Contact
Research Areas
Writing
Education
Ph.D., New York University
M.F.A., Vermont College
A.B., University of Pennsylvania
Naomi Myrvaagnes
Naomi Myrvaagnes
Naomi is working on a novel about a rabbi and her congregation, set in the early 1990s. She has written poetry, essays, and short stories, which have appeared in online and print journals and newspapers. Her first published story, “No Place for Me, My Love,” was awarded Special Mention in the Pushcart Prize XXV anthology.
After completing her doctorate with a dissertation on Anglo-Saxon prosody, Naomi taught Freshman English courses and worked as a freelance editor and writing coach. She has tutored in the PEN New England program and other venues in Boston high schools and is a member of the Academic Advisory Committee of the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute.
During the period of Naomi’s leadership as Scholar-Coordinator (1995-2000), the Women’s Studies Scholars Program at Brandeis University added over thirty new Scholars as well as the peer support and governance structures that are hallmarks of the program today.
Current Projects
It’s 1989, and Rabbi Felice Whitman is charged with revitalizing B’nei Yisroel, the dying congregation on Third Street. Felice aspires to preserve the Jewish heritage while adapting it to modern realities. She must reach out to the Four Children: the indifferent, the hostile, the clueless, and those who think they know. Where is the promised land? Will Felice succeed in leading her people forward?
Representative Publications
Myrvaagnes, Naomi. “Effects.” Literary Mama. March 2004.
Myrvaagnes, Naomi. “No Place for Me, My Love.” Harvard Review Fall 1999.