Recent and Upcoming Events
On March 17, 2024, I'm honored to be participating in:
A Taste of Jewish Writers To register, please go to: https://ohavizedek.org/event/a-taste-of-vt-jewish-writers/ Hope you can make it! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - On February 18, 2024, I'll be leading this workshop: Winter Poetry Walk: The Road Less Travelled Come join us for a mindful nature walk along the new Bombardier Park trails, Milton, Vermont. We will soak up the beauty of our surroundings, use our senses to connect to the environment, and find inspiration to write poetry. Upon returning to the Municipal Building, we will have an opportunity to share observations, poetry, and hot cocoa! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Happy Birthday, 37! A HUGE thank you to all of you who have supported 37: attended book events (I hope there will be more live ones this coming year), interviewed me, invited me to book club meetings, bought and read 37, so kindly contacted me with your feedback, and left reviews. Here are a few excerpts: “Beautifully written, 37 creates a world you are sorry to leave, with characters who feel like old friends. Highly recommended!” “This book is compelling, relatable, joyful at times, incredibly sad in others. And I loved it.” “Everything about this novel touches my heart. The characters are so realistic--full of flaws and beautiful triumphs--and their stories could be anybody's story. All the writing is stellar. A definite page turner!” “What an amazing book!...Through 37, I went on an adventure that spanned many different and intriguing cultures, and yet also showed our shared humanity: our struggles, our insecurities, our desire for connection and love. My heart was touched, I cried, I laughed out loud, I learned new things…all the things you hope a good novel will do!” “37 has a similar feel to Eat, Pray, Love (which I loved), but in addition, inspired me to think about the struggles people endure, and how those from different backgrounds have been culturally oppressed throughout time. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey.” "Joy Cohen has captured a particular year of both hope and despair, the great escape from the hardships of life in the Depression through the promise of the Golden Gate Bridge and the freedom of the Whale ... An intimate look at oppression, the ways peoples’ identities are used against them, and the will to overcome the challenges of the human condition. No more; no less: A great story!" —John Hilferty, recipient of a Pulitzer Prize "Beautifully written. What I admire most are the characters: Emma, Señor Haube, Vitale and his family, most of all Teo—a great creation. The details and images are fresh and sharp. The historical background rings true. The sentences are strong and elegant, and Cohen’s affection for her people comes shining through". —Howard Frank Mosher, recipient of a Guggenheim, a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, A Vermont’s Governor’s Award, NAACP award, and a New England Book Award Read the synopsis of 37 here! Watch the 37 book trailer here! 37 is now available through your local independent bookstores! And... Amazon - Barnes&Noble - Chapters - Book Depository - Waterstones - Books a Million More Reviews on Goodreads here! Some Past Events: Shelagh Connor Shapiro interviewed me for her excellent podcast, Write the Book: Conversations on Craft Listen to the lively podcast here! Throughout the month of November, 2021, an interview with me, hosted by the wonderful Melinda Moulton, was aired on On the Waterfront with Melinda, CCTV Channel 17: www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/interview-joy-cohen-educator-writer-and-author I am humbled that the Writers Guild Initiative posted TWO interviews with me! Please see them here: writersguildinitiative.org/interview-with-wgi-workshop-participant-joy-cohen/ writersguildinitiative.org/interview-with-wgi-workshop-participant-joy-cohen-on-the-publication-of-her-book-37/ Exploring the Jewish Experience through Creativity, with Joy Cohen Click here for more information. In-person event! Meet Vermont playwright and author Joy Cohen and enjoy a reading and Q&A about her newly published and highly praised novel, 37, "inventive literary fiction combined with contemporary and historical fiction, think Cloud Atlas meets Eat, Pray, Love." The Middlebury Inn, 16 Court Square, Middlebury, VT Friday, October 15 5:30 pm Free Virtual Event! I'm honored to have been invited to present at the Louisville Book Festival on October 22-23! Tune in all weekend for amazing authors and presentations. I will be reading on the 23rd from 2:50-3:05. More information here! We had a wonderful Virtual Book Launch Celebration, Wednesday, September 29 and an inspiring Group Launch with other Guernica authors on October 3! Information and Registration here: www.phoenixbooks.biz/event/joy-cohen-37 |
I was commissioned by the wonderful Theatre Kavanah to write a play about the multifaceted, many layered, compelling story of The Lost Shul Mural, painted by Lithuanian immigrant Ben Zion Black in 1910. Of the Better Kind was performed as an enhanced staged reading May 19-21 2017. I was also a grateful recent recipient of a Burlington City Arts Community Fund grant, which helped support several public events related to my play. Here's some of the great press we received:
Seven Days NBC 5 Burlington Free Press Of the Better Kind is currently out on submission to theater companies around the country. |
ANNA'S JOURNAL:
I'm in the process of trying to assemble a team of folks with creative and financial expertise to get the film version of Anna's Journal produced and eventually marketed. If you have an interest in joining us, or have any recommendations, please contact me. Here are links to some articles about the World Premiere of Anna's Journal, presented as a staged production: Seven Days Burlington Free Press |