On Sea Snails and Spiritual Searching: Unlocking Our Imagination Through Children’s Stories — A program for Jewish American Heritage Month

What can we learn from sea snails and their spiraling shells about our own existence? Join Jordan Namerow for a conversation and workshop about the making of her children’s book Like the Sea and the Sky: A Mysterious Mollusk and Its Magical Blue Ink. Through text-based discussion, doodling, and writing prompts, we’ll use our imaginations to explore what sea snails and the natural world can teach us about curiosity and patience; safety and shelter; beauty and belonging. This class is open to people of all ages. Texts will be drawn from traditional and contemporary sources, and creative materials will be provided.

 About the Book

Seven-year-old Zinni loves learning about the world — especially the ocean and the wondrous creatures that live there! Of all the world’s fascinating sea creatures, her favorites are mollusks, like squids and sea snails. When Zinni’s mommy, a rabbi, tells her the story of a mysterious ancient mollusk whose vivid blue ink is sacred to the Jewish people, Zinni is determined to find it… even if the only place she can search is in her dreams.

About Jordan 

Jordan is a writer, communications professional, and children’s book author. Much of her writing explores the themes of feminism, parenting, social justice, Judaism, and the dynamics of belonging. She serves as the Board President of Mayyim Hayyim, Living Waters Community Mikveh and Education Center in Newton, Massachusetts — a reinvention of the ancient Jewish tradition of mikveh, ritual immersion in water — and lives in Roslindale with her family.