Following in the footsteps of psalmists, paytanim, and Jewish poets from Emma Lazarus to Yehuda Amichai to Bob Dylan, Lehrhaus is excited to welcome poet Raisa Tolchinsky and her vintage Smith Corona typewriter to the House of Learning for personalized, on-demand poetry. Stop by and introduce yourself before dinner, between drinks, or after dessert— Raisa will listen to what you're thinking or feeling and turn it into a poem you can take home with your leftovers.

Raisa Tolchinsky's poetry explores the wisdom of the body and what it means to listen imaginatively. She has hosted improvised poetry sites in diverse settings—from college campuses to hospital waiting rooms—where participants receive personalized poems typed on her vintage Smith Corona typewriter. Raisa is also the author of Glass Jaw (Persea Books, 2024), winner of the 2023 Lexi Rudnitsky First Book Prize, about the world of women’s boxing. Raisa holds an MFA from the University of Virginia, an MRPL from Harvard Divinity School, and a BA from Bowdoin College. In 2022–2023, she served as the Writer-in-Residence at Phillips Exeter Academy. Currently, she is the Creative Writing Specialist at Harvard Divinity School. She grew up in Chicago.