Central Florida Jewish Book Festival coming Oct. 29

The Roth Family Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando is partnering with the Writer's Block Bookstore of Winter Park to host an inaugural Central Florida Jewish Book Festival on Sunday, Oct. 29 at the JCC's Maitland location.

The day will feature four Jewish authors in three time slots: legal fiction author, Ronald Balson (11 a.m.-noon); a panel discussion featuring professional bridesmaid, Jen Glantz, and YouTube stars, Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin (1-2:30 p.m.); and a keynote presentation by actress and activist, Annabelle Gurwitch (4-5 p.m.).

"We're thrilled to be offering more cultural opportunities like this at The Roth Family JCC," said Robby Etzkin, executive director. "We hope this event becomes an annual tradition for a long time to come."

A Harper Lee Award finalist in Legal Fiction, Balson is the author of "Karolina's Twins," "Saving Sophie," and the international bestseller "Once We Were Brothers." His new book, "The Trust," has private investigator Liam Taggart travel to his uncle's funeral, only to discover he was murdered.

Glantz is a professional bridesmaid whose career began when she posted an ad on Craigslist advertising her services. When she woke up the next morning, it had gone viral. What began as a half-joke suddenly turned into a lifetime of adventure. Hear about her adventures as described in her memoir, "Always a Bridesmaid (For Hire)."

Dunn and Raskin are two best friends who live in Los Angeles and founded the comedy YouTube channel Just Between Us. They have worked together and separately for Buzzfeed, Sourcefed, and Fullscreen. Their new book is "I Hate Everyone But You."

Annabelle Gurwitch is an actress and author of the New York Times bestseller "I See You Made an Effort." Her latest book, "Wherever You Go, There They Are" is a hilarious and insightful look at family. She was the co-host of Dinner and a Movie on TBS. Her essays and satire have appeared in more than a dozen national magazines.

Tickets include complimentary babysitting for ages 2-12, however babysitting must be requested at the time of ticket purchase.

General admission tickets are $10 per talk, with a VIP reserved ticket option of $50, which includes seating in the first two rows of all three talks, plus a meet-and-greet from 2:45-3:45 p.m. with Glantz, Dunn, Raskin and Gurwitch.

Tickets are for sale at http://www.orlandojcc.org/bookfest.