David Harris-Gershon grew up on the outskirts of Atlanta, dreaming of becoming an NBA point guard after winning the "Mr. Hustle" award at the Bobby Cremins Basketball Camp. (The engraved plaque still hangs in his childhood room, along with a framed bar mitzvah picture in which he's wearing washed-out jeans and a full bottle of hair spray.)
When visions of NBA stardom dissipated after scoring just one point during his junior varsity season, David was set adrift. A short, scrappy Jewish kid betrayed by his inability to jump, shoot or play defense without it looking like a comedy routine.
Eventually, he made his way to the University of Georgia where, after escaping the clutches of Greek life, David took a class with the poet and mystic Coleman Barks. And while the experience did nothing to dampen David's sarcastic nature and deadpan wit, it did turn his focus upon both writing and teaching (as well as a BA in English).
Seriously, it did.
Today, David is a writer for Tikkun magazine, an award-winning educator, and the author of What Do You Buy the Children of the Terrorist Who Tried to Kill Your Wife? He received an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington and an MA in Education from Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
He's currently at work on another book which will undoubtedly have a shorter title.
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