People of the Book

Meryl talks with Deborah Kalb about her new novel, Off to Join the Circus, which is about an overly enmeshed, neurotic Jewish family in the Washington, D.C. area, and what happens when a relative returns after 64 years. They also chat about Deborah’s other writing, and her daily blog, Q & A with Deborah Kalb. In addition, Deborah shares what it was like growing up in a family of legendary journalists. She is the daughter of Marvin Kalb and niece of the late Bernard Kalb. Deborah is a freelance writer and editor. She spent about two decades working as a journalist in Washington, D.C., for various news organizations. Her book blog, Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb, which she started in 2012, features hundreds of interviews she has conducted with a wide variety of authors. She is also the co-host of the podcast Rereading Our Childhood, Deborah is the author of the new novel Off to Join the Circus as well as three novels for kids. She’s the co-author with her father, Marvin Kalb, of Haunting Legacy: Vietnam and the American Presidency from Ford to Obama and has also co-authored several books on politics and government.Author’s website: deborahkalb.com/ People of the Book is copyrighted by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network #AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #DeborahKalb #Fiction #Novel #OffToJoinTheCircus #Estrangement #DysfunctionalFamily #FamilyDynamics #Humor #MultigenerationalFamily #EstrangedFamilyMember #EnmeshedFamily #BarMitzvah #NewBaby #WritingFiction #Journalism #TVJournalism #KalbFamily #MarvinKalb #BernardKalb #ClaudiaKalb #RereadingOurChildhoodPodcast #NonFiction #HauntingLegacy #TheWritingProcess #MerylAin #ShadowsWeCarry #TheTakeawayMen #LetsTalkJewishBooks #JewsLoveToRead #PeopleOfTheBookPodcastWithMerylAin

Meryl chats with Kim Salzman about her historical fiction novel, Straddling Black and White, the story of fourteen-year-old Azmera, who takes part in the mass immigration of Ethiopian Jewry to Israel in the 1980s. They also talk about the current war in Israel and its impact on Kim, her family, and friends. Kim was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. After receiving a degree in psychology from Columbia University, she lived and worked on a kibbutz in Israel, which inspired her to make Aliyah. After receiving her law degree from the University of Michigan, she immigrated to Israel where she became fascinated by the stories of Jewish immigrants to Israel from all over the world. She served in the international law department of the Israel Defense Forces, and also advocated for the legal rights of Ethiopian-Israelis. Kim lives in Northern Israel with her husband, three children and a dog. Currently, she works as the Israel and Overseas Director at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Website: www.kimsalzman.com/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091317043993/ People of the Book is copyrighted by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network #AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #KimSalzman #StraddlingBlackAndWhite #HistoricalFiction #EthiopianIsraelis #EthiopianJews #Aliyah #MakingAliyah #Israel #EthiopianAliyah #Sudan #OperationSolomon #OperationMoses #Racism #Identity #FamilySecrets #Assimilation #Acculturation #ClashOfCultures #October7 #IsraelAtWar #Hostages #WarAgainstHamas #IsraeliArmy #IsraeliArmyService #PeopleoftheBook #MerylAin #TheTakeawayMen #Sequel #ShadowsWeCarry #LetsTalkJewishBooks #JewsLoveToRead!

Meryl chats with Jennifer Lang about her unique memoir, Places We Left Behind: a memoir-in-miniature, which is an examination of her marriage, family, faith, and life in Israel. They discuss how Jennifer came to invent the form of her new memoir and how the October 7 Hamas Massacre and the war in Israel have impacted her and her book. The interview is briefly interrupted by the sound of sirens. Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jennifer Lang lives in Tel Aviv, where she runs israelwriterstudio. Her prize-winning essays appear in Baltimore Review, Under the Sun, Midway Journal, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is an Assistant Editor at Brevity Journal, and a longtime yoga practitioner and instructor. Places We Left Behind: a memoir-in-miniature (9/5/23) and Landed: A yogi's memoir in pieces & poses (10/15/24) are both with Vine Leaves Press. Website: israelwriterstudio.com/Facebook: www.facebook.com/jenlangwritesInstagram: @jenlangwrites People of the Book is copyrighted by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network#AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #JenniferLang #PlacesWeLeftBehind #MemoirInMiniature #IsraelWriterStudio #Aliyah #MakingAliyah #Marriage #ReligiousObservance #JewishObservance #ModernOrthodox #ReformJudaism #TelAviv #October7 #Paris #UnitedStates #Hostages #WarAgainstHamas #ExperimentalMemoir #IsraeliArmy #IsraeliArmyService #VineLeavesPress #PeopleoftheBook #MerylAin #TheTakeawayMen #Sequel #ShadowsWeCarry #LetsTalkJewishBooks #JewsLoveToRead!

Meryl chats with Rabbi Menachem Creditor about his insights as part of the recent UJA-Federation mission to Israel, the impact of October 7 on Jews throughout the world, and the global increase in antisemitism. They also discuss his new book, Am Yisrael Chai: Essays, Poems, and Prayers for Israel, which was published on October 17. Rabbi Menachem Creditor serves as the Pearl and Ira Meyer Scholar in Residence at UJA-Federation New York and was the founder of Rabbis Against Gun Violence. An acclaimed author, scholar, and speaker with over 3 million views of his online videos and essays, he was named by Newsweek as one of the fifty most influential rabbis in America. His numerous books and 6 albums of original music include the global anthem "Olam Chesed Yibaneh" and the COVID-era 2-volume anthology "When We Turned Within." His latest volume is Am Yisrael Chai: Essays, Poems, and Prayers for Israel which was published on October 17.Rabbi Creditor and his wife Neshama Carlebach live in New York, where they are raising their five children. Am Yisrael Chai Book: www.amazon.com/Am-Yisrael-Chai-E…rs/dp/B0CLS6W5FP/Website: menachemcreditor.net/UJA-Federation of NY: ujafedny.org/ Copyright by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network#AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #Israel #TheLandOfIsrael #AttackOnIsrael #IsraelAtWar #October7 #October7Attack #antisemitism #HamasAttack #UJAFederationOfNY #UJAFederationIsraelEmergencyFund #NeshamaCarlebach #AmYisraelChai #EssaysPoemsPrayersForIsrael #JoanneFink #SholomoCarlebach #NewSurvivors #Hostages #Torah #NeverAgain #NeverAgainIsNow #Kristallnacht #TheHolocaust #PeopleoftheBook #MerylAin #TheTakeawayMen #Sequel #ShadowsWeCarry #LetsTalkJewishBooks #JewsLoveToRead!

Meryl chats with Evonne Marzouk about her novel, The Prophetess. They discuss how Evonne came to write and publish the book over the course of 20 years and what inspired her. They also talk about the current situation in Israel, the increase in antisemitism around the world, and what it means “to grow into your gifts.” Evonne grew up in Philadelphia and received her B.A. from the Johns Hopkins University. As founder and Executive Director of the Jewish environmental organization Canfei Nesharim, she worked with rabbis, scientists, educators, and community leaders to create and distribute Torah teachings on the environment, including a comprehensive set of core teachings later gathered into a book, Uplifting People and Planet: Eighteen Essential Jewish Lessons on the Environment. Evonne has spoken to schools, Bat Mitzvah programs, synagogues and women’s book clubs about themes and Jewish lessons from The Prophetess. On her website www.growintoyourgifts.com, Evonne offers programs, guides for Jewish educators, and the free printable Heroine’s Journal: A Jewish Mystical Journey of Growing into Your Gifts to empower all women to live their greatest dreams. Instagram: @heroinewhispererFacebook: @ProphetessBookWebsite: www.GrowIntoYourGifts.com Copyright by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network#AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #EvonneMarzouk #TheProphetess #GrowIntoYourGifts # Prophesy #Prophets #Israel #TheLandOfIsrael #IsraelAtWar #antisemitism #TheBible #Mysticism #JewishSpirituality #ComingOfAge #Novel #PeopleoftheBook #MerylAin #TheTakeawayMen #Sequel #ShadowsWeCarry #LetsTalkJewishBooks #JewsLoveToRead!

Meryl chats with Michelle about her new novel, Babylon: A Novel of Jewish Captivity (September 12, 2023). They discuss how Michelle came to write about the Biblical saga of the Babylonian exile, and its meaning for today. They also talk about historical fiction and Michelle’s writing and research process. Michelle is the award-winning author of several works of historical fiction and poetry including Beyond the Ghetto Gates, The Fruit of Her Hands: The Story of Shira of Ashkenaz, and In the Shadow of the Globe. Her new novel, Babylon: A Novel of Jewish Captivity is the multi-generational Biblical saga of Sarah, her children and grandchildren, exiled to Babylon when King Nebuchadnezzar’s army conquers Judea and destroys the Temple. Michelle lived in Israel for fifteen years and served as an officer in the Israeli army teaching air force cadets technical English. She is a director of The Writers Circle, a NJ-based organization that offers creative writing programs to children, teens, and adults. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and has two grown sons. Author’s website: michelle-cameron.com/Instagram: @michellecameronwriterFacebook: www.facebook.com/michellecameronauthor Copyright by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network#AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #MichelleCameron #Babylon #ANovelOfCaptivity #BabylonianExile #Intermarriage #DestructionOfTheTemple #Sarah #DanielTheProphet #Nebuchadnezzer #Judea #HistoricalFiction #TheBible #BeyondTheGhettoGates #PeopleoftheBook #MerylAin #TheTakeawayMen #Sequel #ShadowsWeCarry #LetsTalkJewishBooks #JewsLoveToRead!

Meryl chats with Meryl Frank about her new memoir, Unearthed: A Lost Actress, a Forbidden Book, and a Search for Life in the Shadow of the Holocaust. They discuss the author’s multi-year, multi-country research journey to unravel the story of what happened to her cousin, Franya Winter, a celebrated actress in the Yiddish Theater who perished during The Holocaust. They talk about the resurgence of antisemitism today and the importance of keeping alive the memory and lessons of The Holocaust. Ambassador Meryl Frank (ret) is an international champion of women’s leadership, human rights and political participation. She is the former mayor of Highland Park, NJ and was named one of “The Fifty Most Influential Jews in the World” by The Jerusalem Post. Frank serves as President of Makeda Global Network and sits on the US Holocaust Memorial Council and the Board of YIVO, the Institute for Jewish Research. Her memoir, Unearthed: A Lost Actress, a Forbidden Book, and a Search for Life in the Shadow of the Holocaust is available from Hachette Books. Author’s website: www.merylfrank.com/ Copyright by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network#AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #MerylFrank #Unearthed #PaperBrigade #VilnaGhetto #TheHolocaust #VilnaTheater #YiddishTheater #FranyaWinter #Memoir #FamilyHistory #Antisemitism #Research #MemorialCandle #KeeperOfFamilyHistory #StandUpToHate #WritingProcess #Yiddish #AntisemiticHateCrimes #LessonsOfTheHolocaust #Storytelling #TheDiaryOfAnneFrank #YIVO #PeopleoftheBook #MerylAin #TheTakeawayMen #Sequel #ShadowsWeCarry #LetsTalkJewishBooks #JewsLoveToRead!

Meryl chats with Linda Kass about her new novel, Bessie (September 12, 2023). They discuss Bess Myerson’s early life and her crowning as the first and only Jewish Miss America in 1945. They also talk about antisemitism in the wake of the Holocaust and World War II, the publishing industry, and Gramercy Books, Linda’s independent bookstore in Columbus, Ohio. Linda Kass is the author of the new novel, Bessie, which was named A Hasty Book List Most-Anticipated Historical Fiction Title for 2023. She has also written two other historical novels, Tasa’s Song and A Ritchie Boy. A Ritchie Boy was the 2021 IPPY Gold Medal Winner in Historical Fiction. Linda began her career as a magazine journalist and correspondent for regional and national publications. She is the founder and owner of Gramercy Books, an independent bookstore in Columbus, Ohio. Author’s website: lindakass.com Copyright by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network#AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #LindaKass #BessMyerson #Bessie #ARitchieBoy #Tasa’sSong #GramercyBooks #Publishing #MissAmerica #JewishMissAmerica #1945 #PostWorldWarII #AfterTheHolocaust #MissAmericaCompetition #HighSchoolofMusicandArt #ConcertPIanist #MissAmericaTalentCompetition #HunterCollege #ADL #AntiDefamationLeague #antisemitism #PeopleoftheBook #MerylAin #TheTakeawayMen #Sequel #ShadowsWeCarry #LetsTalkJewishBooks #JewsLoveToRead!

Meryl talks with Corie Adjmi about her new novel, The Marriage Box, the story of Casey Cohen, a sixteen-year-old in New Orleans in the 1970s. When Casey gets into trouble, her parents decide to return to their roots, the Orthodox Syrian Jewish community in Brooklyn. Meryl chats with Corie about how and why it took her 20 years to write this book and how that community has changed over the past 50 years. Corie is an award-winning, best-selling author. Her first book was a collection of short stories titled, LIFE AND OTHER SHORTCOMINGS, and her most recent publication is a novel titled, THE MARRIAGE BOX. Corie writes both fiction and non-fiction about marriage, family, community, Jewish life, patriarchy, and culture. Her work has appeared in HuffPost, Newsweek, North American Review, Indiana Review, Motherwell, Kveller, and others. When she is not writing, Corie does volunteer work, cooks, bikes and hikes. She and her husband have five children and a number of grandchildren, with more on the way. She lives and works in New York City. Author’s website: corieadjmi.comInstagram: @CorieAdjmi Copyright by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network#AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #CorieAdjmi #Fiction #Novel #TheMarriageBox #SyrianJewishCommunity #OrthodoxSyrianJewishCommunity #BrooklynOrthodoxSyrianJewishCommunity #ComingofAge #ClashofCultures #NewOrleans #SyrianJews #SyrianAmericanJews #LifeAndOtherShortcomings #ShortStories #PeopleoftheBook #MerylAin #ShadowsWeCarry #TheTakeawayMen #LetsTalkJewishBooks #JewsLoveToRead #PeopleOfTheBookPodcastWithMerylAin

Meryl chats with A.J. Sidransky and Miriam Abrahams about A.J’s new book, Incident at San Miguel, a novel about two brothers on opposite sides of Castro’s Cuban revolution. Sidransky based his story on the experiences of Abrahams’ father and uncle. A.J. Sidransky writes about ordinary people faced with extraordinary situations and events. Genres include mystery, thriller, and historical fiction. His work has been described as a mystery wrapped in history and tied in a bow with a little romance. His books include, Forgiving Maximo Rothman, Forgiving Stephen Redmond, Forgiving Mariela Camacho and The Interpreter. Incident at San Miguel, a thriller set during the Cuban Revolution is his newest work and was released May 19, 2023. AJ’s short stories have appeared in anthologies, magazines, and e-zines. A.J. Sidransky lives in upper Manhattan with his wife. Miriam Abrahams was born in Havana in 1961, raised in Brooklyn, and currently lives in Long Beach after 27 years in the Five Towns on Long Island. She’s a graduate of Brooklyn College, a wife and mother of 3 and grandmother of 2. Miriam is fluent in Spanish and Hebrew. She is a longtime volunteer book reviewer for Jewish Book Council and former Hadassah Nassau One Region One Book coordinator. A certified yoga instructor for 13 years, she is a lifelong avid reader and a slice of life essayist. Website: ajsidransky.com/Email: aj@ajsidransky.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/ajsidranskybooks/ Copyright by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network#AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #AJSidransky #IncidentAtSanMiguel #MiriamAbrahams #Cuba #CubanRevolution #FidelCastro #Batista #HistoricalFiction #Communism #CommunistCuba #SiblingFiction #CubanJews #JewsInCuba #CubanJewishRefugees #JewishImmigrantsFromCuba #FamilyResponsibility #FamilyTies

Meryl chats with Becca Kantor about the history and mission of Jewish Book Council and its annual literary journal, Paper Brigade. They also discuss current trends in Jewish writing, the definition of a Jewish book, and the many ways JBC empowers authors and readers.   Becca Kantor is the editorial director of Jewish Book Council and its annual print literary journal, Paper Brigade. She received a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia. Becca was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to Estonia to write and study the country's Jewish history. She now lives in Brooklyn.   Website: www.jewishbookcouncil.org/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/JewishBookCouncil/ Instagram: @jewishbookcouncil People of the Book is a copyrighted work © of Meryl Ain and Authors on The Air Global Radio Network.   #AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #BeccaKantor #JewishBookCouncil #PaperBrigade #JBC #JewishBooks #JewishAuthors #JBCAuthorShowcase #JBCBookEvents #JaiChakrabarti #ABengaliPlayintheWarsawGhetto #TheWritingLife #BookClubs #ShortStories #Essays #TrendsinJewishWriting #WritingTrends #Anthology #Estonia #PeopleoftheBook #MerylAin #TheTakeawayMen #Sequel #ShadowsWeCarry #LetsTalkJewishBooks #JewsLoveToRead

Meryl chats with Howard Kaplan about his new novel, The Syrian Sunset, a sweeping novel of international intrigue about the Syrian Civil War.Howard Kaplan, a native of Los Angeles, has lived in Israel and traveled extensively through Lebanon, Syria and Egypt. At the age of 21, he was sent on a mission into the Soviet Union to smuggle a dissident's manuscript on microfilm to London. His first trip was a success. On his second trip, he transferred a manuscript to the Dutch Ambassador inside his Moscow embassy. A week later, he was arrested in Khartiv in the Ukraine and interrogated for two days there and then two days in Moscow, before being expelled from the USSR. The KGB had picked him up for meeting dissidents and did not know about the manuscript transfers. He holds a BA in Middle East History from UC Berkeley and an MA in Philosophy of Education from UCLA. He is the author of six novels. DAMASCUS COVER is now a major motion picture starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Sir John Hurt and Olivia Thirlby available now on Tubi.Website: howardkaplanbooks.com/Facebook Author Page:Facebook: www.facebook.com/howard.kaplan.359 Copyright by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network#AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #HowardKaplan #TheSyrianSunset #TheDamascusCover #HistoricalThriller #SyrianCivilWar #BasharAlAssad #DamascusCoverMovie #HolocaustSurvivors #IsraeliSpyMission #TomHanks #TheWritingLife #RussianOligarchs #SyrianJews #SovietUnion #SovietDissidents #InvasionOfUkraine #Tubi #JohnHirt #PeopleoftheBook #MerylAin #TheTakeawayMen #ShadowsWeCarry #LetsTalkJewishBooks #JewsLoveToRead

Renee Weingarten, founder of the Facebook group, Renee’s Reading Club, chats with Meryl Ain about her new Historical Fiction novel, Shadows We Carry, the sequel to her award-winning debut novel, The Takeaway Men. The program was a special presentation of the Peninsula Public Library in Lawrence, LI, where Renee is a librarian.. Renee Weingarten is a librarian at Peninsula Public Library in Lawrence, LI and the founder of the Facebook group, Renee’s Reading Club, which has more than 43,600 members. Meryl Ain is a writer, author, career educator and host of the podcast, People of the Book. The Takeaway Men, her award-winning post-Holocaust debut novel, was published in 2020. The sequel, Shadows We Carry, was published in April. Meryl is the founder of the Facebook group, Jews Love To Read! Meryl’s website: merylain.com/ Jews Love To Read! www.facebook.com/groups/455865462463744People of the Book: www.facebook.com/PeopleOfTheBookWithMerylAinFacebook: facebook.com/MerylAinAuthor/Amazon: a.co/d/ec5DbXnTwitter: @DrMerylAinInstagram: meryl_ain Copyright by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network#AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #PeopleOfTheBook #PeopleOfTheBookPodcast #Podcast #MerylAin #ShadowsWeCarry #TheTakeawayMen #BabyBoomers #WomensRights #ChangingRoleOfWomen #TheSixties #TheSeventies #Antisemitism #Nazis #TheCatholicChurch #TheHolocaust #SecondGenerationOfHolocaustSurvivors #Genealogy #DNA #Ancestry #OSI #fHolocaustSurvivors #ChildrenOfHolocaustSurvivors #HiddenChildren #ChildrenOfNazis #Abortion #VietnamWar #ReneeWeingarten #ReneesReadingClub #RRC #MerylAin #LetsTalkJewishBooks #JewsLoveToRead #PeninsulaPublicLibrary

Avid readers and activists in the Jewish community, Randi Brenowitz and Bayla Lovens chat with Meryl Ain about her new book, Shadows We Carry, the sequel to her award-winning debut novel, The Takeaway Men. Fraternal twins Bronka and JoJo find themselves on the cusp of momentous change for women in the late 1960s. With the United States in the grip of political and social upheaval, the twins and their peers, including a Catholic priest and the son of a Nazi, struggle with their family’s ancestry and how much influence it has on their lives. Randi Brenowitz has just been elected to her second term as the International President of the Board of the Melton School for Adult Jewish Learning. Bayla Lovens has been involved in working in the Jewish Community, both professionally and as a volunteer, for most of her life. Meryl Ain is a writer, author, career educator and host of the podcast, People of the Book. The Takeaway Men, her award-winning post-Holocaust debut novel, was published in 2020. Meryl is the founder of the Facebook group, Jews Love To Read! Both Bayla and Randi are active members. Meryl’s website: merylain.com/Jews Love To Read! www.facebook.com/groups/455865462463744People of the Book: www.facebook.com/PeopleOfTheBookWithMerylAinFacebook: facebook.com/MerylAinAuthor/Amazon: a.co/d/ec5DbXnTwitter: @DrMerylAinInstagram: meryl_ain Copyright by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network#AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #PeopleOfTheBook #PeopleOfTheBookPodcast #Podcast #MerylAin #ShadowsWeCarry #TheTakeawayMen #BabyBoomers #WomensRights #ChangingRoleOfWomen #TheSixties #TheSeventies #Antisemitism #Nazis #TheCatholicChurch #TheHolocaust #SecondGenerationOfHolocaustSurvivors #Genealogy #DNA #Ancestry #OSI #fHolocaustSurvivors #ChildrenOfHolocaustSurvivors #HiddenChildren #ChildrenOfNazis #Abortion #VietnamWar #RandiBrenowitz #MeltonSchoolForAdultJewishLearning #BaylaLovens #MerylAin #LetsTalkJewishBooks #JewsLoveToRead

Meryl chats with Jennifer Rosner about her new novel, Once We Were Home (March 14, 2023). Note: Here is the link to the event Meryl talks about at the beginning of the episode, One Book, One Hadassah: Live with Pam Jenoff, author of Code Name Sapphire. Free on Zoom, open to everyone. Register at: https://events.hadassah.org/codenamesapphire In this episode, Jennifer Rosner and Meryl Ain discuss the response of the Jewish community to child survivors hidden during the Holocaust and how these young people were impacted by those adult decisions after WW II. They also talk about the author’s first novel, When the Yellowbird Sings, and the poignant question of what is a family?   Jennifer is the author of the novels, Once We Were Home, and The Yellow Bird Sings, a National Jewish Book Award finalist in Debut Fiction and Book Club and a Massachusetts Book Award Honor Book. Her other books include the memoir, If a Tree Falls: A Family’s Quest to Hear and be Heard, and the picture book, The Mitten String, A Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable. Jennifer's short writings have appeared in The New York Times, The Times of Israel, The Forward, and elsewhere.  In addition to writing, Jennifer has taught philosophy. She holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University and a B.A. from Columbia. She lives in western MA with her family.     Author’s website: jennifer-rosner.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100062410157920 Instagram: @jennifer.amy.rosner  Copyright by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network  #AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #JenniferRosner #OnceWeWereHome #TheYellowbirdSings #HiddenChildren #StolenChildren #Holocaust #AfterTheHolocaust #PostHolocaust #Israel #Deafness #Family #FamilyTree #WhatIsAFamily? #Siblings #RighteousGentiles #CatholicChurch #Convent #FamilyTrauma #FamilySecrets #Resilience #Holocaust #HolocaustSurvivors #PeopleoftheBook #MerylAin #TheTakeawayMen #Sequel #ShadowsWeCarry #LetsTalkJewishBooks #JewsLoveToRead! #Hadassah #OneHadassahOneBook #LisaHostein #PamJenoff #CodeSapphire

Meryl chats with Susan Weidman Schneider, editor-in-chief of Lilith Magazine, about the anthology she co-edited, Frankly Feminist, which features 44 short stories that have been published in Lilith over the past 45 years. They also discuss the history and mission of Lilith Magazine and Susan’s role as editor-in-chief, since its launch in 1976. One of Lilith’s founding mothers, Susan has been editor-in-chief of the magazine since it launched in 1976. Lilith’s mission is to be the feminist change-agent in and for the Jewish community. Susan’s writing about Jewish women’s philanthropy, the Jewish stake in abortion rights, the persistence of gender stereotyping and more have been credited with moving the needle on feminist change in the Jewish world. She’s the author of Jewish and Female and Intermarriage, and co-author of Head and Heart, a book about money in the lives of women.  She is the co-editor, along with Yona Zeldis McDonough, of a brand new short story collection titled Frankly Feminist. The book includes stories by 44 authors, whose works have been published in Lilith over the last 45 years.  Born in Winnipeg, Canada, she is a graduate of Brandeis University.  Website: lilith.org  Facebook: www.facebook.com/LilithMagazine  Publisher: https://brandeisuniversitypress.com/title/9781684581269/  Instagram: @lilithmagazine  Twitter: @LilithMagazine  Copyright by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network  #AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #SusanWeidmanSchneider #YonaZeldisMcDonough #FranklyFeminist #Lilith #LilithMagazine #HistoryOfLilithMagazine #FranklyFeminist #Feminism #DiverseJewishVoices #Feminist #WomensRights #WomensIssues #GenderIssues #Abortion #Ageing #Holocaust #SameSexRelationships #JewsByChoice #Patriarchy #ShortStories #BrandeisUniversityPress #ShortStoryAnthology #FertilityProblems #StoriesByJewishWomen #EstherSingerKreitman #KatieSinger #Agency #WomensVoices #PeopleoftheBook #AntiSemitism #MerylAin #TheTakeawayMen #Sequel #ShadowsWeCarry #LetsTalkJewishBooks #JewsLoveToRead

Meryl chats with Rabbi Sandy Sasso about her mission of engaging the religious imagination of children through her books, and her career as one of the first women to become a rabbi in America. Rabbi Sasso was the first woman ordained from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1974 and the first to serve a Conservative congregation together with her husband, Rabbi Dennis C. Sasso. They were the first practicing rabbinical couple in world Jewish history. Following 36 years of service to Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, Indianapolis, Indiana, she is now its Senior Rabbi Emerita. She is an internationally known award-winning children’s author who has published twenty-five children’s books and two adult books. Active in the arts, civic and interfaith communities, she has written on midrash, women, and spirituality. Learn more on Rabbi Sasso’s website: www.allaboutand.com Copyrighted by Meryl Aine and Authors on the Air Global Radio Network

Meryl Ain chats with Claudia Long about her 2023 novel, Our Lying Kin, the sequel to Nine Tenths of the Law. Both books are about two sisters who seek to solve mysteries and uncover family secrets. They talk about the relationship of sisters, the weight of family secrets, and the writing process. Claudia Hagadus Long is an author, a lawyer-mediator, a wife, mother, grandmother, and cook. She’s written books about Jewish women living as Catholics in colonial Mexico, and professional female writers struggling to effect change in early 20th Century California. And now, with Nine Tenths of the Law and Our Lying Kin, she’s writing about women in contemporary California and New York, whose lives are powerfully affected by their parents’ history. Nine Tenths explored the emotional trials that two daughters of a Holocaust survivor suffered, including the guilt, not just over their mother’s trauma, but the sensation that their own griefs could never compare with hers. In Our Lying Kin, it’s their father who struggled with the baggage he inherited from his own parents, who fled Hungary in the terror of the early twentieth century Author’s website: claudiahlong.com/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/claudia.long1 Instagram: @claudiahlong Copyright by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network #AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #ClaudiaLong #ClaudiaHLong #ClaudiaHagadusLong #OurLyingKin #NineTenthsOfTheLaw #Sisters #Mystery #FamilyTrauma #FamilySecrets #Resilience #Holocaust #HolocaustSurvivors #ChildrenOfHolocaustSurvivors

Meryl chats with Becca Kantor about the history and mission of Jewish Book Council and its annual literary journal, Paper Brigade. They also discuss current trends in Jewish writing, the definition of a Jewish book, and the many ways JBC empowers authors and readers. Becca Kantor is the editorial director of Jewish Book Council and its annual print literary journal, Paper Brigade. She received a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia. Becca was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to Estonia to write and study the country's Jewish history. She now lives in Brooklyn. Website: www.jewishbookcouncil.org/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/JewishBookCouncil/ Instagram: @jewishbookcouncil People of the Book is a copyrighted work © of Meryl Ain and Authors on The Air Global Radio Network. #AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #BeccaKantor #JewishBookCouncil #PaperBrigade #JBC #JewishBooks #JewishAuthors #JBCAuthorShowcase #JBCBookEvents #JaiChakrabarti #ABengaliPlayintheWarsawGhetto #TheWritingLife #BookClubs #ShortStories #Essays #TrendsinJewishWriting #WritingTrends #Anthology #Estonia #PeopleoftheBook #MerylAin #TheTakeawayMen #Sequel #ShadowsWeCarry #LetsTalkJewishBooks #JewsLoveToRead

Meryl chats with Linda Pressman about her memoir, Jewish Girls Gone Wild, a coming-of-age story about her life in Arizona after her parents transplant their family of seven daughters from Skokie, Illinois. Linda shares her journey from outsider and rebel to rediscovering her Jewish roots. Linda Pressman is the author of the recently published memoir, Jewish Girls Gone Wild. Her previous memoir, Looking Up: A Memoir of Sisters, Survivors and Skokie won the Grand Prize in the Writer’s Digest 20th Annual Contest and is part of the permanent collections of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., and the National Library of Israel. Her freelance writing has appeared on Kveller, in Motherwell Magazine, Six Hens, and others. She is a book coach and teaches memoir on an individual basis and through Scottsdale Arts. Website: http://lindajpressman.com Linda Pressman, Author: https://www.facebook.com/LookingUp.LindaPressman People of the Book is a copyrighted work © of Meryl Ain and Authors on The Air Global Radio Network. #AuthorsOnTheAir #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #AOTA #LindaPressman #LindaJPressman #JewishGirlsGoneWild #Skokie #Scottsdale #LookingUp #Holocaust #2G #SecondGenerationOfHolocaustSurvivors #ChildrenOfHolocaustSurvivors #Sisters #TeenageRebellion #DeathOfFather #Widow #Memoir #Judaism #RediscoveringJudaism #Immigration #PeopleoftheBook #Prejudice #MerylAin #TheTakeawayMen #Sequel #ShadowsWeCarry #LetsTalkJewishBooks #JewsLoveToRead