George and Lillian Sandals were early and very active members of BSBI, firm believers in adult education and lovers of good books.  When they died, their sons established a fund to help sponsor an author for this annual event.

This year’s guest lecturer is author S. J. Schwaidelson. She is New York born and now living in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. Schwaidelson is a novelist, current events blogger, playwright, and occasional midrashist. 
 
Currently, she has 3 novels out: Dream Dancer, about PhD candidate Leah Fine, during her field work in Peru; Lingua Galactica, a science fiction tale about Lt. Sara Jane Rothko-Krieg, a linguist who has chosen to serve in space; and The Pomegranate, a story set against the backdrop of the Third Crusade, a time when Jews and Muslims fought against a common enemy. Each novel is about a strong Jewish woman facing major challenges on her chosen path.
 
Schwaidelson’s blog, “The Wifely Person Speaks,” has been around since 2010, and is read globally. She continues to publish her take on current events, politics, and the art of the ridiculous late on Monday nights. And if that’s not enough, you can find her take on Tanach in “Midrash State of Mind.” Both can be found on Blogger:

    • wifelyperson.blogspot.com
    • midrashstateofmind.blogspot.com
 
Her website, S. J. Schwaidelson: The Author Is In, is devoted to all things writing-related and can be found at sjschwaidelson.com

For the lecture, she will be discussing her latest book, The Pomegranate. She will join us for dessert and lecture at 7:30 pm on April 1.