Burning Off the Page

Discover the legacy of erotic Yiddish poet Celia Dropkin, who dared to put her lust and longing shamelessly front and centre in her poetry. Her radical life and work are igniting new recognition.

It’s New York City in the ‘roaring 20s, and Celia Dropkin is shocking and delighting the literary world with work that generated huge ripples…right up to today… She was a liberating spirit with little regard for social norms – a forerunner for greater sexual freedom for women. Nothing short of radical for her times. And she did all this in Yiddish!

At the heart of the film is a dramatic portrayal of Celia by acclaimed actor Gabrielle Rose, reading from recently uncovered memoirs about a passionate love with an older man who eventually betrays her.

Through these heartfelt, often tormented feelings the viewer gets a unique insight into the timeless erotic art that Celia Dropkin would become known for. Celia Dropkin’s work expands not only what it means to be a sexual being and Jewish but to be utterly, shamelessly human.

SPECIAL GUESTS: Director Eli Gorn with Author Faith Jones

SPONSORS
Horatio Kemeny
Deborah Roitberg and Jack Amar
David Paperny and Audrey Mehler