The Jewish Public Library Announces NEW Writer in Residence with Author and Playwright Emil Sher

February 19, 2024 (Montreal, QC): The Jewish Public Library (JPL) is pleased to announce a brand-new Writer in Residence (WIR) program! This program has been created to provide writers with a supportive environment for their creative endeavors. It enriches the cultural landscape of the Library while offering patrons opportunities to engage with new texts, programs, and events that promote literacy and artistic expression. 

Our inaugural WIR is author and playwright Emil Sher. As JPL’s WIR Emil will write weekly letters to his daughters based on quotes by Abraham Joshua Heschel. An esteemed rabbi, theologian and philosopher, Heschel has been noted for his ‘spiritual audacity’ and as a social change agent who practiced ‘radical amazement.’

Emil said, “After more than a century, the Jewish Public Library is more than just a venerable institution. It is an open-ended invitation to engage our minds, whether we are nine or ninety.  As Writer in Residence, I am deeply honoured to contribute to the Library’s vital role in enriching community, fostering timely conversations, and offering a doorway into the world that every book holds.” 

Born and raised in Montreal, Emil studied at McGill (B.A) and Concordia (M.A) and has carved out a career as a writer with broad interests, whose works have been translated into French, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Slovak, Russian, Turkish, and Danish. His debut young adult novel, Young Man with Camera, was awarded the Vine Award for Canadian Jewish Literature, and was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award. His adaptation of Hannah’s Suitcase by Karine Levine has been staged across Canada and the US. His most recent picture book, I Love You More, was illustrated by Barbara Reid and was a bestseller shortly after its release.

Once a month, Emil will offer programming at the library for members of all ages, ranging from a behind-the-scenes look at how a novel or stage play is stitched together, to writing sessions where participants will have the opportunity to put pen to paper and express themselves.

Emil’s first program Ignite Minds, Not Books is coming up on Tuesday, February 20, 2024 at 5:30 PM. Offered in both English and French, Emil will lead participants in an interactive discussion about the history of censorship and how it relates to us today. This event is free to attend, both in person and via webinar at the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85465473887. Funding to seed the writer in residence program has been generously provided by the Jewish Community Foundation.

Click here more information, and to see a short video from Emil himself.

About the Jewish Public Library

Since 1914, the Jewish Public Library has been supporting literacy, education, and the well-being of its diverse communities. Through its collections and programmes, the JPL provides access to information and knowledge, literature, and Judaica, both in-person and virtually. Through its Archives, it sustains, protects, and enables research about the Montreal Jewish Communities’ historical and cultural heritages.

For more information on the Jewish Public Library, please visit www.jewishpubliclibrary.org.

For further information, please contact:
Anna Bedic
Director of Marketing, Communications and Education
[email protected]