Bestselling author Beth Kander will read from her novel I Made It Out Of Clay, then discuss its strange origin and the real-life story of how a year after writing about grief (with a golem), she found herself in a hauntingly similar situation. What does Judaism have to say about grief—and about humor? How can stories help remind us who we are when our identity feels tenuous? And why does dropping a monster into the middle of the mess make it easier to talk about? Join Lehrhaus Community Engagement Manager Lindsay Flammey Furman and author Beth Kander for a conversation about the book, the topics it tackles, and what it all has to do with Jewish pop culture site Hey Alma!

Books will be available for purchase at the class!

Beth Kander is a bestselling novelist with tangled roots in the Midwest and Deep South. The granddaughter of immigrants, her work often explores how worlds old and new intertwine—or collide. Described as a “genre-defying author and playwright” (Oxford American), her work has been called “riveting” and “habit-forming.” A 2024-2025 Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellow, Beth holds degrees from Brandeis University (BA), the University of Michigan (MSW), and Mississippi University for Women (MFA), where she now serves as visiting faculty. She lives in Chicagoland with her very favorite characters: her husband, their two children, and a giant rescue dog named Oz. Visit her website here.

Lindsay Flammey Furman (she/her) is a lifelong lover of Jewish learning. Her professional journey as a Jewish educator has encompassed a wide variety of Jewish settings including University of Miami Hillel, Temple Beth Elohim (Wellesley, MA), Schechter Boston, and now Lehrhaus. Lindsay approaches learning, studying, and teaching as a relationship-based endeavor, both with her chevruta and with the text itself. In addition to taking delight in parsing and translating Biblical Hebrew texts, Lindsay finds joy in playing disc golf, reading a good book, and going for long walks with her husband and dog.