A Book Talk with Elisa Bernick

Elisa Bernick is an award-winning writer and journalist. She will read from her book Departure Stories: Betty Crocker Made Matzoh Balls (and other lies) and discuss how to overcome trauma by intentionally reconstructing the stories and memories we tell ourselves about the past.

“We weren't religious per se. The most frequent mention of God in our house was my mother yelling 'Goddammit!'" 

Author Elisa Bernick grew up "different" (i.e., Jewish) in the white, Christian suburb of New Hope, Minnesota, during the 1960s and early 1970s. Deftly interweaving archival material, memoir, jokes, scrapbook fragments, personal commentary, and one very special Waikiki Meatballs recipe, Departure Stories: Betty Crocker Made Matzoh Balls (and other lies) explores how the invisible baggage of place and memory, Minnesota's uniquely antisemitic history, and the cultural shifts of feminism and changing marital expectations contributed to her family's eventual implosion.

Admission: $200Mx and $150Mx for members. Please pay at the door.
Doors open at 3:30 p.m. Wine and refreshments will be available.