MJCCA Book Festival in Your Living Room

While we are adjusting socially and culturally to the “new normal,” how delightful that Pam Morton, director of author events for the Book Festival of the MJCCA, and the festival folks devised new free programming to get us through the laying low times.

The Book Festival of the MJCCA in Your Living Room Live on Zoom begins April 27.

“This unprecedented time has presented us with the unique challenge of coming up with new and innovative ways to present culturally relevant programming that will both entertain and enlighten our community,” Morton said. “As there is a plethora of online content available right now, we are curating these programs very carefully in order to offer topics that make the most sense and will be of most interest while we shelter-in-place.”

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Pam Morton Director of Author Events/Book Festival of the MJCCA
Atlanta

Here she supplies the specifics:

AJT: How did this new virtual model come into play?

Morton: We had already scheduled many spring and early summer in-person events when we began hearing about COVID-19 and the possibility of business and school closures. By the time we had to close the MJCCA, most of those authors had already postponed to the fall or were in the process of making decisions about their tours, which were subsequently cancelled. In addition, several of the books scheduled for June releases have been moved to the fall.

We tried to pivot to virtual events as quickly as possible in order to offer our community compelling online content that would create some sense of normalcy. Thus, Book Festival of the MJCCA in Your Living Room! We hosted two in March and they were both successes. We learn something new following each program and are continuing to hone and perfect the process.

AJT: How will the lectures work?

Morton: CNN’s Holly Firfer will host and welcome everyone, introduce the authors, and conduct the “in conversation.” With Zoom, as with many of these streaming services, the audience has the opportunity to use the chat feature to type in questions throughout. Holly also fields the Q&A with the author. The audience will be able to ask questions as it comes to them during the program.

The programs are scheduled to last 45 to 60 minutes, including the preamble, interview, and audience Q&A.

All events at the present time are free and open to the public. Register on our website https://www.atlantajcc.org/. Click on Arts and Culture to reserve a spot in the meeting. All events include links to purchase the books from our partner and official bookseller, A Cappella Books.

AJT: When will the future schedule be determined?

Morton: That’s the million-dollar question! As with everything in the world right now, we are taking it one step at a time and will make decisions as soon as we have guidelines from the CDC and state officials, and our own MJCCA leadership and board. We look forward to the day when we can all be together again in our theater and other JCC venues for in-person events.

I suspect we will never take these types of moments for granted ever again.

Follow along in the kitchen as Paula Shoyer demonstrates how to create kosher recipes with food already in the refrigerator or pantry.

The lineup:

4 p.m. Monday, April 27

Paula Shoyer, “The Healthy Jewish Kitchen”

Shoyer, known as “the kosher baker,” joins us “in the kitchen” for a tutorial on creating delicious recipes out of food already in your refrigerator and pantry. Follow along in your own kitchen or just sit back and watch delicious happen! Tips on how to buy and use produce strategically, getting the most out of your grocery store trips, creating dishes without a recipe, and swaps for ingredients

Follow along in the kitchen as Paula Shoyer demonstrates how to create kosher recipes with food already in the refrigerator or pantry.

you might not have on-hand.

8 p.m. Thursday, May 7
Jennifer Weiner, “Big Summer”

Weiner, the number one New York Times best-selling author (“Good In Bed,” “In Her Shoes”) returns with an unforgettable novel about friendship and forgiveness during a disastrous wedding on picturesque Cape Cod. “Big Summer” is about a young woman coming into her own in New York City while managing her new status as a plus-sized

Jen Weiner, a New York Times best-selling author new novel explores friendship and forgiveness.

Instagram influencer.

From self-doubt to toxic friendships to smoking hot love scenes, “Big Summer” is a sparkling novel about the complexities of female relationships, the pitfalls of

living out loud and online, and the resilience of the human heart.

8 p.m. Tuesday, May 12  
Brad Meltzer, “The Lincoln Conspiracy”

History Channel host and best-selling author Meltzer brings us his wit and historical knowledge in his latest nonfiction book.

Everyone knows about Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, but there was also a conspiracy to kill him years earlier in 1861, literally on his way to Washington for his first inauguration.

Photo by Michelle Watson, Catchlight Group // Learn about the conspiracy to kill Abraham Lincoln four years before his assassination.

The plot was foiled thanks to a detective who infiltrated the group with undercover agents, including one of the first female private detectives in America. Had the assassination succeeded, there would have been no Lincoln presidency, and the Civil War would’ve had a potentially different ending.