MCC News
Award-winning Author of Holocaust-themed Books to Speak at MCC (10/30/2019)
Student-organized event commemorates Kristallnacht
BRIGHTON, N.Y. – Oct. 30, 2019 – Award-winning author Jane Yolen will talk about her Holocaust-themed books and the importance of continuing to tell stories of the Holocaust at Monroe Community College’s 28th annual Kristallnacht Program at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6, on MCC’s Brighton Campus, 1000 E. Henrietta Road.
Yolen will discuss the interviews she conducted to write her books, including the critically acclaimed historical fiction novel “The Devil’s Arithmetic.” The novel is about a Jewish girl who is transported back in time to 1942 Poland, during World War II, where she is sent to a work camp and learns the importance of knowing about the past.
The program is organized by student leaders of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Project (HGHRP) at MCC. Each year, HGHRP remembers Kristallnacht, or "The Night of Broken Glass," to emphasize that the lessons of the past have contemporary obligations. Kristallnacht marked the start of the Holocaust throughout Germany and Austria in 1938.
Yolen’s talk will be held in the MCC Theatre in the Robin and Tim Wentworth Arts Building. Tickets are required (free with MCC ID and for ages 12 and under; $7 general public) and are available at www.monroecctickets.com, the Flynn Campus Center Service Desk on the Brighton Campus, and the Downtown Campus Bookstore. Parking is provided in lot F.
About Jane Yolen
A New York City native, Jane Yolen was a toddler when her father joined the Army and was shipped off to England for World War II. Her father served as head of ABSIE, a radio broadcasting station set up by the allies to counter Nazi propaganda, until he was wounded in the buzz bombs and came home a hero.
Yolen grew up “writing up a fury,” she said – from creating a newspaper for her apartment neighbors to serving as a news editor in high school. After graduating from Smith College, she became an editor in New York City while devoting her lunch breaks, evenings and weekends to write. She sold her first book on her 22nd birthday. She later earned a master’s degree in education from University of Massachusetts.
Yolen’s books, stories and poems have received numerous awards, including the Caldecott Medal, World Fantasy Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Association of Jewish Libraries Award, and the Catholic Libraries Medal. Six colleges and universities have given her honorary doctorates for her body of work.
She has written over 375 books for children and adults.
Media Contact:
Hency Yuen-Eng
Government and Community Relations
585-292-3063
hyuen-eng@monroecc.edu