Our friends at Beth Temple Israel present a Sunday Morning Seminar featuring Alyson Richman and Shaunna Edwards, authors of The Thread Collectors, in conversation with "The Good Book Fairy," Lauren Margolin.  This program is free, but registration is required. The Book Stall will be on hand to sell books, and Ms. Richman and Ms. Edwards will be happy to sign your copy!

CLICK HERE to register.

More About the Book: It's 1863 and in a small Creole cottage in New Orleans, an ingenious young Black woman named Stella embroiders intricate maps on repurposed cloth to help enslaved men flee and join the Union Army. Bound to a man who would kill her if he knew of her clandestine activities, Stella has to hide not only her efforts but her love for William, a Black soldier and a brilliant musician. Meanwhile, in New York City, a Jewish woman stitches a quilt for her husband, who is stationed in Louisiana with the Union Army. Between abolitionist meetings, Lily rolls bandages and crafts quilts with her sewing circle for other soldiers, too, hoping for their safe return home. But when months go by without word from her husband, Lily resolves to make the perilous journey South to search for him. As these two women risk everything for love and freedom during the brutal Civil War, their paths converge in New Orleans, where an unexpected encounter leads them to discover that even the most delicate threads have the capacity to save us. Loosely inspired by the authors' family histories, this stunning novel will stay with readers for a long time.

More About the Authors: Shaunna Edwards has a BA in literature from Harvard College and a JD from NYU School of Law. A former corporate lawyer, she now works in diversity, equity and inclusion. She is a native Louisianian, raised in New Orleans, and currently lives in Harlem with her husband. The Thread Collectors is her first novel.

Alyson Richman is the USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of several historical novels, including The Velvet Hours, The Garden of Letters, and The Lost Wife, which is currently in development for a major motion picture. Alyson graduated from Wellesley College with a degree in art history and Japanese studies. She is an accomplished painter and her novels combine her deep love of art, historical research, and travel. Alyson's novels have been published in twenty-five languages and have reached bestseller lists both in the United States and abroad. She lives on Long Island with her husband and two children, where she is currently at work on her next novel. 

More About the Moderator: Lauren Margolin, known as "The Good Book Fairy," gets great joy in recommending books and sharing her love for the written word with other readers. She grew up in Potomac, Maryland, went to Indiana University, and for a few exciting years lived and worked in Chicago. She now lives in the northern suburbs of Chicago with her amazing family and Quincy, her empty nester dog, and Owen, her pandemic puppy. Besides reading and sharing recommendations on her The Good Book Fairy blog, she leads book discussion groups, interviews authors, moderates author panels and speaks about all things bookish for libraries, charities, civic groups and more. Additionally, she sits on the board of directors for The Lauri S. Bauer Foundation for Sudden Loss.