Tucson Festival of Books

Jessica Elisheva Emerson (she, her)


Jessica Elisheva Emerson is a native Tucsonan who spent 22 years in Los Angeles before returning to the Sonoran desert where she lives with her husband and children. She comes to the festival with "Olive Days," her debut novel. Her poems and stories have been published in a number of journals, and she is also a produced playwright. Ask her about pie, her challah-braiding technique, or the recipe for a perfect Old Fashioned.       

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Communities: Arizona Author, Tucsonan


Scheduled events:
Unveiling Desire
Join Jessica Elisheva Emerson, Eowyn Ivey, and R.O. Kwon as they discuss stories that delve into the complexities of women’s desires — artistic, romantic, and spiritual — challenging societal expectations and illuminating the paths toward autonomy and fulfillment.

Modern Languages Room 350 (Seats 318, Wheelchair accessible)  View this venue on the Festival map
Sat, Mar 15, 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Fiction / Literature
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - Central Mall (following presentation)  View this venue on the Festival map

Panelists: Jessica Elisheva Emerson, Eowyn Ivey, R.O. Kwon
Moderator: Anne Gardner
Paths Taken: Women’s Lives, Choices, and Legacies
Join authors Marjan Kamali, Jessica Elisheva Emerson, and Daniel Lavery as they delve into the resilience, struggles, and transformative decisions of women navigating complex cultural, emotional, and societal landscapes.

Koffler Room 218 (Seats 142, Wheelchair accessible)  View this venue on the Festival map
Sun, Mar 16, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Fiction / Literature
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - UA Campus Store Tent (on Mall) (following presentation)  View this venue on the Festival map

Panelists: Jessica Elisheva Emerson, Marjan Kamali, Daniel Lavery
Moderator: Meredith Amadee
Workshop: Learn Good Steamy Writing
We all know a bad lusty scene when we cringe-read one, but what makes it so awful? Let's discuss how to craft desire and lust to draw readers in. We will review hilariously clumsy examples and successful scenes from literary fiction, to identify what works and what doesn't. Content warning: Explicit content.

Integrated Learning Center Room 119 (Seats 60)  View this venue on the Festival map
Sun, Mar 16, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Fiction / Literature
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - Integrated Learning Center (following presentation)  View this venue on the Festival map

Panelist: Jessica Elisheva Emerson

Book:
Olive Days
A Novel
Fiction / Literature
Catapult
September 2024
ISBN 9781640096530
320 pages

Olive Days is a completely immersive novel, unlike anything I've read. We're in so deep with Rina, as she navigates the complicated restraints of her Orthodox Jewish community, that every meal, every walk, every discovery of her possible choices feels immediate. More/less