The Santa Monica Public Library will host a five-part reading and discussion series called “Let’s Talk About It:  Jewish Literature.”  The program explores Jewish literature and culture though scholar-led discussions of contemporary and classic books on a common theme.  The Library’s series will focus on the theme of Your Heart’s Desire:  Sex and Love in Jewish Literature.

Barbara Bilson is the scholar for the discussion series.  She was a Professor of English at Santa Monica College for over twenty years and currently teaches Jewish literature classes and workshops at Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles.  Books discussed are Philip Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint on September 16; Grace Paley’s The Little Disturbances of Man on September 30; S.Y. Agnon’s A Simple Story on October 14; A.B. Yehoshua’s The Lover on October 28; and Rebecca Goldstein’s The Mind-Body Problem on November 11.  All discussions will be held in the Multipurpose Room of the Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Boulevard at 2:00 p.m.

The series will be a launched with a special program, Jewish Stories of Love and Family for the New Year, with storyteller Karen Golden on Sunday, September 9 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. in the children’s activity room at the Main Library.  Karen Golden blends traditional Jewish tales with original material.  She has delighted Santa Monicans with her storytelling for many years and is the recipient of a National Parenting Publications Gold Award. 

These programs have been made possible through a grant from Nextbook and the American Library Association.  No registration is required.  For more information on these and other Santa Monica Public Library programs, please call (310) 458-8600 or visit the Library’s web site at www.smpl.org.