About this talk

When American-born Jennifer falls in love with French-born Philippe during the First Intifada in Israel, she understands their relationship isn't perfect. Both 23, both Jewish, they lead very different lives: she's a secular tourist, he's an observant immigrant. Despite their opposing outlooks on two fundamental issues—country and religion—they are determined to make it work. For the next 20 years, they root and uproot their growing family, each longing for a singular place to call home. In Places We Left Behind, Jennifer puts her marriage under a microscope, examining commitment and compromise, faith and family while moving between prose and poetry, playing with language and form, daring the reader to read between the lines.

Distributed through Ingram, the book is available on Vine Leaves Press store, Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, and more.

You can read more and order the book here: https://israelwriterstudio.com/book-places-we-left-behind/

About the Author

Jennifer Lang is an American-French-Israeli writer who explores identity, language, and home. While raising her children in the San Francisco Bay Area during the early internet boom, she worked as a copy editor and content writer for companies like BabyCenter and PlanetRx. However, her true passion was seeing her own byline in print, which she achieved with articles in Parenting, Parents, Scholastic, Woman's Day, and Real Simple.

In the early 2000s, Jennifer became fascinated by personal essays and pursued creative nonfiction, earning an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Guided by her mentors, she continues to write from a rich, multicultural perspective.