Internationally acclaimed Israeli writer Meir Shalev "creates a world that has the richness of invention and the obsessiveness of dreams," wrote The New York Times Book Review of his novel A Pigeon and a Boy. Don’t miss this discussion with one of Israel's foremost literary figures.

Presented in partnership with the Israel Center of the Jewish Federation and the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest.

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Impractical Lessons for Practical Living

Romanian-born poet, novelist and essayist Andrei Codrescu delights NPR audiences with his audacious cultural commentary. He writes that his adopted city of New Orleans, especially post-Katrina, is "a city that steadfastly refuses to conform." His new book, The Posthuman Dada Guide, is "an impractical handbook for practical living in our posthuman world."

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Award-winning novelist and MacArthur "genius" Rebecca Goldstein (The Mind-Body Problem, Mazel, Betraying Spinoza) is a writer whose work wrestles with affairs of the mind, heart, and soul. A philosopher by training, Goldstein helps us understand the almost erotic power that ideas can impart. Her latest book, Thirty-Six Arguments for the Existence of God, dives into the great debate between faith and reason, and gives us "a hilarious novel about people's existential agonies and the intellectual mysteries that obsess them." (Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Everything is Illuminated).

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Chris Cleave's incandescent novel, Little Bee, tells the compelling story of a young Nigerian girl, a refugee from the internecine tribal oil wars of her country, and an Englishwoman whose destiny is inextricably linked to this young African girl's. Cleave, whose acclaimed first novel, Incendiary, was an international bestseller, deftly combines humor with pathos in this timely tale of friendship, national identity, responsibility, grief, and redemption.  Chris Cleave is a columnist for The Guardian newspaper in London.

"Book clubs in search of the next Kite Runner need look no further than this astonishing, flawless novel…Cleave effortlessly moves between alternating viewpoints with lucid, poignant prose…A tension-filled dramatic ending and plenty of moral dilemmas add up to a satisfying, emotional read. Highly recommended…" — Library Journal

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Rejecting the stylized self-consciousness that characterizes so much contemporary poetry, Kay Ryan chooses instead to write poetry accessible to a broad audience, coloring her poems with sly humor and dramatic imagination. Treat yourself to an evening with this renowned Bay Area poet.

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Barrows' book, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, has become a publishing phenomenon, jumping off the shelves and rocketing to the top of book club lists. The characters spring to life as they exchange letters and telegrams, many revealing life on an island off England under German occupation, shortly after World War II.

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For the longest time, Joan Ryan focused on the negative aspects of parenting, as her adopted son continued to aggravate and disappoint her. In The Water Giver: The Story of a Mother, a Son, and Their Second Chance, Ryan describes the traumatic accident that dramatically changed her relationship with her son. A former columnist for The Chronicle, Ryan is also the author of Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: The Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters.

"This is a story that will move the heart of anyone who has ever been a parent or a child. A primer for patience and responsibility, and a testament to a mother's love." – Mitch Albom

"A story about the healing grace of deep friendships and a loving community. I couldn't put it down." – Anne Lamott