MJCCA Book Fest Presents Dani Shapiro in conversation with Jessica Handler - Signal Fires
From the beloved author of "Inheritance," comes a haunting, moving, and propulsive exploration of family secrets.
The 32nd Edition of the Book Festival of the MJCCA welcomes Dani Shapiro for a discussion on her latest book, "Signal Fires." Shapiro will appear in conversation with Atlanta's own Jessica Handler, award-winning author of "The Magnetic Girl."
A Cappella will have copies of "Signal Fires" available for purchase at the venue.
About the Book
An ancient majestic oak stands beneath the stars on Division Street. And under the tree sits Ben Wilf, a retired doctor, and ten-year-old Waldo Shenkman, a brilliant, lonely boy who is pointing out his favorite constellations. Waldo doesn't realize it but he and Ben have met before. And they will again and again. Across time and space, and shared destiny.
Division Street is full of secrets. An impulsive lie begets a secret—one which will forever haunt the Wilf family. And the Shenkmans, who move into the neighborhood many years later, bring secrets of their own.
Spanning fifty kaleidoscopic years, on a street—and in a galaxy—where stars collapse and stories collide, these two families become bound in ways they could never have imagined.
Urgent and compassionate, "Signal Fires" is a magical story for our times, a literary tour de force by a masterful storyteller at the height of her powers—a luminous meditation on family, memory, and the healing power of interconnectedness.
About the Author
Dani Shapiro is the author of eleven books and the host and creator of the hit podcast "Family Secrets." Her most recent novel, "Signal Fires," was named a best book of 2022 by Time Magazine, Washington Post, Amazon, and others, and is a national bestseller. Her most recent memoir, "Inheritance," was an instant New York Times Bestseller and named a best book of 2019 by Elle, Vanity Fair, Wired, and Real Simple. Dani's work has been published in fourteen languages, and she's currently developing "Signal Fires" for its television adaptation. Dani's book on the process and craft of writing, "Still Writing," is being reissued on its tenth anniversary in 2023. She occasionally teaches workshops and retreats, and is the co-founder of the Sirenland Writers Conference in Positano, Italy.
About the Conversation Partner
Jessica Handler is the author of "The Magnetic Girl," winner of the 2020 Southern Book Prize, an Indie Next selection, Wall Street Journal Spring '19 pick, Bitter Southerner Summer '19 pick and SIBA Okra pick. She is the author of the nonfiction books "Braving the Fire: A Guide to Writing About Grief" and "Invisible Sisters: A Memoir," which was named one of the "Books All Georgians Should Read" and Atlanta Magazine's "Best Memoir of 2009." Jessica's essays and nonfiction features have appeared on NPR, in Tin House, Drunken Boat, Full Grown People, Brevity, The Bitter Southerner, Electric Literature, Oldster, Newsweek, The Washington Post, and More Magazine. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, novelist Mickey Dubrow.
