As the executive director of the Jewish Book Council for over 20 years, Carolyn Starman Hessel has been called the “Jewish Oprah.” She helped launch the careers of writers such as Nathan Englander, Jonathan Safran Foer, Francesca Segal and Dara Horn. Most of all, she made a small Jewish organization into a powerhouse of the…
Naomi Firestone-Teeter will be the new director of the Jewish Book Council, the Forward has learned. Firestone-Teeter, previously the associate director of the organization, will take over from Carolyn Starman Hessel, who led the Jewish Book Council for more than 20 years. “She will do a wonderful job,” Hessel said of Firestone-Teeter. “She’s been exemplary…
(JTA) — When Carolyn Starman Hessel joined the New York-based Jewish Book Council in 1994 – at the request of friend Marsha Posner – she knew nothing about the publishing world. Since then, she’s been called the “Jewish Oprah” for her ability to help authors find audiences, and has enjoyed enormous clout and influence among…
In celebration of Jewish Book Month, The Arty Semite has partnered with the Jewish Education Service of North America (JESNA) and the Jewish Book Council to present “30 Days, 30 Texts,” a series of reflections by community leaders on the books that influenced their Jewish journeys. Today, Jewish Book Council director Carolyn Starman Hessel concludes…
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