Jennifer Lang
Author Interview - Jennifer Lang
Author of Places We Left Behind: a memoir-in-miniature
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.
Author Interview - Jennifer Lang
Author I draw inspiration from:
Amy Krouse Rosenthal -- may she rest in peace -- Encyclopedia of an ordinary life (2005)
Author Interview - Jennifer Lang | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
On my yoga mat, on the floor, on my back, with my legs up the living room wall
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Dorothea Lange, the photographer who moved from NY to SF in 1918 and is the protagonist in Jasmine Darznik's The Bohemians; I'd strike up conversation by asking Dorothea about her camera and she'd invite me to her store to see her work
Author Interview - Jennifer Lang | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
Alone, in the car, driving from Goucher College in MD back home to White Plains, NY after a week-long Creative Nonfiction writing conference and the entire table of contents came to me
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
Hardback: substantial and impressive but heavy to hold and impractical to read/carry/pack/travel
Paperback: some covers so beautiful they make me think of wine labels
ebooks: best for packing and taking on a trip but also easy to misplace
audiobook: I'd rather read than listen and reserve my listening time for podcasts
The last book I read:
All the Broken Pieces by John Boyne: covers three different timeframes, flipping back and forth, each one revealing more of the protagonist's backstory, each ending on a cliffhanger that makes you want to know what happened.
Author Interview - Jennifer Lang | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Laptop all the way. Writing by hand makes my fingers cramp and impossible to read.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Nora Krug in her illustrated memoir Belonging because she is curious and creative and an out-of-the-box writer
Author Interview - Jennifer Lang | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
A book group leader, literary hostess, both of which seem impossible since I live in a non-English speaking country and I prefer in-person to virtual contact
Favorite decade in fashion history:
1920s with the simple lines and androgenous looks like the flapper
Place I’d most like to travel:
Morocco to walk in the Atlas Mountains, roll down the dunes in the Sahara desert, visit The Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech, shop in the souks in Fez
My signature drink:
Earl Grey tea with milk
Favorite artist:
The Jerusalem Youth Chorus: a choral and dialogue program for Palestinian and Israeli youth in Jerusalem whose mission is to provide a space for these young people from East and West Jerusalem to grow together in song and dialogue in English, Hebrew, and Arabic
Number one on my bucket list:
This is not concrete and feels impossible but I want to see/find/experience true peace in the Middle East in my lifetime
Find more from the author:
instagram.com/jenlangwrites
facebook.com/jenlangwrites
facebook.com/israelwriterstudio
Author Bio:
Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jennifer Lang lives in Tel Aviv, where she runs Israel Writers Studio. Her prize-winning essays appear in Baltimore Review, Under the Sun, Midway Journal, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is an Assistant Editor at Brevity. She runs Israel Writers Studio and practices/teaches yoga. Her award-winning Places We Left Behind: a memoir-in-miniature will be followed by Landed: A yogi's memoir in pieces & poses (10/15/2024) both with Vine Leaves Press.
