Hanna Perlstein Marcus's Blog, page 4

Springfield Dressmaker Subject of Books…Featured in Exhibit

Thanks Cori Urban, freelance reporter for the Springfield Republican, for the great article about my reasons for writing my books about growing up in Springfield, Mass. and my recent honors. My intention was to elevate my mother and those with whom I grew up in Springfield’s North End. You can see the article here.

Jewish Ledger Cites Vernon Author

My thanks to the Jewish Ledger for publishing an article about my recent Gold Medal award in the 2018 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards Competition. I’m flattered by the quotes and comments in the article and especially the mention of the museum exhibit of my mother, Sidonia’s, clothing designs at the Windham Textile and History Museum, beginning February 8 and extending until April 28, 2019. You can read the article here. 

BookLife Prize Semi-Finals

Thanks to the BookLife Prize for judging Sidonia’s Thread as a semi-finalist for the BookLife Prize. As one of thirty titles to advance to this level out of almost one thousand entries, I am truly honored. Congrats to the 2018 winner of the prize, Michael F. Stewart, author of Ray vs. the Meaning of Life. The following are the kind comments by the BookLife reviewer of Sidonia’s Thread, rating it an overall 9.75 out of 10:

Plot: This memoir is almost perfectly plotted. The only issue is the ending, which drags on a bit too long with an epilogue and end notes.

Prose: The prose here is as excellent as the storytelling. A pleasure to read.

Originality: The author has crafted a compelling, emotional, and original story.

Character Development: The author has created vivid and memorable characters. Over the course of the book, the daughter comes to understand the mother in a way that will be rewarding for readers.

Descendants of the Shoah Conference

My gratitude to the “Descendants of the Shoah” conference for having me as a guest author at their event last month. It was my pleasure to appear along with moderator, Pat Kazakoff, and to meet other authors, speakers, and attendees. Most of the attendees were offspring of Holocaust survivors and had inspiring stories to tell. For a first of its kind conference in New England, it set a high standard, which makes me look forward to future similar events!

Temple Beth-El, Providence, R.I.

Thanks to my friends Bob and Elaine Sandy, who hosted me in Providence, Rhode Island for my book talk with the Temple Beth-El Reading Circle. Book clubs are probably my most favorite venue to talk about my books. I know they have all read the chosen book and come with insightful questions and comments. Bob and I met when we were small children just before we boarded a ship to take us on our journey to America and we remain good friends today!

Indie Authors Day

Thanks to Jennifer Bartlett and everyone at the Mary Cheney Library in Manchester, CT for a very stimulating Indie Authors Day. Not only was it an opportunity to meet some great fellow authors representing many book genres, but also to share our comments about writing with a very interested audience.

Readers’ Favorite International Book Contest Gold Medal

 Sidonia’s Thread has won the 2018 Gold Medal for Memoir in the Readers’ Favorite International Book Competition. Thank you to Readers’ Favorite for choosing Sidonia’s Thread as the Gold Medal Winner. It is a real honor!

Enfield Public Library

I had a great experience at the Enfield, CT Public Library, where I performed one of my first presentations after the publication of Sidonia’s Thread. The audience was just as good as my first one in every way. They could not have been more supportive or interactive. It was so nice to see some Springfield natives with whom I grew up in the audience who had their own remembrances of their childhoods to share. Thanks to librarian Lisa Sprague for making it happen! I look forward to returning to the library in the future!

Noah Webster Library

Many thanks to everyone at the Noah Webster Library in West Hartford, CT for their wonderful welcome! The audience was very attentive, supportive, and so comfortable to be around. It was a wonderful group. Special thanks to Maura Beaudreault of the library staff who provided great coordination for my talk. I hope to be invited again.

Springfield Council of Jewish Women Scholarship Breakfast

Hanna appeared at the recent breakfast for the new recipients of the Springfield Council of Jewish Women Scholarship with some words about the importance of community helpers to assist a student realize her dream of a college education. Without them, there would have been no college for me, so I owe them so much for any success I may have attained in my life. See the article in the Springfield Republican here.