photo by: Contributed

Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg

The Lawrence Jewish Community Congregation will soon host the inaugural event in a new series about storytelling and food.

The free event, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on May 7, will feature Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, an author, educator and past Kansas poet laureate. Mirriam-Goldberg will discuss how food and cooking became central to her book “Miriam’s Well.” A free luncheon, catered by Raven Narramore of Raven’s Table Catering, will follow Mirriam-Goldberg’s talk and will feature dishes from “Miriam’s Well.”

The series, titled “Telling Our Stories through Food: the Anita Herzfeld-Deborah Sivan Series,” will celebrate food, culture and the power of cooking to connect us across generations, according to a news release from LJCC.

“In the story of Exodus, Miriam kept the Jewish people alive by virtue of her well. A source of life and sustenance, the well accompanied the wandering Israelites during their 40 years in the desert,” Mirriam-Goldberg says in the release. “Indeed, gathering together to eat, drink, and visit has been a mainstay of our survival: as goes the old joke, ‘They tried to kill us. We lived. Let’s eat.'”

The event will conclude with a writing workshop on how intergenerational food stories offer a sense of belonging, healing and a unique opportunity for autobiographical exploration.

“We are excited to welcome people — both Jewish and not — to the LJCC for this event,” said Carolyn Caine, LJCC president. “We hope this … becomes a way for people to build new connections and relationships across ages and cultures.”

Though the event is free and open to the public, people planning to attend should register by May 1. For more information, contact LJCC program and engagement director Lara Giordano at lgiordanoljcc@gmail.com.