Author of THEY WERE LIKE FAMILY TO ME, a collection of linked stories illuminated with magical realism, following the inhabitants of a small town in 1942 Poland and tracing the troubling complex choices they are compelled to make. Finalist for The Story Prize and Honorable Mention in the 2017 ALA Sophie Brody Medal for achievement in Jewish Literature. Originally published as IN THE LAND OF ARMADILLOS. Columnist for the Jewish Standard.
My first short story, The Partisans, is appearing online at Danse Macabre, an online literary magazine. I am reproducing the first two paragraphs here: For generations, Lufts and Hellers had been next-door neighbors on Wirka Street, a polite name for a string of ramshackle wooden cottages at the southern end of town. Here, where civilization... Continue Reading →
HELEN MARYLES SHANKMAN 