Posted by Naomi Firestone-Teeter
Two endeavors from the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute worth checking out:
Jewish Fiction Goes Outside of the Box
For the 2nd annual issue on Jewish books, 614: The HBI eZine found young Jewish women who were writing about themes we haven’t seen dozens of times. This is why you’ll find mention in this issue of cowboys, Madame Bovary, a modern day Jewish heiress, a 12-year-old Iranian, Jewish spies, and a heroic German baker. Rather than post book reviews, we talked to the authors behind these stories and asked them about the inspirations for their books, and also what they think about today’s Jewish fiction in general. Meet Joanna Hershon, Tova Mirvis, Laurie Gwen Shapiro, Dara Horn, Jenna Blum, and Gina Nahai. For more information, please click here.
HBI Announces Book Translation Competition
The Hadassah-Brandeis Institute is pleased to announce an annual competition to translate a book on a topic that deals in a significant way with Jews and gender. The amount of money that will be awarded is contingent on the particular translation needs of the book. The award goes exclusively towards the translation costs. Applications are due by November 15, 2009, and decisions will be announced by February 15, 2010. For guidelines and submission instructions, please click here.
Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Naomi is the CEO of Jewish Book Council. She graduated from Emory University with degrees in English and Art History and, in addition, studied at University College London. Prior to her role as executive director and now CEO, Naomi served as the founding editor of the JBC website and blog and managing editor of Jewish Book World. In addition, she has overseen JBC’s digital initiatives, and also developed the JBC’s Visiting Scribe series and Unpacking the Book: Jewish Writers in Conversation.