Rodger Kamenetz, award-winning author of The Jew in the Lotus, will be the guest speaker at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 10 and 7 p.m. Thursday, April 11 at Congregation Beth Evergreen, 2981 Bergen Peak Drive, Evergreen.

On April 10, Kamenetz, author of seven books of poetry, will speak about Poetry in Times of Crisis. On April 11, he will offer a dream workshop based on his 2007 book, The History of Last Night’s Dream. Kamenetz is the 2024 Ellen Diesenhof Scholar in Residence, and the programs are free and open to the public.

Kamenetz is a poet, teacher and author of 13 books. His poems have appeared in 25 major anthologies as well as leading periodicals. His best-known book, The Jew in the Lotus, is the story of rabbis making a holy pilgrimage through India to meet with the Dalai Lama. His account of their historic dialogue became an international bestseller, prompting a re-evaluation of Judaism in the light of Buddhist thought.

When The History of Last Night’s Dream was published, Oprah Winfrey interviewed Kamenetz on her “Soul Series.” Since 2014, in collaboration with students and  colleagues, he has been working to refine and clarify the guiding concepts of Natural Dreamwork, a unique approach to dreams. The work is not about dream interpretation but rather about an ability to bring dreams to life and explore the feelings they create to deepen our experience.