This album stands at the confluence of two highly formative streams of influence in my storytelling: the valued oral tradition of my Jewish culture, and my love for the imaginativeness of fantasy and science fiction. For quite some time, I had felt a significant divide between these two influences—that is, until I came across Howard Schwartz’s book, “Elijah’s Violin,” in which lay a beautiful union of traditional Jewish storytelling and the fantastical. 　　 From Schwartz’s work I have chosen four of my favorite stories for this album. Like most storytellers, I do not retell tales word for word, but rather develop a fluid relationship with them that allows for growth and change, both of the stories and of myself. 　　 In these tales and in the way that I have told them, there is much depth, with a great deal to be discovered for young and old alike. My wish for these stories is that they not only awaken a sense of enchantment, but also that they receive from listeners of an older sort the same serious engagement that goes into the reading of literature. Indeed, by going through the process of creating this CD, I have seen quite clearly that there is ever more wisdom to be uncovered in a good story.