The festival officially begins Nov. 3 with historian Jon Meacham and will conclude Nov. 19 with deaf model and actor Nyle DiMarco.
Last year, the MJCCA used a hybrid model with some authors giving people the option of in-person or Zoom. An overwhelming majority opted for Zoom. So this year, the hybrid option is gone.
“If we continue to offer a virtual ticket, we’ll never get some people out of their living rooms,” Morton said. (There will be one pre-festival virtual event Oct. 20 featuring former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu via Zoom where a purchase of his memoir “Bibi: My Story” will provide online entry.)
Morton said the center has held 170 virtual events since the pandemic began with authors such as Matthew McConaughey, Sharon Stone and Michael J. Fox they may never have gotten in person.
“But I think what people really missed was the social aspect,” Morton…
