Never Letting Hope Become A Memory: An Emergency Fundraiser For Barry Fruchter and Amber Rose

As many members of the PoemAlley community are aware, following a serious car accident on February 8, Barry Fruchter and Amber Rose learned  their home in Washington state had been thoroughly ransacked during their stay at an area rehab facility.                                               

After speaking recently with Barry, Ralph Nazareth says they are now in the process of moving temporarily to a motel until their situation becomes more stable. He asks those interested in contributing financial support following this sequence of terrible events to kindly send donations to their friend Deborah Einbender at the address at the bottom of this post. (Those already sent directly to Ralph will be forwarded before he leaves for India to visit his ailing brother on April 9th.)

With a mixture of relief and admiration, Ralph reports "...that Barry and Amber are making steady progress and are in the process of regaining a modicum of normalcy after a period of unimaginable disruption in their lives. I know you'll join me in wishing them a speedy and complete recovery."

In the same spirit, click below for Jonathan Johnson's acoustic rendition of “Light”, a song of hope and restoration emerging from adversity, originally performed by Disturbed:

A medical writer and ordained interfaith minister who studied under the guidance of Hannah Arendt at the University of Chicago, Amber released her first novel, When I Am Ashes (Atmosphere Press, 2021) as Barry was recuperating from a heart attack. A cross-generational love story about Nazi hunters, the book embodies both their shared resiliency and her lifetime commitment to her philosophy of healing.

A writer for over 40 years, Barry, like Ralph, has taught at Nassau Community College. His poetry has been collected in Selection: New Poems 2010-11 and Dark Fields of Palestine (California Quarry Press, 2012). Individual pieces have appeared in numerous publications, including Lampeter Muse, Borderlands, and The BookMark. He also has co-authored Double Helix: A Love Story In Poetry (Lamberson Corona Press, 2010) and The Bride of Auschwitz with his wife, Amber. They are currently collaborating on two plays.

It is recommended checks should be marked “for deposit only” before mailing to:

Deborah Einbender

1326 SE Pine Street

Portland OR 97214-1434