An evening with Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman this Sunday in Palo Alto

The Oshman Family JCC presents famed literary couple, Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay) and his wife Ayelet Waldman (Love and Other Impossible Pursuits) in an evening of discussion. Mr. Chabon and Ms. Waldman are experts on various social issues such as motherhood, the societal expectations of women, Jewish identity, and parenting. The duo will come to Palo Alto to discuss these and other topics relating to their work. The discussion will take place at 7:30pm, Sunday, March 22, 2015 at the Oshman Family JCC- Schultz Cultural Arts Hall, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto.

Michael Chabon was catapulted into literary stardom after releasing his first novel, Mysteries of Pittsburgh, when he was just 25. He went on to publish several novels and short-story collections, including his acclaimed novel, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2001. The Chicago Tribune has said, “Chabon is a flat-out wonderful writer—evocative and inventive, pointed and poignant.” The Los Angeles Times Book Review also commented, “A loving craftsman and author of superb, seemingly alchemically-rendered sentences, Chabon has been producing pitch-perfect, at times even dazzling, fiction.” His most recent work is the 2012 novel Telegraph Avenue, which is described as “a modern ‘Middlemarch’ ” and centers on the entanglements of two families living in the Bay Area. His work is characterized by complex language and rich use of metaphor, and is frequently focused on the complexities of identity in the Jewish community.

Mr. Chabon has lectured widely on topics including the art and craft of writing, the tradition of Jewish fiction, and Vladimir Nabokov, among other topics. He has appeared before audiences throughout the United States and in Russia, Finland, Lithuania, Italy, France, Great Britain, Germany and Canada. He has spoken to the creative teams at Pixar Animation Studios about fantasy and childhood, to the employees of Industrial Light and Magic about the art of storytelling, and to many different literary, Jewish, and corporate organizations about a wide variety of topics. He has also worked as a writer for film and television, and co-wrote the screenplay for the 2004 film Spider-Man 2. Most recently, Mr. Chabon collaborated with acclaimed music producer Mark Ronson as lyricist on Ronson’s newest album Uptown Special.

Ayelet Waldman, a writer and former lawyer, is known for her series The Mommy-Track Mysteries, in addition to several other novels including Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, which was adapted into a film entitled The Other Woman, starring Natalie Portman. She is noted for her self-revelatory essays, and for her writing (both fiction and non-fiction) about the changing expectations of motherhood. Ms. Waldman also published The New York Times bestselling essay collection Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace. Ms. Waldman’s work often centers on the ideas surrounding the ever-evolving expectations of femininity and motherhood. Most recently, Ms. Waldman published Love and Treasure, a spellbinding novel that dives into the forgotten crimes of the Hungarian Gold Train in World War II.

The Oshman Family Jewish Community Center (OFJCC) on the Taube Koret Campus for Jewish Life serves the South Peninsula through educational, social, cultural, fitness, sports and other programs. The OFJCC is a multi-generational Jewish neighborhood where all are welcome and which fosters new personal and community connections through rich and rewarding experiences. The OFJCC provides a common ground for Jewish institutions, other local groups, organizations and individuals to work, learn and play together for the betterment of the whole community. The OFJCC’s registered trademark is Live Fully®.

For tickets and more information visit www.paloaltojcc.org/chabonwaldman or call (650) 223-8664.