Non-Fiction

Debbie Stoller

Debbie Stoller has been hailed as a pioneer of “girlie feminism” for reviving interest in traditionally feminine activities like knitting through Bust and Stitch ‘n Bitch.

March 11, 2015

Video Interview with Sarah Wildman

Tara Metal

Welcome to the JWA Book Club! We are excited to gather today to discuss Sarah Wildman's Paper Love: Searching for the Girl My Grandfather Left Behind.

Topics: Non-Fiction

Hanne Blank

Both as a historian and as a fiction writer, Hanne Blank has questioned how we relate to our bodies and our sexuality, from gender norms to fat-shaming.

Death of Flora Lewis, “the world’s greatest correspondent”

June 2, 2002

“More and more people are coming to realize that they can choose their history. What a wonderful time to have been able to watch up close!”

JWA Writer Leah Berkenwald Wins Blogging Award

June 11, 2012

JWA blogger Leah Berkenwald made “connections between the themes of freedom and equality in the most widely read story of her generation to the movement for equal rights for women and resistance to bigotry in a clear, energetic and youthful voice.”

Judith Rosebaum Interviews Roger Cohen, 2015

February 25, 2015

An Interview with Roger Cohen

Judith Rosenbaum

New York Times columnist Roger Cohen sat down with JWA's Executive Director Judith Rosenbaum to discuss his latest book, The Girl from Human Street, a memoir of his mother.

Topics: Non-Fiction

Katya Gibel Mevorach

In her most famous book, Black, Jewish and Interracial: It’s Not the Color of Your Skin but the Race of Your Kin and Other Myths of Identity, anthropologist Katya Gibel Mevorach (nee Azoulay) explored identity politics, “passing” as white, and other social constructs of race.

Death of writer Sarah Brandstein Smith, “Queen of the shundroman"

April 29, 1968

“Sarah B. Smith is the most beloved Jewish newspaperwoman, the first who ever served as a reporter on a Jewish paper, and the one who has triumphantly overcome the misgivings of editors who mistrusted the abilities of a mere woman writer.”

January 7, 2015

Announcing the JWA Book Club

Tara Metal

Chances are, no two people reading this post have the same favorite book. From month to month, I don’t even have the same favorite book—my tastes range from nonfiction crime thrillers to mid-century poetry, and hit quite a few unusual notes in between. I seek out novels I can get lost in. I like all kinds of mythology and the occasional graphic novel. Choosing what to read next can be overwhelming and generally, I need a little guidance.

Topics: Fiction, Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Publishing

Jane Eisner

In 2008 Jane Eisner became editor-in-chief of the Forward, making her the paper’s first female head in its 111-year history.

Emily Bazelon

From cyberbullying to abortion rights, reporter Emily Bazelon has tackled controversial legal issues for Slate and the New York Times Magazine.

Leslie Feinberg, 1949 - 2014

And in the reflection of the glass, finally, literally and metaphorically, I could see myself, and Leslie, at once. I think I started to understand what I could be in that moment, that I belonged to a proud tradition of Butch women. That there was a place for me in this world. That I could grow up. For the first time, I understood that I was looking at who and what I would become as an adult. It was breathtaking.

Margot Adler, 1946 - 2014

In 1972 she made a deal with WBAI management to get her own free-form live radio show. At the time, WBAI went off the air loosely between 3 or 5 AM and came back on at 7 AM. Margot talked them into giving her the 5–7 AM timeslot and called it Hour of the Wolf after the film by Ingmar Bergman, a phrase which refers to the morning twilight.

Geraldine Brooks

Geraldine Brooks had a stellar career as a foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, but it was her 2005 novel March which won her the Pulitzer Prize.

Bobbi Brown

Tired of the 1980s trends towards gaudy, bright lipstick and eye shadow, Bobbi Brown launched her signature makeup line featuring more natural colors.

Sheryl Sandberg

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg sparked debate and controversy over women’s opportunities and hurdles in the workforce with her first book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.