Author: Elaine Elinson, Radiant as the Stars

Saturday, 9/12/2026
3:00 - 4:00
Suitable for:
  • Adults
Bernal Heights Meeting Room
Bernal Heights

500 Cortland Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94110
United States

415-355-2810

Bernal author Elaine Elinson will discuss and read from her new novel, “Radiant as the Stars.”

In April 1911, Jews escaping pogroms are fleeing to America, but 20-year-old Anna Reader, is headed in the opposite direction—back to the Ukrainian shtetl from which her family fled six years earlier. She has decided to join her radical cousin Chava in the Jewish Labor Bund on the eve of the Russian Revolution, leaving behind her work in a Chicago sweatshop and the lover who jilted her. But her warm reunion with her cousin is tainted by political intrigue, and Anna soon finds herself in over her head.

Space limited. Reservations required: (415) 355-2810, email bhemgr@sfpl.org or sign-up at the reference desk. 

Elaine Elinson is coauthor of the award-winning Wherever There’s a Fight and Development Debacle, which was banned by the Marcos dictatorship. Named a San Francisco Public Library Laureate, her work has been published widely, including in the San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Review of Books, Kirkus, and the Jewish Book Council. Elinson served two decades as the communications director of the ACLU of Northern California and editor of the ACLU News. A Bernal resident, this novel was inspired by her grandmother’s recently recovered diaries.

Connect: Elaine Elinson - website 

Author Readings & Lectures

Engage with your favorite writers and discover your next read.

This program is sponsored by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Attending Programs

All programs are drop-in (no registration necessary) unless otherwise noted. All SFPL locations are wheelchair accessible. For accommodations (such as ASL), call (415) 557-4557 or contact accessibility@sfpl.org. Requesting at least 3 business days in advance will help ensure availability.

This program will be conducted in English unless otherwise noted.

Notice: This event may be filmed or photographed. By participating in this event, you consent to have your likeness used for the Library’s archival purposes and promotional materials. If you do not want to be photographed, please inform a staff person or the photographer. A sticker will be provided to help identify you so that we can avoid capturing your image.

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