For the first time since 2019, we managed to hold our annual launch event for our anthology in-person; and in an additional first, it was a hybrid event: sixteen active Israeli members met in person at our old venue, the Stage Karaoke Bar in Netanya, while nearly 30 zoomed in from both Israel and abroad; 27 members and contributors read one of their poems from the anthology.
We were able to warmly thank the Chief Editor of the Anthology, Dina Yehuda, for her hard work, with a small presentation in person, after five years of having to resort to the mail. Dina announced that she is stepping down from that position, after many years of dedicated work, and we look forward to welcoming a new Chief Editor shortly.
The other three members of the editorial board: David Ades, Susan Olsburgh, and Ann Bar Dov, also received our well-earned thanks for all their hard work judging the entries.
We were also happy to see at the in-person event one of our new members, and to welcome an immigrant now on reserve duty, who saw the notice of the event and asked to join us.
The recorded video of the Zoom session is up on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwESs6i_AH4.
Below are a few photos of the celebration at the Stage Karaoke Bar, and some screenshots of the Zoom session, to give an idea of the “vibe” of the event.
For more information about the annual Anthology and how to submit poems, see our Voices Israel Anthology section.
This is what it looked like in-person:
The two stars of our show: Dina Yehuda, our Chief Editor, and Julian Alper, our President who presided over the event:
And here are a few readers from the Zoom session:
Voices Israel Group of Poets in English 