In her debut poetry collection, Fruit of the Earth, Jamie Wendt explores the traditions of her Jewish heritage through personal life-cycle events and Judaism’s historical roots. Many poems revolve around women’s experiences, ranging from modest dress to the wedding day and barrenness to new motherhood. The peace of the Sabbath and images of Israel’s beauty recur throughout the book. Wendt pays tribute to her loving grandmother in a series of poems focused around the passing-on of significant objects from generation to generation. Her poems are both narrative and lyric and aim to expose and connect readers to the images and motifs of Jewish identity.