An Evening with "On Being Jewish Now" Contributors

***Please note: This event will take place at the Books & Books in Coral Gables at 265 Aragon Ave. Tickets are FREE and books will be available for purchase at the event. Can't make the event?

An intimate and hopeful collection of meaningful, smart, funny, sad, emotional, and inspiring essays from today's authors and advocates about what it means to be Jewish, how life has changed since the attacks on October 7th, 2023, and the unique culture that brings this group together.
On October 7th, 2023, Jews in Israel were attacked in the largest pogrom since the Holocaust. It was a day felt by Jews everywhere who came together to process and speak out in ways some never had before. In this collection, 75 contributors speak to Jewish joy, celebration, laughter, food, trauma, loss, love, and family, and the common threads that course through the Jewish people: resilience and humor. Contributors include Mark Feuerstein, Jill Zarin, Steve Leder, Joanna Rakoff, Amy Ephron, Lisa Barr, Annabelle Gurwitch, Daphne Merkin, Bradley Tusk, Sharon Brous, Jenny Mollen, Nicola Kraus, Caroline Leavitt, and many others. On Being Jewish Now is edited by Zibby Owens, bestselling author, podcaster, bookstore owner, and CEO of Zibby Media.
All profits will be donated to Artists Against Antisemitism.
Contributors:
Abby Stern
Ali Rosen
Alison Hammer
Alison Rose Greenberg
Alix Strauss
Aliza Licht
Alli Frank
Alyssa Rosenheck
Amy Blumenfeld
Amy Ephron
Amy Klein
Anna Ephron Harari
Annabelle Gurwitch
Barri Leiner Grant
Bess Kalb
Beth Ricanati
Bradley Tusk
Brenda Janowitz
Cara Mentzel
Caroline Leavitt
Corie Adjmi
Courtney Sheinmel
Danny Grossman
Daphne Merkin
Dara Kurtz
Dara Levan
David K. Israel
David Christopher Kaufman
Debbie Reed Fischer
Diana Fersko
Eleanor Reissa
Elizabeth Cohen Hausman
Elizabeth L. Silver
Elyssa Friedland
Emily Tisch Sussman
Harper Kincaid
Heidi Shertok
Ilana Kurshan
Jacqueline Friedland
Jamie Brenner
Jane L. Rosen
Jeanne Blasberg
Jennifer S. Brown
Jenny Mollen
Jeremy Garelick
Jill Zarin
Joanna Rakoff
Jonathan Santlofer
Judy Batalion
Julia DeVillers
Keren Blankfeld
Lihi Lapid
Lisa Barr
Lisa Kogan
Lynda Cohen Loigman
Mark Feuerstein
Nicola Kraus
Noa Yedlin
Rebecca Keren Jablonski
Rachel Barenbaum
Rachel Levy Lesser
Rachelle Unreich
Rebecca Minkoff
Rebecca Raphael
Renee Rosen
Rochelle B. Weinstein
Samantha Ettus
Samantha Greene Woodruff
Sharon Brous
Shirin Yadegar
Stacy Igel
Steve Leder
Talia Carner
Toby Rose
Zibby Owens

Novelist Talia Carner is formerly the publisher of Savvy Woman magazine, a marketing consultant, and a lecturer at international women’s economic forums. An award-winning author of six novels and numerous stories, essays, and articles, she is also a committed supporter of global human rights. Carner has spearheaded ground-breaking projects centered on female plight and women’s activism.

Amy Ephron is a bestselling author. She has three children and a second husband.

Dara Levan is an author, podcaster, and the founder of Every Soul Has a Story. What began as a weekly blog has expanded to include a podcast, an inclusive space in which she interviews guests from around the globe. Her debut novel, It Could Be Worse, came out in 2024. She is a graduate of Indiana University with a B.A. in English and certificate in journalism. Dara earned her M.S. in communication sciences and disorders at Nova Southeastern University. Dara is a member of the Authors Guild, the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and the Women’s National Book Association, and a founding member of Artists Against Antisemitism. Dara’s husband and two children are her greatest sources of inspiration. When she’s not writing in South Florida, you’ll find Dara with her family and fur babies, traveling, reading, and talking to strangers who become friends.

Zibby Owens is the bestselling author of Blank: A Novel, Bookends: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Literature, Princess Charm-ing, and the forthcoming novel Overheard. She is the editor of two anthologies: Moms Don’t Have Time To: A Quarantine Anthology and Moms Don’t Have Time To Have Kids: A Timeless Anthology. She has contributed regularly to Good Morning America and Katie Couric Media and has written for Vogue, Oprah Daily, The Washington Post, and other outlets. Zibby is the founder and CEO of Zibby Media, which includes the Zibby Books boutique publishing house, Zibby’s Bookshop, an independent bookstore in Santa Monica, California, the award-winning daily podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books, which she hosts, Zibby’s Book Club, and Zibby Retreats for book lovers. She lives in New York with her husband, Kyle Owens of Morning Moon Productions, and her four children, ages nine to seventeen. She was a stay-at-home mom until she launched her podcast in 2018, starting her next chapter.

Debbie Reed Fischer is an award-winning novelist of novels for teens and tweens, praised by Kirkus Reviews for "balancing weighty issues with a sharp wit." Debbie has contributed to anthologies, magazines, newspapers, TV/film scripts and non-fiction books. She is a two-time recipient of the Royal Palm Gold Literary Award and was featured in Kveller.com's: Beyond Judy Blume: Must-Read Books for Jewish Girls. Debbie is also a speaker and writing instructor, and has presented at literary conferences, universities, schools, and author panels for many years. Her most recent middle grade novel This is not the Abby Show (Penguin Random House/ Delacorte) was twice honored as a PJ Library selection and has been chosen for many book lists celebrating neurodiversity. Debbie has also worked as an agent for film and TV, a teacher, and background singer for recording artists. A graduate of the University of Miami, she is a big time 'Canes fan and Florida Panthers hockey fan. She divides her time between North Carolina and Florida with her favorite people, her husband Eric, and sons Louis and Sam.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Books & Books, 265 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables, United States