Missouri's Own Panel - JBF 26

 Come to the 2026 Jewish Book Festival’s Missouri’s Own panel for a lively, thought-provoking conversation with four homegrown authors whose books could hardly be more different—and whose questions could hardly be more timely. Prof. Flora Cassen’s Stained Glass helps readers look more clearly at the long history of antisemitism and the ways it has shaped culture and memory; Prof. Samuel Cohen’s Banning Books in America speaks to anyone trying to understand censorship, education, and intellectual freedom in today’s divided public square; Mark Heller’s Scoop Dreams & Rocky Roads offers hard-earned lessons from a life of work, ambition, and adaptation; and Debbie Kimberg’s A Blind Spot on Autism invites readers to reconsider what we think we know about autism and what might be driving its rise. Together, these four Missouri-connected authors offer an evening for people who want more than a standard book talk: come to make sense of difficult issues, discover new local voices, stretch your thinking across disciplines, and leave with fresh questions—and perhaps a few practical insights—for how we understand history, learning, resilience, health, and community today.