Prof. David Dow

1. Bio: David R. Dow is the Cullen Professor at the University of Houston Law Center and the Rorschach Visiting Professor of History at Rice University. A graduate of Rice and Yale, Dow’s areas of expertise include constitutional law and theory, contract law, and death penalty law. Working with students in his death penalty clinic, Dow has represented more than one hundred death-row inmates during their state and federal appeals. He is also the founder and director of the Texas Innocence Network. Prof. David Dow Synopsis: Rafael Zhettah is the owner of a Houston restaurant, a pilot and a bachelor. Then, he finds Tieresse — billionaire, bombshell philanthropist, sophisticate, bombshell and his soul mate until she is brutally murdered and he is convicted and sentenced to die. After he is found innocent, he will stop at nothing to deliver justice to those who stole everything from him.

2. Prof. Thomas R. Cole Bio: Thomas Cole is professor of humanities and ethics at McGovern Medial School in Houston. His work has been featured in the New York Times, the United Nations, on PBS. Cole’s book The Journey of Life, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. His books and films have pursued questions of meaning and spirituality in later life. Synopsis: Old Man Country follows a Jewish writer’s search for wisdom as he encounters 12 famous elders—including Paul Volcker, former head of the Federal Reserve, the heart surgeon Denton Cooley, and Sam Karff, perhaps the most distinguished rabbi of his generation. In poignant and intimate conversations, he finds hope and challenges for all of us.

3. Lisa Feder Bio: Lisa Feder, a native Houstonian living in Austin, is the founder of Being Well Yoga, dedicated to mindful wellness in the workplace, bringing Yoga and mindfulness classes on-site. Lisa spent 25 years in the corporate world; she understands the challenges of bringing wellness into a busy life. Lisa uses Yoga and other mindfulness practices to teach her students how to be more at ease, balanced and effective in their daily lives. • Synopsis: A Year of Mindful Wellness provides practical advice to be more mindful in order to stress-less and live more. It takes the concept of mindfulness, usually handled as a singular activity accessed through meditation, and brings it into the “real world”. Perfect for those looking to be more fulfilled in their lives, this guide offers tips and tools to make simple, accessible changes.

4. Dede Fox Bio: Poet Laureate of Montgomery County, Dede Fox is the 2016-2019 NEA Artist in Residence at Bryan Federal Prison Camp for Women. She also teaches with WITS-Houston at Texas Children’s Hospital. In 2019 Lamar University Literary Press published her fourth book On Wings of Silence: Mexico ’68, a novel in verse. Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Diana Green travels from Texas to Mexico City, searching for adventure, freedom, and romance. She finds all three. When Diana’s first love Guillermo vanishes during the Tlatelolco Massacre, she searches for the truth about his disappearance. As police threaten those who ask questions, she risks becoming one of the silenced.

5. Marc Goldberg Ph.D. BIO: Mark A. Goldberg is an Associate Professor of History and Director of Jewish Studies at the University of Houston. He teaches courses on early America, Latina/o history, and Jewish history. His research focuses on border cultures, and he is currently researching comparative Jewish Latina/o histories in the U.S. SYNOPSIS: Conquering Sickness examines the role of health in Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo American conquests of Texas in the 18th and 19th century. Goldberg argues ideas of sickness and health drove settlement and native-newcomer relations across the region, as colonizers sought to institute their idea of a healthy way of life.

6. Ruth Klein BIO :Ruth Klein, was born in Berlin, and grew up in Los Angeles. Since childhood, Ruth’s passion has been classical music. Growing up surrounded by memories of the Holocaust, Ruth developed a keen understanding of the Holocaust in world history. Her childhood experiences are described in her 2018 memoir. Ruth and her husband Bill live in Houston where she taught piano for many years. SYNOPSIS: Raised by parents unable to recover from the traumas, pain, and losses of WWII, Ruth Klein had a tumultuous and unusual childhood in a dysfunctional family. Living among other Holocaust survivors in a new country was profoundly difficult for Ruth, and coming through it all showed her the ways in which she was a survivor too.

7. Jeff Lefkowitz Bio: Jeff Lefkowitz was born in Houston, Texas. He graduated from the University of Texas, B.A, History with high honors, and from the University of Texas Law School with honors. He created and teaches legal writing at the University of Houston Law Center. He created and teaches a Jewish history program for high school students in Houston, where he, his wife Beth, and their dog, Chief raised four children. Synopsis: Window to Yesterday The Swordsman is a fun, thought-provoking, & historically accurate short novel set mostly in the first-century. Its young protagonists struggle to find what is right before and during Judea’s Great Revolt from Rome. The recipient of praise from both the Rector and Education Dean at American Jewish University, it is for ages 12 to 120.

8. Caryn Tamber-Rosenau Ph.D. Bio: Caryn Tamber-Rosenau is instructional assistant professor of Jewish Studies and Religious Studies at the University of Houston. She holds an MA in Jewish Studies from Towson University and a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel from Vanderbilt University. Synopsis: This book presents the first systematic study, both text-centered and deeply engaged with queer theory, of the motif of the woman-turned-warrior in ancient Jewish literature. From Jael's tent peg to Judith's sword, Women in Drag shines new light on strong female characters from the Hebrew Bible and the early days of Jewish literature.

9. Dr. Harvey Rosenstock Bio: Harvey Rosenstock, MD. is a Board Certified Psychiatrist and Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He has lectured nationally and internationally and appeared on local and national media, including The Today Show. With wife, Dr. Judith Rosenstock, he co-authored books, one of which resulted in the movie, “Locked in Silence,” which earned 4 Emmy Nominations. He is also an ordained Rabbi. Synopsis: Based on a true story, The Other Side of Sanity deals with a man who is paranoid and depressed, a troubled soul. Seeking help, he is betrayed by his therapist. Seeking justice, he is lied to by his lawyer. Enraged and alone, he decides to take revenge. But murder and suicide are not his fate. He finds help and healing instead, a miracle.