Organizing Next Literary Event

We are now moving on to the next literary event, which happens to be in June. I have been contacting  publicists for possible donations for our literary event in June. The publicists have been receptive.  I can't wait to see the faces when they see the books I have received. I can't believe it myself.

Our literary event has been so successful in the Jewish community this year. I am amazed how it started. When I started this, it was only a idea. I did not think it would grow as it has.  We started with 15 people that included some of us from the book club.  Then this year we had almost 50 people. We had to turn people away. For our June event, it was going to be low keyed, a women's event. Since the book, we picked was women's fiction. I got a message from one of our attendees that he was upset because he could no longer come.  I did not think any men would want to come. I had to change it from Literary Ladies Night Out, to Night Out with Rabbi Debbie.

We will be discussing the novel, Sinners and the Sea by Rebecca Kanner.  Rabbi Debbie will be talking about the mysteries of Noah's Wife. I originally did these literary events for my book club. Then I decided to open it up to others if they were interested. After I started that I then begain the Jewish Grand Strand Reads.

I think many people did not know what to expect from the literary events. So, now spreading the word through friends has helped us grow as well.  The reason I started the group because we don't have access to authors down south without a high price tag. I thought of the closest best thing,  gathering of readers.  We eventually want to have a author come here, we first have to raise funds, or have someone who has backing to support us. Who knows, maybe in a few years when we can build up a large following.

During this time, with work and school, I have been lucky to be able to organize, and prepare for our event. The most time consuming was the emails to the publicists. I thought would take a few minutes ended up taking the entire day.  At the same time I am deciding on a selection of books for our next community read in March.

Our community is very different from up north. They like to read books that are entertaining. If you learn something from reading that is great, if not that is great too. That is the reason for fiction, rather than non-fiction. We think after a couple more years than we can try the non-fiction. After building our selves up we don't want to loose people.  Especially after the wonderful book, The Golem and the Jinni. It seems that people like to read great story telling, with multi-layered characters, Here are the books we have come up with so far, if new ones come out before June we may add it.
So far:

The Guide for the Perplexed
 by Dara Horn










                                         

The Lion Seeker
 by Kenneth Bonert

Love & Treasure
By Ayelet Waldman










It's just too bad that I love doing this so much that I don't get paid. I realize this would be the best job. Since I love doing it so much. People want events like this up north, but not down in Myrtle Beach, S. C. I realize I got my calling late. I would have loved to work in the publishing industry. I love promoting books, and the authors. It is a bit late now, " midlife crisis". So I continue to do what I love to do, this way.