JCC

Click here to register! Bio: Allison Epstein earned her M.F.A in fiction from Northwestern University and a B.A. in creative writing from the University of Michigan. A Michigan native, she now lives in Chicago. When not writing, she enjoys good theatre, bad puns, and fancy jackets. She is the author of the historical novels A Tip for the Hangman  and Let the Dead Bury the Dead. Fagin the Thief:  A thrilling reimagining of the world of Charles Dickens, as seen through the eyes of the infamous Jacob Fagin, London's most gifted pickpocket, liar, and rogue. Flips the script on Dickens' notoriously antisemitic portrayal.

Click here to Register! Christine Kuehn was cocooned in the sanctity of a quiet suburban life when a mysterious letter in 1994 pierced that bubble, sending her on a thirty-year quest to discover the truth behind a horrendous family secret kept hidden for half a century. Following a career in journalism, public relations, and nonprofits, Christine now lives is Maryland with her husband, close to their three grown children. Family of Spies:  A propul­sive, nev­er-before-told sto­ry of one family’s shock­ing involve­ment as Nazi and Japan­ese spies dur­ing WWII and the piv­otal role they played in the bomb­ing of Pearl Har­bor. The Kuehns, a once promi­nent Berlin fam­i­ly, saw the rise of the Nazis as a way out of the hard times that had befall­en them. When the daugh­ter of the fam­i­ly, Eberhard’s sis­ter and Christine’s Aunt Ruth, met Nazi leader Joseph Goebbells at a par­ty, the two hit it off, and they had an affair. But Ruth had a secret — she was half Jew­ish, and Goebbells found out. Rather than hav­ing Ruth killed, Goebbels instead sent the entire Kuehn fam­i­ly to Hawaii, to work as spies half a world away. There, Christine’s grand­par­ents and her Aunt Ruth estab­lished an intri­cate spy oper­a­tion from their home, and passed secrets […]

Click here to register! Judith Viorst is the author of the Beloved Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, which has sold four million copies; the Lulu books, including Lulu and the Brontosaurus; The New York Times best seller Necessary Losses; four musicals; and poetry for children and adults. Her most recent books include What Are You Glad About? What Are You Mad About? and Nearing Ninety. Making the Best of What's Left In a career that has spanned more than fifty years, Judith Viorst has captivated readers with her bestselling children’s books and collections of poetry reflecting on each decade of life. Now in her nineties, Viorst writes about life’s “Final Fifth,” those who are eighty to one hundred years old. Her signature blend of humor and vulnerability infuses personal anecdotes and observations, drawing you into her world of memories and candid conversations. She confesses, “I never ever send a text while driving, and not just because I don’t know how to text.” She discusses the afterlife (She doesn’t believe in it, but if it exists, she hopes her sister-in-law isn’t there). She complains to her dead husband (“I need you fixing our damn circuit breakers. I need you! Could you please stop being dead?”). And […]