Brian Rohr is a poet and performative storyteller, residing in the Pacific Northwest. His work has been featured in the Jewish Literary Journal, The Word Faire, and Blink Ink, and his essay, “On Being a Story-Carrier’’ was published in the two-volume book set about Jewish Storytelling, P’ri Etz Yitzhak, Fruit of Yitzhak’s Tree. He is the founder and director of “The Stafford Challenge,” an international poetry project inspiring over one thousand participants to write a poem every day for a year, influenced by the legendary poet William Stafford. As a storyteller and performative poet, Rohr has taught and performed at major conferences, high schools, universities, synagogues, libraries, and solo concerts. His debut book, Shaken to my Bones: A Poetic Midrash on the Torah, was published by Ben Yehuda Press as part of their Jewish Poetry Project series. He is a proud father and husband and loves green and herbal teas.
Shaken to My Bones
About this book
Brian Rohr’s debut poetry book, Shaken to My Bones: A Poetic Midrsh on the Torah, is a multilayered modern conversation, where Rohr lifts-up, knocks down, questions, and finds comfort in our most ancient of texts.
Cry those tears,
heal the future generations
who must battle that old wound over and over, again
“With Shaken to My Bones, Brian Rohr has crafted an astonishing set of parsha poems, a multilayered midrash, questioning the text, challenging God, while still embracing love and the earth. As a maggid, a storyteller in the finest sense of the Jewish tradition, he weaves together elements of Torah into a new tapestry, creating a personal, ancient yet contemporary and magical work.” Learn more.
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The Stafford Challenge
Brian Rohr is the founder and director of The Stafford Challenge, and international poetry project inspiring over one thousand participants to write a poem a day for a year.
The idea for The Stafford Challenge originated during a long, hot shower. Poet and storyteller Brian Rohr was considering how to up his writing game. As a father who is working full time, he was not writing as much as he would like, and recognized that he does his best when there is a container. He chose to commit to writing a poem a day for a year, inspired by the practice of poet William Stafford. When considering who to invite to join him, he decided to invite everyone and anyone who wanted to participate. And so the idea was born.
Rohr reached out to Kim Stafford, a renowned writer/poet in his own right, who is the son of William Stafford. As the executor of his father’s literary estate, he gave his blessing to use his father’s likeness and name for this project.
Learn more at: staffordchallenge.com
Video Recordings
Selection of poems read at the Oregon Poetry Association National Poetry Month Reading (click on icon in top right of video for the full playlist of poems)
Poem written for The Stafford Challenge Community called “When the world surprises you, don’t stop writing”
Read Select Samples of Poems
- Jewish Literary Journal
- He Did Wild Things
- Blink Ink
- A Different Route
- The Words Faire
- I Wish
- Taking off
- Meditations on this Morning’s Misadventure
- Fine Threads Stolen in the Night
- Slowly Returning Back to the Woods
- Shaken to My Bones: A Poetic Midrash on the Torah
- Calling Yaakov
- My Longing
- And crimson stuff
- Off to the Wilderness for Azazel