Shelly SandersOct 1, 20225 minThe parallels between Stalin's Invasion of Latvia and Putin's Attack on Ukraine are DisturbingI had no inkling of what was to come when I began writing about the Soviet invasion of Latvia during WWII for my latest novel. It was...
Shelly SandersMay 12, 20226 minFAMILY SECRETS ROOTED IN LATVIA I decided it was time to investigate my Nana’s guarded past in 2017, when my son was exploring universities. She’d died when I...
Shelly SandersSep 29, 20205 minHow Virtual Connections Improved My FocusAs the idea of quarantine became a reality, I decided there was no choice but to embrace it. Make the most of my enforced time at home....
Shelly SandersJul 21, 20204 min#VirtualTravelTuesday #JewishBookReview by Shelly SandersJewish Heritage Travel: A Guide to Eastern Europe by Ruth Ellen Gruber Published by the National Geographic Society, 2007; 326 pages The...
Shelly SandersMar 19, 20203 minOn the fourth day of avoidanceAt the beginning of a pestilence and when it ends, there's always a propensity for rhetoric. In the first case, habits have not yet been...
Essay in Canadian Jewish News (August 29, 2019)Nov 2, 20193 minDiscovering my family's secret Jewish rootsThough I’ve never lived in Montreal, it feels like home whenever I visit because it was a constant in my nomadic childhood. Both of my...
Shelly SandersAug 1, 20191 minRachel's Secret Chosen as One of Nine Challenging YA Books Set Amidst War & Global CrisisRachel's Secret, inspired by the 1903 Kishinev Pogrom, is on Ezvid Wiki's list of 9 YA books set amid war & crisis
Shelly SandersJul 4, 20193 minJuly 4: The Day the Synagogues Burned in Riga, LatviaJuly 4 marks The Day of Remembrance in Riga, Latvia, where Holocaust survivors reunite to honour the victims of the synagogue burnings July
Shelly SandersMay 9, 20194 minTracking Soviet Spirits in Riga, Latvia“In Soviet times, you could get arrested or shot for staring at this monument,” Liga, our lanky guide for the Soviet tour of Riga,...
Shelly SandersJan 2, 20192 minMaking & Breaking ResolutionsIt’s the second day of 2019 and I haven’t been able to come up with any useful resolutions. When I look back on previous years, at...
Shelly SandersAug 16, 20184 minPOLITICS & THE PRESS: The Challenges of Covering the Trump AdministrationMy timing couldn’t have been better. I arrived on Martha’s Vineyard, with my husband and son, the day Islanders Write began. It’s a free...
Shelly SandersAug 13, 20183 minGAMBLING ON A FAMILY VACATIONI should have known better. I should have known the odds of all three of our children materialising for a family vacation were around a...
Shelly SandersJun 16, 20187 minA TUTORING TALEThe year my oldest daughter went away to university, I decided to become a volunteer tutor for at-risk kids, with the Halton Children’s...
Shelly SandersDec 7, 20172 minSkipping GiftsThis year, we’re bucking tradition and going away for the holidays. It will be the first time in my life I’m not home, and even though...
Shelly SandersAug 23, 20174 minFour (Difficult) Steps to Better WritingDespite the glut of articles and on-line sites offering, “Tips for creating a bestselling series,” or, “How to write a bestseller in 30...