Riv Begun, at The Blogs

Apply for a Blog

Jul 24, 2018, 7:08 AM

New music video by Jewish director Rivka Cohen

I wanted to share a project that I have been working on this year. Rabbi Sacks, when speaking about the word "lishmo'a" in the Shema prayer, says that "The verb lishmo’a is a key term of the book of Deuteronomy, where...

Oct 31, 2016, 9:08 PM

The Circle Game

Western Wall, Jerusalem, 2014 Several feet away from me is the Western wall. Hundreds of thousands of prayers stuffed into the pockets of ancient stones stick out of cracks as women bury their noses in prayer books, looking to this...

Oct 27, 2016, 10:42 PM

One Wedding and a Funeral

Tonight, the tiny hand of a young boy I had never met held my hand from above. He sat on his father’s shoulders, and I was his inclusion into the celebration. We danced in circles around three men holding Torahs, while...

Oct 4, 2016, 10:21 PM

Miriam with her timbrels and tendrils

In the fight between straight and curly hair for her Jewish identity, the resilient curls win

Nov 2, 2014, 11:42 PM

An Open Letter to Junot Diaz

Professor Díaz, You and I have something very significant in common. We are both lovers of stories. We seek them, we cultivate them, we tell them. I have loved your stories. I have walked down busy streets with your words in...

Apr 5, 2013, 8:11 AM

The Path to Happiness

“No landscape can compare to being with the people you love” -Sam Meyers Two conversations in particular from this week stand out to me. I recently spoke with a pair of students about to graduate,one American and one Israeli. Both students...

Apr 1, 2013, 10:31 PM

Why is this week different from all other weeks?

Studying in a bakery presents it’s challenges when Passover arrives. While most patrons have cupcakes, pie slices, baguettes and cookies, I find myself with an orange. This may at first seem a sad picture. People around me are enjoying their...

Mar 27, 2013, 6:06 PM

I met him on my flight back to Boston from Atlanta. He was a Muslim student from Dubai, I was a Jewish student from the United States. We had come from very different places but were on our way...

Load more

About Me

Riv Begun is a speculative fiction and fantasy writer from Atlanta, Georgia. She combines her love of history, travel and family stories to create multigenerational tales inspired by her own family's past. She is a POSSE Foundation alumni and graduated from Boston University with a BFA in screenwriting. You can find her work at rivbegun.com

Contact Me