01907_Winter_2019

WINTER 2019 | 31
newspaper reporters Meredith Goldstein
and Larry Tye; and Pete Hamill, the
New York City journalist and novelist.
Abrams broke bread with Hamill
after a JBM event for his book "Snow."
"I took him out to dinner in Marblehead.
I can't remember where," she said, "but
the conversation was lively."
Abrams also picked up at South
Station Jamie Bernstein, who had
written a book about her dad, music
icon Leonard Bernstein, on the
centennial of his birth, and they stopped
at Kelly's in Revere before the event.
Abrams even pinch hit as featured
speaker when the authors of a book
about illusionist Harry Houdini missed
their train in NYC. "It was a full house,
and I spoke for an hour and a half. It's
a good thing I read the book and like to
talk," she said. "I took a cut," she added,
then laughed.
Last year, Marblehead's Phyllis Karas,
author of "Women of Southie," brought
along three of the book's prominent
women who grew up in South Boston
during Whitey Bulger's reign of terror.
On the very day Bulger died, no less.
It was standing room only at the JCC's
Hillel Library.
The annual Girls Night Out
gatherings, which feature an author or
book that's of special interest to women,
have become must-attend affairs. "The
Girls Night Out events also include
boutiques, shopping, raffles … and
drinking," said Susan Steigman, with a
smile. Steigman, a committee member,
was director of Jewish Book Month at
the JCC from 2001 to 2012.
Ewing and Knopf represented the
Jewish Book Month committee at the
spring conference of the Jewish Book
Council, a NYC-based non-profit and
the longest-run ning orga ni za tion devoted
exclu sive ly to the sup port and cel e-
bra tion of Jew ish literature. Authors got
to make a two-minute pitch to attendees,
and there were work shops on run ning
suc cess ful book events.
"It's speed dating for authors," said
Knopf.
Fol low ing the event, the council
coordinates requests and assists with
sched ul ing.
This year's committee also included
Sylvia Belkin, Margie Detkin, Sara
Foster, Ethel Harris, Helaine Hazlett,
Sheryl Levy, Karen Madorsky, Catherine
Mazur-Jefferies, Patti McWeeney, Ina
Resnikoff, Sharon Rich, Shelley Sackett,
Sara Winer and Jane Zeller.
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