When American-born Jennifer falls in love with French-born Philippe during the First Intifada in Israel, she understands their relationship isn't perfect. 

Both 23, both Jewish, they lead very different lives: she's a secular tourist, he's an observant immigrant. Despite their opposing outlooks on two fundamental issues—country and religion—they are determined to make it work. For the next 20 years, they root and uproot their growing family, each longing for a singular place to call home.

In Places We Left Behind, Jennifer puts her marriage under a microscope, examining commitment and compromise, faith and family while moving between prose and poetry, playing with language and form, daring the reader to read between the lines.

Join us for a virtual conversation with Jennifer, who will join us over Zoom. Jennifer will be in conversation with Leslie Kaplan of the Wood River Jewish Community, a partner on this event.

The program will be livestreamed, and attendees are also welcome to join us in the library's John A. and Carole O. Moran Lecture Hall. Click here to watch online.

Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jennifer Lang lives in Tel Aviv, where she runs israelwriterstudio.com. Her prize-winning essays appear in Baltimore Review, Under the Sun, Midway Journal, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is an Assistant Editor at Brevity Journal, longtime yoga practitioner and instructor. Places We Left Behind: a memoir-in-miniature (September 2023) and Landed: A yogi's memoir in pieces & poses (October 2024) are both with Vine Leaves Press.