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 jour...

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 Colu...

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. Bo...

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...

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 Uni...

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 includ...

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...

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 nove...

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...

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. H...

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...

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...

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 Lawrenc...

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 th...

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 di...

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 edito...

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 t...

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 wri...

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 B...

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, L...

Meryl chats with Robin Kall about her career as a book broadcaster, book influencer and organizer of book events. In a freewheeling conversation, they talk about Long Island, Rhode Island, the trajectory of Robin’s success, and Jewish books and authors. Robin grew up on Long Island, graduated from Binghamton University, and has lived in Rhode Island since she was 22. She is famously known as a “bo...

Meryl chats with Kitty Zeldis about her 2022 novel, The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights, which takes readers into the lives of three very different women living in Brooklyn during The Roaring Twenties. In this lively conversation, they discuss the themes of the book, including female vulnerability, pregnancy, religious intolerance, and the relationship of mothers and daughters. Born in Israel, Kit...

Meryl chats with Deborah Levison about her 2022 novel, A Nest of Snakes, a harrowing story of abuse, complicity, and trauma. They also discuss The Crate , her award-winning non-fiction account of Holocaust survival and present-day murder. Deborah is an author and publicist. Her life has two parts: the first in Canada, where she attended University of Toronto and the Royal Conservatory of Music, an...

Meryl chats with Nora Gold about JewishFiction.net , the prestigious online literary journal, which she founded and is the editor-in-chief. In addition, they discuss her three books, The Dead Man, Fields of Exile , and Marrow and Other Stories . They also talk about wide-ranging topics related to literature, including the definition of “a Jewish book”. Nora is a prize-winning writer and the author...

Meryl chats with Rick and Annette Schwarz Kaye about their 2022 memoir, Revelation, which chronicles Rick’s shocking discovery of his biological origins that were revealed through DNA testing. Rick and Annette share the emotional roller coaster they experienced as Rick wrestled with deception, secrets, and lifelong memories now seen through a new lens. Rick and Annette live in Fairfield County, Co...