Celebrate Earth Month with Lea Redmond: Our Friend Earth

Happy Earth Month! It’s time to give our planet the recognition it deserves. And as a publisher who’s committed to sustainability, it’s incredibly important to us to steward conversations about eco-consciousness. In celebration, we’re excited to chat with Lea Redmond, author of Our Friend Moon and upcoming release, Our Friend Earth. Check out Publishing Assistant Brooke Shannon’s conversation with Redmond below.   Q: Our Friend Earth is the sequel to your award-winning series, Full Circle Books. What inspired you to write this follow-up? Oh gosh, I’d do the whole solar system if I could! After beginning with the Moon, the...

Behind the Book: The Schlemiel Kids Save the Moon

I grew up hearing my rabbi and Sunday school teachers tell stories. Some of my favorites were silly folktales of the ironically named “Wise Men” of Chelm, a town populated entirely by fools. When I had children, I wanted to share these Jewish and Yiddish stories and humor with them. But when I went back to original retellings, set in a far-off time and place, I realized my young sons would have a hard time connecting. So I thought, How would this story play out from the perspective of children in a modern-day Chelm? To update the folktale, I stripped...

Celebrate Women’s History Month | Boss Beauty

Happy Women’s History Month! This month—and every other month—we're committed to highlighting the valuable contributions of women as well as empowering women to write their own narratives, on their own terms.  In celebration, we’re excited to introduce Lisa Mayer, co-founder and CEO of Boss Beauties, and author of Boss Beauty: Inspiration to Be Everything You Want. Check out Publishing Assistant Brooke Shannon’s conversation with Mayer below. What inspired you to start writing Boss Beauty?  Early on in my entrepreneurial career, I almost gave up on my dream of building my own business. I found myself with just $7 left in...

Publishing The Jewish Experience

When I founded the Collective Book Studio in 2019, my vision wasn’t to specifically highlight Jewish voices. Yet, as we began to build our title list, far too often, we heard from Jewish authors about the limitations and biases within the publishing industry: “The book is too niche.” “This book pertains to a more academic crowd.”  “University presses publish Jewish authors.”  “Your platform and voice would only work at a Jewish publisher.”  “Trade publishing tends to publish Jewish stories that focus on the Holocaust, WWII, or certain holiday themes.”  For this reason, we began to seek out and publish Jewish...

New Year, New Habits

Happy New Year! With each turn around the sun comes the perfect time to reflect and reset. Reflection leads to clarity and clarity leads to action. Action will lead to a year that’s filled with promise, inspiration, and joy. 2024 is your clean slate—like a brand new journal—to decide the story you want to write. To start this new year off right, here are 4 exercises—straight from my journal, Reflect and Reset—to help you reflect and reset: Reflect. Look back at your 2023 calendar and highlight the meetings, conversations, or gatherings that bring a smile to your face. List them...

Dress Your Holiday Table with Lauren Thomas

Are you entertaining for the holiday season? Well, you’re in luck! Welcome Lauren Thomas, author of The Modern Hippie Table, as she demonstrates the perfect, holiday-themed tablescape. Read her tips below & create stunning surroundings for the people you love. Whether you’re gathering indoors or outdoors this Thanksgiving, there’s one tried and true way to style your table––with a beautiful bounty of in-season fruits and veggies. LINENS & TABLEWARE If you have a beautiful wood or rustic table, show it off by using minimal linens and sans chargers. Line the table with a fringed neutral-colored runner with matching or similar-toned napkins....