Note: The version of this story in the Aug. 30 print edition included information about a NCJW-St. Louis event with author and attorney Robbie Kaplan in September. That event has been postponed. As of Thursday afternoon, NCJW has not announced a new date for the event.

See you in September

‘Last week, I mentioned several events in September of special interest to the St. Louis Jewish community; no doubt about it, September is the month that keeps on giving.

Emmy Award-winning writer and comedienne, Monica Piper, brings her one-woman stand-up show, “Farmisht, Farklempt & Farblungit” to the Jewish Community Center as a special event for the New Jewish Theatre Sept. 9. A “Whine & Schmooze” pre-event will begin at 8 p.m. with Piper taking the stage in the Mirowitz Performing Arts Center at 8:15.

As artist-in-residence with the Jewish Women’s Theatre of Los Angeles, Piper performed her one-woman play, “Not That Jewish,” to sell-out crowds for 16 months in L.A., before taking it to Off Broadway for seven months. Her TV writing credits include “Roseanne” and “Mad About You” as well as head writer for the animated series “Rugrats” for which she won an Emmy. She also starred in her own Showtime special, “No, Monica, Just You”, and was nominated by the American Comedy Awards as one of the top five female comedians in the country.  

Tickets, at $45, include a complimentary drink and pre-show nosh while premium seating, at $65, gets a pre-show nosh plus a bottle of wine for the table. For tickets and information, call 314-442-3283 or go to newjewishtheatre.org.

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At 7 p.m. Sept. 12, Missouri State Representative Stacey Newman, D-Richmond Heights; Rev. Cassandra Gould, Pastor of Quinn Chapel AME Church and Rabbi Susan Talve of Central Reform Congregation will discuss Hillary Clinton’s new book, “What Happened” (Simon & Schuster, $30) at Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid Ave.

In her book, Clinton reveals what she was thinking and feeling during one of the most controversial and unpredictable presidential elections in history, according to press information. Free from the constraints of running, Clinton’s memoir takes readers inside the intense personal experience of becoming the first woman nominated for president by a major party in an election marked by rage, sexism, exhilarating highs and infuriating lows, stranger-than-fiction twists, Russian interference, and an opponent who broke all the rules. 

The event is free and open to the public. Books are available at Left Bank Books in advance or at the event; pre-order at left-bank.com/event/what-happened. For more information, call 314-367-6731.

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Speaking of Left Bank, the bookstore is co-hosting BookFest St. Louis in the Central West End Sept. 23. Festivalgoers will be able to enjoy panels highlighting contemporary literary fiction, poetry, memoir, science fiction, young adult fiction, mystery and history, as well as participate in family-friendly activities including book sales, literary crafts, live music and more. All BookFest St. Louis activities are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.

Two events that day have Jewish roots. A memoir panel with Anne Edelstein, veteran literary agent and author of the debut memoir “Lifesaving for Beginners,”  along with Kathleen Finneran and George Hodgman, takes place at 3:30 p.m. at 510 N. Euclid. Part memoir, part meditation on joy and grief, “Lifesaving for Beginners” should resonate with anyone who has ever struggled to come to terms with their parents, their siblings, their children, and their place in the world. Edelstein also wrote a widely read piece for Tablet magazine —“Blessing my Husband’s Stem Cells”—about what an innovative life-saving treatment taught her about life, time and religion. 

In addition, local attorney and author Michael Kahn, whose Rachel Gold mysteries have been featured in the Jewish Light, will be celebrating the release of his new mystery, “Played!,” during a solo event at 3 p.m. at Brennan’s, 4659 Maryland Ave.  You can read Bob Cohn’s review of the book at http://bit.ly/Played-Review.

Website for Jewish millennial women

Billed as a website for “ladies with chutzpah,” heyalma.com is hoping to appeal to Jewish millennial women wanting to talk about dating, relationships (both healthy and dysfunctional), work, TV-binging, food, culture, and the world around us. It draws its name, “Alma,” from a Hebrew word that means a woman of childbearing age who hasn’t yet had children.

Recent content so far includes “My Jewfro & I: A Complicated Love Story,” “All the Mary Kate & Ashley Movies Ranked” and “11 Pieces of Jewish Star Jewelry to Rock in the Face of Neo-Nazis.”

The site is part of 70 Faces Media, the parent company of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). Heyalma’s editor, Molly Tolsky, 30, says she thinks of it “more as a ‘Jew-ish’ – a blend of secular and Jewish content that addresses all aspects of a young woman’s life, geared to women who are not necessarily involved in Jewish organizations.”