Acclaimed author and National Public Radio commentator Judy Goldman will give a reading of her recent work at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 2, in UNCA's Laurel Forum in Karpen Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Goldman, a prolific writer, has recently published her first novel, "The Slow Way Back," a story of three generations of Jewish sisters living in the Carolinas. "It is a story about how there really are no secrets in families, only subjects people secretly decide not to talk about," said Goldman.

The impetus for writing the novel came when Goldman discovered letters written by her grandmother in Denmark, S.C., to her grandmother's sister in Lebanon, Pa. Once translated from Yiddish, the letters presented a compelling picture of the complex ties between sisters.

"The Slow Way Back" has received high praise. Pat Conroy called it "a luminous, achingly beautiful novel that makes you shiver with delight." Lee Smith said, "Goldman's folk wisdom and narrative skill combine to produce a suspenseful and finally heartwarming novel."

Goldman has also published two books of poetry, "Holding Back Winter" and "Wanting to Know the End." Her work has appeared in numerous journals, including Southern Review, Shenandoah and Prairie Schooner. Goldman is a National Public Radio reporter in Charlotte and teaches on the permanent staff of the Duke University Writers' Workshop.

Goldman's reading is sponsored by UNCA's Center for Jewish Studies, UNCA's Creative Writing Program and the Asheville-Hendersonville Chapter of Hadassah.

For more information, call UNCA's Center for Jewish Studies at 828/251-6576.