About me
Irena Klepfisz (literature, culture) is a poet, activist and Yiddish translator. Winner of an NEA grant in poetry and recipient of the Dreaming in Yiddish award, she has taught Jewish Women’s Studies, Yiddish women’s writing, and creative writing. She taught for 10 years at Bedford Correctional Facility for Women and has recently retired from Barnard College. She is the author of A Few Words in the Mother Tongue (poetry) and Dreams of an Insomniac (essays) and co-editor of The Tribe of Dina. Her writing has addressed issues of Jewish homophobia, women and peace in the Middle East, and yidishe veltlekhkayt. A bilingual edition of her poetry and prose will be published in Poland in 2020.
