By Daily Press staff
It’s time to talk about Jews and their literature. The Santa Monica Public Library will host a free five-part reading and discussion series called “Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature — Identity and Imagination.” The series explores Jewish literature and culture though scholar-led discussions of contemporary and classic books on a common theme. The library’s series will focus on the theme of fathers and daughters in a changing world. Santa Monica Public Library is one of 34 libraries nationwide to host the series, developed by Nextbook and the American Library Association.
The first program explores “Tevye the Dairyman” by Sholem Aleichem and takes place on Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. All discussions are held at the Montana Avenue Branch, 1704 Montana Ave. Registration for the series is required, and resource guides are provided upon sign-up. Call (310) 434-2644 to register.
Additional books will be discussed every two weeks. On Feb. 9, Anzia’s Yezierska’s “Bread Givers” will be discussed. On Feb. 23, Anne Roiphe’s “1185 Park Avenue” will be the topic of the discussion, then “American Pastoral” by Philip Roth on March 9. The final session will be March 23 on “Bee Season” by Myla Goldberg.
Barbara Bilson will lead the discussion at each session. Bilson was a professor of English at Santa Monica College for more than 20 years. She currently teaches Jewish literature classes and workshops at Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles and facilitates several book discussion groups throughout Los Angeles.
The program has been made possible through a grant from Nextbook and the American Library Association. For more information, call (310) 458-8600.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 7, 2004. Read the original PDF.