Author Carolivia Herron will reading in the Sanctuary from her books for children ages 6 through adult.

Her new book, Always an Olivia, is the exciting tale of how the author’s Jewish ancestor, Sarah Shulamit, was stolen by pirates from Italy in 1805, and came to live with the Geechee African folk of the Georgia Sea Islands. Sarah Shulamit was rescued by U.S. Marines and by rabbis in Tripoli, Libya. Going even further back, Sarah’s ancestors were Sephardic Jews who were expelled from Spain and Portugal during the Spanish Inquisition in the 15th century.

Carolivia Herron is an African American Jew who tells lively tales of her African American and Jewish ancestors. She has received many awards for her fiction and children’s writing, and has taught literature and creative writing at Harvard University, the College of William and Mary, and the Jewish Study Center of Washington. Her children’s book, Nappy Hair, was the center of a national controversy about identity, and Always an Olivia continues her tradition of literary novelty with cultural diversity. In addition to giving talks on her own writings she gives presentations nationally on issues of diversity, African American oral epic, and Jewish African American identity.

Also, Carolivia will speak following services on Saturday.

Download a PDF with Saturday and Sunday's schedule for printing here.