SJLibrary.org, a collaboration of San Jose State University and San Jose Public Library system.

From the South Bay to the Seashore: Let's Talk About It - Jewish Literature Discussion Series

Printer-Friendly

Join us for a free reading and discussion series at three Bay Area libraries that offers participants an opportunity to explore Jewish literature and culture through scholar-led discussions of contemporary and classic books, each centered on a common theme. Sunnyvale Public Library begins their series in July 2008, followed by Watsonville Public Library in September 2008. San José's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library concludes the program with their series, beginning in January 2009.

At Sunnyvale Public Library (July - November, 2008)
"Your Heart's Desire: Sex and Love in Jewish Literature" In these works of modern fiction, love and desire cross paths: often with surprising results. See Book Summaries
July 30, 2008 Portnoy's Complaint by Phillip Roth	August 13, 2008 The Little Disturbances of Man by Grace Paley	September 10, 2008 A Simple Story by S.Y. Agnon	October 29, 2008 The Lover by A.B. Yehoshua	November 19, 2008 The Mind-Body Problem by Rebecca Goldstein
Request Library Copy	Request Link+ Copy	Request Link+ Copy	Request Link+ Copy	Request Link+ Copy

Five scholar-led discussions will be held on Wednesday evenings, 7:00 - 8:30 PM, at Sunnyvale Public Library. For further information or to register for this series, please contact Susan Denniston at (408) 730-7332. More info on Sunnyvale's program

Series Host: Victoria Harrison, Ph.D., will be the scholar and discussion coordinator.

At Watsonville Public Library (September - December, 2008)
"Demons, Golems, Dybbuks: Monsters of the Jewish Imagination" These five tales leave the reader wondering: Which is stranger, the supernatural world or our own? See Book Summaries
September 24, 2008 Satan in Goray by Isaac Bashevis Singer	October 15, 2008 The Dybbuk and Other Writings by S. Ansky	October 29, 2008 The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka	November 12, 2008 The Puttermesser Papers by Cynthia Ozick	December 10, 2008 Angels in America by Tony Kushner
Request Link+ Copy	Request Link+ Copy	Request Library Copy	Request Link+ Copy	Request Library Copy

Five scholar-led discussions will be held on Wednesday evenings, 5:30 - 7:00 PM, at Watsonville Public Library. For further information or to sign up for this series, please contact Watonka Addison, at (831) 768-3400. More info on Watsonville's program

Series Host: Dr. Murray Baumgarten will lead discussions of books in this series.

At San José Public Library (January - May, 2009)
"Modern Marvels: Jewish Adventures in the Graphic Novel" Five Jewish artists experiment with words and pictures to tell stories of childhood, war, and desire, to conjure up lost worlds, both real and imaginary, and to contemplate history, myth, and the individual psyche. See Book Summaries
January 25, 2009 A Contract with God by Will Eisner	February 22, 2009 Maus: a Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman	March 22, 2009 Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer by Ben Katchor	April 26, 2009 The Quitter by Harvey Pekar	May 31, 2009 The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar
Request Library Copy Guest Speaker: David Mesher, SJSU Prof. - English	Request Library Copy	Request Library Copy Guest Speaker: Dalia Sirkin, SJSU Lecturer - English	Request Library Copy	Request Library Copy Guest Speaker: Mary Salzman, SJSU Lecturer - Art History

Five scholar-led discussions will be held on Sunday afternoons, 2:00 - 4:00 PM, at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Each session includes a lecture and discussion by series host, Professor Harrison, or a guest speaker. For further information or to sign up for this series, please contact Deborah.Estreicher@sjlibrary.org at (408) 808-2357.

For background information on the five works to be read, and a recommended reading list of additional titles, please see the Program Essay by Professor Jeremy Dauber of Columbia University.

Series Host: Victoria Harrison, Coordinator of Jewish Studies at San José State University, will open each session with introductory information on the book and the author and offer ways to link all the books of the series. Professor Harrison received her PhD with distinction in English from Rutgers University. She is currently the Jewish Studies Coordinator and a lecturer at SJSU, where she teaches Jewish Studies. Dr. Harrison has published widely on poetry and American and Jewish studies.

Let's Talk About It! Jewish Literature, a reading and discussion series, has been made possible through a grant from Nextbook and the American Library Association.