At the Gates of a New City

The title references an Israeli proverb: “Hold a book in your hand and you are a pilgrim at the gates of a new city.” This book is made up of a selection of 30 stories, with titles that originally were given to participants over the course of 10 years of memoir writing courses. The challenge for the students was to be inspired by each

title to write with no editing or pausing, for sometimes five minutes, sometimes 10. The results were always astounding, as people found (often to their own surprise) their unique voices and got in touch with deep emotions.

In At the Gates of a New City, the challenge was to take 30 of those titles and write a story for each, with no time limits, and in a way that honoured the students of those 10 years of classes.