SUNY New Paltz to host Jewish literature reading and discussion series

NEW PALTZ — “Between Two Worlds: Stories of Estrangement and Homecoming” is the theme of the upcoming reading and discussion series, titled “Lets Talk About It! Jewish Literature,” which will be held at the Sojourner Truth Library at the State University of New York at New Paltz during the Spring 2005 semester.

Led by local scholar Jenica Shapiro, an adjunct faculty member at New Paltz, the five-part series will focus on identity and imagination in the works of five modern Jewish writers. Participants will explore five books whose writers bridge the worlds of Poland, Canada, the United States, Egypt and Brazil. The series is free and open to the public.

All sessions take place Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. on the following dates: Wednesday, Feb. 2, to discuss “Lost in Translation” by Eva Hoffman; Wednesday, Feb. 23, to discuss “Mr. Sammler’s Planet” by Saul Bellow; Wednesday, March 16, to discuss “Out of Egypt” by Andre Aciman; Wednesday, April 6, to discuss “The Centaur in the Garden” by Moacyr Scliar; and Wednesday, April 20, to discuss “Kaaterskill Falls” by Allegra Goodman.

Those who are interested in attending are urged to register in advance to receive interpretive essays and discussion questions for each book. To register, contact Valerie Mittenberg at the Sojourner Truth Library at (845) 257-3703 or mittenbv@newpaltz.edu.

The discussion series is sponsored by Nextbook and the American Library Association, with support from The Louis and Mildred Resnick Institute for the Study of Modern Jewish Life. For more information about the program, visit http://lib.newpaltz.edu/letstalk.html.