Susan Schein lives in South Florida and New York City, and also devotes time to exploring other worlds and cultures during frequent trips outside the United States.
Can you recall when you first became aware of Miami Book Fair?
I first came here in 1985, the year after the Fair started, so I’ve been going since it was still at its toddler stage! [laughs] I think a friend told me what it was, or I may have heard something about it at Books & Books.
Tell me about your favorite FOTF benefits.
Definitely the up-front seating, especially as the Fair has grown and gotten more crowded, and being able to get tickets to the bigger programs happening at Chapman. But what I love most about the Fair overall is the intellectual stimulation it provides, and the new things it introduces you to.
Anyone who’s been to Book Fair has a great MBF moment or memory to share – what’s yours?
The singular, most significant event I experienced at the Fair was I believe in 2006, and that was seeing Barack Obama. At the time he hadn’t yet declared his presidential run – though there were rumours about that flying around – and I was like, Who is this guy? because I didn’t really know anything about him. He was scheduled for Chapman and then his program had to be moved to a bigger venue, which was my first clue, and then when I heard him speak and he was so brilliant, that’s when I knew: This guy is a big deal and if he wants to be president, he’s going to be president.
What do you think Book Fair has brought to Miami and what has it brought you?
I think it’s brought Miami prestige, surprise, praise, and a place to gather. I like the energy; I like the validation of being in a room with like-minded people, people I see every year there – in that way it’s like a reunion – and I also like the collective overview it gives me on our culture as it stands at that moment. I think of the Fair as my annual conference on America, and everyone who knows me knows that if they want to find me the weekend before Thanksgiving, that’s where I’ll be.
Have you read anything good lately?
I just finished Rabbi Angela Buchdahl’s Heart of a Stranger, which I heard her discuss at the Fair last year. Her joy comes through the pages and the way she shares her self-doubt around the challenges she’s faced – which I think most of us can relate to – is inspiring. I really admire her..
Which MBF25 program did you find the most engaging?
I found the new slate of Jewish Life & Culture programming to be both interesting and necessary.
If MBF came to you and said, “Who do you most want to see at the Fair next year?” who would that author be and what would you ask them?
I’m back to Barack Obama. It would be the 20-year anniversary of his last appearance at the Fair and I’d like to hear about what he sees as his legacy – does he think he helped move us toward truth and reconciliation from a longview perspective? That’s what I want to know.
Interview by Elisa Chemayne Agostinho; responses have been edited for space and clarity.
