About
Bryan
Bryan Schwartzman is a journalist, fiction writer, critic and podcaster. He aims to tell stories with depth and empathy, driven by facts when practicing journalism and by imagination and memory when conjuring fiction.
In a turn that would shock his grunge and metal-loving teenage self, much of his writing relates to Jews and Judaism, and what being Jewish means in our crazy world. Raised in Queens, N.Y. – one of the most diverse human places on the planet – his writing also explores the friction and new possibilities that arise when people of different backgrounds encounter one another. His life and work have been deeply impacted by time spent in Israel, as well as by visits to Ecuador, South Africa, Tunisia and elsewhere.
His short stories have appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, Judith Magazine, Books ‘N Pieces Magazine, Jewish Literary Journal and elsewhere. His first published short story was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. He sometimes dabbles in poetry and his work has appeared in Ritualwell.
Bryan has practiced the craft of journalism since the Clinton presidency. His nonfiction writing has appeared in numerous Jewish and secular publications and has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, the American Jewish Press Association, the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association and the Philadelphia Press Association. His work has brought him into conversation with future presidents, governors, senators, religious and civic leaders, artists, writers, parents who lost children, incarcerated and homeless individuals, children and countless others. Through these interviews, his perspective has been widened and his assumptions challenged.
For the past decade, Bryan’s full-time employment has focused on helping nonprofit organizations tell their stories and advance their missions. In his current role at Reconstructing Judaism, he hosts the podcast Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations and holds many other communications responsibilities.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in English and journalism from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a master’s degree in modern Jewish studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary.
Bryan is passionate about tennis and, the last time he tried, could still recite the men’s and women’s U.S. Open winners dating from at least 1983. Though raised in Queens, his Bronx-born parents brought him up as a Yankees fan. In 2007 he married Amy, who happens to cheer for the Boston Red Sox, at least during the playoffs. An attorney working for a nonprofit organization, she is his best friend and sometimes unpaid editor. They are the parents of two daughters.
