The Book of Life

Way back in October 2006, The Book of Life featured an interview with Leah Larson , the teenage founder of the magazine Yaldah , which is written, edited, and published by and for Jewish girls. On September 24, 2008 , I blogged about how Leah's mother Evelyn had entered the Wells Fargo Someday Stories Contest, in hopes of winning money to support expansion of Yaldah . I encouraged you to vote for Evelyn, and it looks like many of you heeded that call. Evelyn has won the grand prize of $100,000! Mazel tov of Evelyn, Leah, and all the girls who contribute to Yaldah !

Along with hosting The Book of Life, I am now assisting the Association of Jewish Libraries with getting its own podcast up and running. Here's the press release we sent out to announce the launch of the podcast. Be sure to check out the book give-away promotion in the last paragraph! New Podcast Author talks, lectures on Jewish literature, panel discussions, and workshops are among the offerings of the newly launched Association of Jewish Libraries Podcast . Available at www.jewishlibraries.org/podcast , the program provides audio that enhances and enriches the listener's appreciation of Jewish book culture. The podcast will include material recorded at the Association of Jewish Libraries annual convention, as well as recordings of Jewish literary events across North America. A wide range of topics will be covered, from the academic to the hands-on, from children's literature to technology. "Jews are book lovers, and Jewish librarians even more so,"

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    Are you a member of the tribe? Which tribe? What is a tribe, anyway? We explore the notion of "tribe" with several guests: > Aaron Kula is director of the Klezmer Company Orchestra , the ensemble-in-residence of the library at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. We spoke to him about the KCO's CD Beyond the Tribes . Scroll down for a video that includes music from the CD and commentary from the orchestra. > Tiffany Shlain is a documentary filmmaker , director of the Moxie Institute , and founder of the Webby Awards . We spoke to her about her short film The Tribe , which " enlists pop icon Barbie to tackle the challenging issue of Jewish identity." Scroll down to watch a trailer for The Tribe, the entire 18-minute film, or a promotional video for Tiffany's next film Connected : A Declaration of Interdependence.   > Rafael Goldchain is a professional photographer. His installation Familial Ground is