Nina B. Lichtenstein Archives

Relative Strangers: Inheritance, Identity, and the Meaning of Kinship

Apr 11, 2026 | Anthology, Featured, Memoir

DNA testing and evolving adoption laws are blowing up family secrets. This groundbreaking anthology, curated by B.K. Jackson, with a foreword by Libby Copeland, features 28 intimate essays by acclaimed and emerging writers that probe the profound impact of encountering unknown close relatives. These poignant stories demonstrate the healing power of truth at the same time they raise the question: what does it mean to be family?

Manna Songs: Stories of Jewish Culture & Heritage

Aug 13, 2025 | Anthology, Award Winner, New Release

Manna Songs: Stories of Jewish Culture & Heritage is a stunning anthology of 32 powerful essays celebrating Jewish joy. Set in New England, Los Angeles, Seattle; across oceans in Israel, Norway, Spain; in synagogues of youth, forests, and seder tables, its stories, like manna in the desert of our ancestors, sustain body and soul.

Awakenings

Jul 31, 2023 | Anthology, Award Winner, Essays

What happens when 49 authors sit down to craft their experiences of living in a body? Magic! Curated by Diane Gottlieb, with a foreword by Gayle Brandeis, Awakenings: Stories of Bodies & Consciousness is truly a magical anthology of short essays, filled with trauma and triumph; pleasures and pain; challenges, resilience, and growth.