Shabbat Surfing–Jewish Lit Links

With the Hyman S. & Freda Bernstein Jewish Literary Festival just around the corner (September 14-24) let’s look at some of our featured authors who have popped-up around the internet the past couple of weeks.

• Andrea Askowitz (My Miserable, Lonely, Lesbian Pregnancy) is blogging on Jewcy about her partner’s pregnancy and the upcoming birth of their son. She’s written about circumcision, baptism and names in a cross-cultural relationship. She also regularly posts about parenting, politics and life at her own blog.
• Bernard-Henry Lévy (Left in Dark Times) got a rave review in The Chronicle of Higher Education and chimed in on The New Republic’s site about some of his conclusions about Russia in the aftermath of the invasion of Georgia.  
• Peter Manseau (Songs for the Butcher’s Daughter) has been named a finalist for the presitigious John Sargent First Novel Prize, even though the book is not on shelves until next week. Some others on the short list include Rivka Galchen for Atmospheric Disturbances and the Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski.
• The Washingtonian is excited for the Festival!

What are you looking forward to in the Festival? Personally, I’m looking forward to Darin Strauss and his explosive novel More Than It Hurts You. You can listen to actor Gary Oldman reading an excerpt here.