Home2023-01-04T19:00:04-06:00

Hi, I’m Annette.

I’m a writer and writing instructor, specializing in memoir. I teach others how to write stories from their family history through my online courses, books, and in-person workshops.

Exploring my family history changed my life. When I visited the Czech Republic in 2002, I felt so at home wandering the streets of my grandparents’ hometown, even though I had never been there before. I sensed so many undercurrents that I began to dig into the family history. While I have always written to understand my life, this trip sent me on the journey to become a writer. It was the seedling for my memoir Jumping Over Shadows and for learning how to write an interesting story based on family history, and eventually, for teaching others how to do the same.

My Courses

My Books

“…a treasure chest of advice for any nonfiction writer.”

Rebecca McClanahan, author of The Tribal Knot and Word Painting

“Having read other books on writing memoir, I found this book the best at keeping it simple and clear while giving creative suggestions.”

“I’m gathering info about my family history by doing weekly Skype sessions with my parents, and I am trying not to panic about how I will turn this into a book later. This book gave me a lot of great ideas and a way forward.”
Lana Raykin, advance reader
Amazon
“A book that is hard to put down.”
Jerusalem Post
“In this extraordinary work, Annette Gendler illuminates the borders and meeting points between Judaism and Christianity, Germans and Jews, American Jews and Israeli Jews. Writing with eloquent precision, she reminds us why converts to Judaism are among the most precious gifts to the Jewish people. This book confirms Annette Gendler as an indispensable Jewish voice for our time.”
Yossi Klein Halevi, author of Like Dreamers, Senior fellow, Shalom Hartman Institute, Jerusalem
Amazon
Book Cellar, Chicago
Barnes & Noble
Indiebound
Writer's Workbook Cover 2023

Newsletter

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I write about…

Writing Family History

The Writing Life

Art of Living

Cooking & Baking

Reading

Travel

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