Book Club Kick-Off Event to Feature Author Judy Bachrach

Author Judy Bachrach—an investigative journalist, noted author and Vanity Fair magazine contributing editor—will join the Membership Outreach Committee as one of the featured authors at this year’s JLW Book Club Kick-Off event on September 23 at 6:30 p.m.

Bachrach’s latest book Glimpsing Heaven, The Stories and Science of Life After Death, (National Geographic Books) hit shelves earlier this month and already is on No. 1 on three Amazon.com lists. Bachrach collected real-life accounts of people’s glimpses with death only to come back to life, and spends hours interviewing doctors, nurses and scientists to garner professional opinions. It promises to be an interesting read, redefining the meaning of both life and death
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If spirituality isn’t your genre, Bachrach’s writing is diverse to say the least. Her last book, Tina and Harry Come to America, is a biography of Tina Brown (former editor of Vanity Fair, the New Yorker and Talk) and her husband, Harry, a former president of Random House. She also has written articles featuring celebrities including Carrie Underwood, Jessica Alba, Goldie Hawn and fashion designer Giorgio Armani. Bachrach currently works as a contributing editor for Vanity Fair and is a regular book critic for The Weekly Standard.

Bachrach will answer questions about her works, as well as her philanthropic ventures in our community, including her “Ask Judy” online forum, which offers advices to relatives of the terminally ill; knowledge she has gained over years as a hospice volunteer.

Bachrach is one of four female, Washington, D.C.-based authors who will attend the Book Club Kick-Off, which will be hosted at JLW Headquarters in the Loughborough Room. Other authors include Monica Barnett, Amie Parnes, and Sarah Pekkannen. The event will also include food, beverages, book sales benefitting the League and plenty of time to mingle with other women participating in this year’s book clubs. If you’re interested in attending the Book Club Kick-off event, please RSVP here.

Author Sarah Pekkanen One of Many to Speak at JLW Book Club

Summer may be winding down, but that book you can’t put down doesn’t have to be packed away with your shorts and sandals. International bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen writes those books. Pekkanen’s women’s fiction—or “chick lit”—genre of books are guaranteed to be a good read year round.

Her latest book, Catching Air, is the fifth of her published works. Hoda Kotb of the Today Show said she was “flying through the pages” and People magazine remarked, “Pekkanen's wry voice and engaging characters keeps things fresh.” Other works by Pekkanen include These Girls, Skipping a Beat, The Opposite of Me and The Best of Us. Her next novel is due out in spring 2015.
As a mom of three boys she says she has penned at least half of one of her books inside of Chuck E. Cheese, literally, and got her start at the ripe age of 10. She also has worked as an on-air correspondent for e! Entertainment Network and for multiple metro area newspapers covering the Capitol Hill beat and as a freelance writer.

Pekkanen will answer questions from JLW members as one of the four female, Washington, D.C.-based authors at the Book Club Kick-Off, which will be hosted at JLW Headquarters in the Loughborough Room on September 23 at 6:30 p.m. Other authors include Judy Bachrach, Monica Barnett and Amie Parnes. The event will also include food, beverages, book sales benefitting the League and plenty of time to mingle with other women participating in this year’s book clubs. If you’re interested in attending the Book Club Kick-off event, please RSVP here. 

The Membership Outreach Committee is proud to host author Amie Parnes at the annual JLW Book Club Kick-off event, Tuesday, September 23, at 6:30 p.m. Parnes covers the Obama administration as the White House correspondent for The Hill newspaper, a D.C.-centric publication.

As a 10-year veteran of political journalism, Parnes has traveled extensively with Politicians we all love to love or love to hate…or at the very least, would love to hear about. The list includes those affiliated with the Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain presidential campaigns during the 2008 presidential race. She also appears frequently on MSNBC and has been featured on CNN and Fox News, as well as various other recognizable networks.

In 2014 Parnes took politics to pen, publishing HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton, along with co-author Jeffrey Allen. The political biography offers readers a rare look inside the Clinton political powerhouse while demonstrating how Clinton fundamentally transformed the U.S. Department of State using the force of her fame and following, and her unparalleled knowledge. It also provides an in-depth look at Clintons personal relationships and how the power of Washington works.

Parnes will answer questions from JLW members as one of the four female, Washington, D.C.-based authors at the Book Club Kick-Off, which will be hosted at JLW Headquarters in the Loughborough Room. Other authors include Judy Bachrach, Monica Barnett and Sarah Pekkannen. The event will also include food, beverages, book sales benefitting the league and plenty of time to mingle with other women participating in this year’s book clubs. If you’re interested in attending the Book Club Kick-off event, please RSVP here.

Book Club Kickoff: Spotlight on Author Monica Barnett

Who is better equipped to write about the power of style than someone with eleven years of experience in personal styling and image consulting? Monica Barnett, a JLW member herself, has worked with everyone from political elites, business executives and professional athletes, and created an online style resource, “Blueprint for Style,” – and now she is coming to JLW to share her wisdom!

Barnett will be attending the upcoming Book Club Kick-off event to discuss her book and experience writing for print and online. Without Saying A Word: The Silent Power of Style inspires professional women to “build their personal style signature in a more thoughtful manner.” The book is a helpful, fun read on how to not lose your own personal style in an office setting, while still conveying the upmost professionalism.

Barnett will answer questions from JLW members as one of the four female, Washington, D.C.-based authors at the Book Club Kick-Off, which will be hosted at JLW Headquarters in the Loughborough Room on September 23 at 6:30 p.m. Other authors include Judy Bachrach, Amie Parnes and Sarah Pekkannen. The event will also include food, beverages, book sales benefitting the League and plenty of time to mingle with other women participating in this year’s book clubs. If you’re interested in attending the book club kick-off event, please RSVP here. 

Don’t Miss JLW’s Book Club Kick-Off Event!

The Membership Outreach Committee is excited to launch this year’s book clubs with the most anticipated Book Clubs Kick-off event yet! In the weeks following the National Book Festival, league ladies have been busy filling out the book club’s survey, pondering which genre fits their mood this year—New York Times best sellers? Chick lit? Or perhaps even classics?

On September 23, we invite those who filled out the survey to join us for the annual kick-off event, beginning at 6:30 p.m., at JLW headquarters. Attendees will have time to mix and mingle before taking part as an active audience before a panel of renowned local authors including Judy Bachrach, Monica Barnett, Amie Parnes and Sarah Pekkanen. The event will also include food, beverages, book sales benefitting the League and plenty of time to meet with women in your book club of choice.

Forgot to fill out the survey? Don’t worry, RSVP for the Book Club Kick-off Event here and we can place you in a book club at the event.

The very popular JLW Book Clubs are organized by the Membership Outreach committee as a way to bring members together in a social setting based on common reading interests. Interested ladies are placed into groups based on location and genre of their preference determined during the online survey process. In addition to promoting league member connections and friendships, JLW book clubs promote literacy in the League and set a tone for our mission and an example for the larger D.C. community.

Book Club: A Renewed Junior League Tradition!

This spring, Membership Outreach revived a Junior League of Washington tradition - book club. A prior book club led by Esprit ended in 2003, but member feedback brought it back!

The online sign up that initially had space for 25 members filled up within 15 minutes after going live. It was expanded to 75 to accommodate the wait-listed members, and it kept growing until 284 members expressed interest.

Members were placed into 30 groups of ladies who either indicated preference in the same literary genre or geographic location in the metro area, based on survey responses they provided upon registering. For fun, each group was assigned a notable female author like Ann M. Martin, Margaret Mitchell or Lucy Maud Montgomery as a sort of “mascot” for organizational purposes.

Each group decided what books it would read. My group started with Rules of Civility, but I plan to add some of these selections from other groups to my summer reading list:

• Bringing up Bebe
• Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman
• Commencement
• The Cookbook Collector
• The Social Animal 

Editor's note: One of the best things about the Book Club is that it promotes League Literacy. Whether you are interested in chick-lit or the New York Times' books of the year, you can find a place to read your favorite books, discuss them with League friends and socialize in a fun setting while promoting reading. It's another way to help us stay excited about our literacy goals in the D.C. community!

*Missed out on signing-up for Book Club this spring? Don't worry, sign-ups will be available again in the fall!