight

Local authors make their mark.

ayne State University
Biology Professor
Laurence Levine, who
died in 1994, was a sci-
entist by trade but a poet in his heart.
His wife of 43 years, Claire Levine,
compiled his poems in an anthology
The Bud That Stays (Ridgeway
Press).

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Levine

worked on the typesetting and lay-
out, and daughter Hallie provided
the cover photography.
Claire Levine acknowledges many
loCal community members for help-
ing her with this book. She men-
tions Steve Boyce, Bernard
Goldman, Norma Goldman, Judith
Goren, Dan Hughes, Lonnie Jones,
Carol Kaplan, Aaron Kessler, Jane
Alexandra Kessler and Norma
Shifrin.
Claire Levine will make two
appearances promoting the book in
February. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb.
6, she will be at the Shaman Drum
Book Store in Ann Arbor, and 7:30
p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, she will be
at Borders in Birmingham.

ON A GOOD DAY
It's obvious that Birmingham
author Gay Rubin has a crush on
actor Paul Newman, for he is the
focus of one of her short stories in
her recently published collection On
a Good Day (Plain View Press).
Rubin describes her story
"The central unifying
"Looking for Paul Newman"
theme of his book is life
as a universal idea of a soul-
— the dynamic living
mate fantasy shared by
process," said his wife.
everyone.
She explains that her
Rubin attributes her sense of
husband viewed the
irony and how the family is
movement of chromo-
defined to her Jewish back-
somes and the growing
ground. "Everything I see.
of plants and animals as
Hear. Smell. Feel.
entwined with familial
Everything I do is inspira-
relationships.
tion for my writing," says
"There are few writers
Rubin.
CARLA JEAN
in this world who are
Rubin's stories have been
SCH W ARTZ
both articulate scientists
presented as dramatic perfor-
Local Col umnist
and sensitive poets," said
mances locally at the Village
Rabbi Sherwin Wine of
Players in Birmingham and
the Birmingham Temple.
at the Reader's Theatre of
Wine's quote appears on the back of
the Jewish Community Center.
the book along with quotes from
WSU's David Adamany and Morris
Goodman.
The book is divided into three
parts — poetry, annotations and
prose. Some of Levine's works reflect
his Jewish heritage, like the poem,
"Holocaust Coda" and the essay
"Kristallnacht Remembered." Many
of the writings are accompanied by
his drawings.
When Laurence Levine translated
biological phenomena in poetic
terms, he drew upon personal expe-
riences. He dedicated his poem
"Family Jewels" to his wife Claire,
who makes kichel whenever the
children come to visit."
The publication of The Bud That
She is a past president of Detroit
Stays was a family legacy. Son Brian
Woman Writers, a feature writer for
initiated the project, son Russell

CC

Cigar Lifestyles magazine and a writ-
ing instructor at the University of
Michigan.
Although Rubin's first story is
about Paul Newman, her entire
book is dedicated to husband Fred
and daughters Jessica and Rebecca.
Rubin is currently on a national
book tour. She appears Thursday,
Jan. 28, at Border's in Boynton
Beach, Fla.; Monday, Feb. 1, at
Border's in Boca Raton, Fla.;
Sunday, Feb. 7, at Barnes & Noble
in Troy; Monday, Feb. 8, at Border's
in Rochester.

ALPHABET VS. GODDESS

Former Detroiter Leonard Shlain
presents an interesting hypothesis in
his recently published book, The
Alphabet versus the Goddess (Viking).
The book correlates the rise and fall
of literacy with the changing status
of women in society.
Shlain argues that the advent of
literacy caused the brain's left hemi-
sphere to become dominant, upset-
ting the balance between men and
women and initiating the disappear-
ance of the goddess. The book traces
the history of culture and religion
and contains six chapters with a
Judaic focus.
Shlain discusses the brain figura-
tively and literally as well. He is the
chief of laparoscopic surgery at
California Medical Center in San
Francisco and, as a vascular surgeon,
he operates on carotid arteries sup-
plying blood to the brain.
Shlain grew up in Detroit and
graduated from Central High
School, the University of Michigan
and Wayne State University. He is
also the author of Art and Physics.
For more information about The
Alphabet and the Goddess, check out
the Web site:

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