John Irving, Claire Sicherman, and more celebrated authors set to join 41st annual JCC Jewish Book Festival, February 21 to 26
Programming spans the festival’s beloved annual Book Clubs epilogue event and pre-festival events with photographer Dina Goldstein and cookbook author Rachel Simons
SPONSORED POST BY Jewish Book Festival
Claire Sicherman (left) and John Irving (Katherine Holland photo).
The JCC Jewish Book Festival, taking place from February 21 to 26, will bring communities together with fascinating writers from across Canada, the U.S., Australia, and Israel.
The 41st annual festival is a curated snapshot of current Jewish literature and ideas. Events connect audiences with essential books, bold ideas, and remarkable writers who are exploring a wide variety of themes, including the complexities of Jewish identity in an ever-changing society.
Master storyteller and internationally renowned author John Irving will be the festival’s Opening Night speaker, in conversation with Marsha Lederman about his latest novel Queen Esther. For the first time, he’ll be addressing Jewish topics and antisemitism while returning to some of his beloved characters and locations.
At the other end of the spectrum, the festival’s Closing Night will feature Peter Himmelman—the Grammy- and Emmy-nominated singer-songwriter, bestselling author, visual artist, film composer, and rock-and-roll performer—with his book Suspended by No String.
The festival’s annual Book Clubs event will come as an Epilogue on March 4, featuring award-winning journalist and chef Bonny Reichert talking about How to Share an Egg: A True Story of Hunger, Love, and Plenty. The moving culinary memoir from the daughter of a Holocaust survivor is about the relationship between food, family, sustenance, and survival.
Mental health and life choices will be addressed by several authors throughout the festival. B.C.’s Claire Sicherman will talk about her book Bloom: Letters about Girlhood, written with Sunshine Coast author Nicole Breit; she’ll be joined by Toronto author Danila Botha, whose novel A Place for People Like Us also explores themes of identity.
At a pre-fest event on February 12, photographer Dina Goldstein will introduce The Archive XXX - 30 Years of Photography, a collection of over 3,000 images showing music performances, famous faces, and candid travel and street photos. At another pre-fest event on February 8, Australia’s Rachel Simons will present delicious recipes from her cookbook Sesame: Global Recipes + Stories of An Ancient Seed.
Mark festival dates on your calendars now. Regular updates can be found on the Jewish Book Festival website, where a digital program guide is now available.
Post sponsored by Jewish Book Festival.
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