The series this year will continue to explore the most updated, diverse, innovative, creative, and fascinating Israeli Voices. The series will be inaugurated with a presentation entitled Hunting in America: Writing at the Intersection of Gender, Work and Violence. In this lecture Tehila Hakimi will introduce her new novel Hunting in America (Penguin, 2025), an award-winning, thrillingly subversive novel about an Israeli woman who moves to America, takes up hunting, and is drawn into a world of predator, prey, and dark attraction. In her work Hakimi explores the links between capitalism, workplace power dynamics, and femininity. By examining the impacts of migration, weaponry, and war, she reveals how these themes intersect with the cultural narratives of both American and Israeli cultures.
The event will take place on Thursday, September 18, 2025, at 8:00 PM in Frank Center for Public Affairs (PAC) Room 100 (238 Church Street). Hors d’oeuvre reception from 7:30-8:00 PM (same location)
In the second presentation, Iddo Geffen, a writer and neurocognitive researcher at Columbia University, will explore How the Brain Understands Stories. The talk will explore how narratives shape memory, decision-making, and our perception of reality. The audience will dive into the brain’s mechanisms for processing stories, the link between fiction and lived experience, and how storytelling can influence our emotions and beliefs. Through examining scientific insights and literary examples, the speaker will uncover a deep connection between storytelling and the human mind.
The event will take place on Thursday, October 16, 2025, at 8:00 PM in Frank Center for Public Affairs (PAC) Room 100 (238 Church Street). Hors d’oeuvre reception from 7:30-8:00 PM (same location)
The series will end on a high note with a presentation by the internationally renowned writer Etgar Keret who is back to Wesleyan by popular demand. Keret will speak about his latest collection of short stories Autocorrect in a talk entitled Can Autocorrect Save the Human Condition? Autocorrect includes stories about underdogs, modern dance, Artificial Intelligence, Hassidic wisdom, and his beloved white rabbit Hanzo. This not-to-miss presentation will present Etgar Keret’s darkly funny stories as he explores themes of identity, reality, and meaning.
The event will take place on Thursday, November 14, 2025, at 8:00 PM in Frank Center for Public Affairs (PAC) Room 100 (238 Church Street). Hors d’oeuvre reception from 7:30-8:00 PM (same location)
All events are free and open to the public. More information can be found at http://civ.site.wesleyan.edu
I hope you and your guests will join our conversations and I look forward to welcoming you, Dalit Katz, curator of CIV series.
