THE YELLOW BIRD SINGS (Flatiron Books) is my debut novel. It tells the story of a Jewish mother and her child, in hiding for their lives during WW2. The novel is grounded in interviews, travel, and a great deal of historical research. I previously published a memoir, IF A TREE FALLS: A Family's Quest to Hear and Be Heard (Feminist Press), about raising my deaf daughters in a hearing, speaking world, and discovering genetic deafness in my family dating back to the 1800s. In both the novel and memoir, I explore themes of silence and sound, loneliness and connection. My short writings have appeared in The New York Times, The Massachusetts Review, The Forward, and elsewhere.
In addition to writing, I teach philosophy. I received my BA from Columbia University and my Ph.D. from Stanford University. I have taught at Stanford and at Mount Holyoke College. Currently, I teach the Bard-sponsored Clemente Course in the Humanities, a college-level course for women living in economic distress, at The Care Center in Holyoke, MA.