"Los Angeles Public Library is proud to present this thoughtful conversation examining the themes of this year's Big Read book, Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? The death of a loved one is both singularly unique as well as a universal experience that people of every background share. Whether the passing is shockingly immediate, or excruciatingly long, the journey from grief to acceptance is one that we all will take at some point in our lives. Join Rabbi Steve Leder and poet Victoria Chang as they explore these topics in a heartfelt conversation, seeking to uncover perspectives that transcend differences and foster connections in our shared human experience. Victoria Chang received a 2017 Guggenheim Fellowship as well as the 2023 Chowdhury Prize in Literature. She served as a contributing editor of Copper Nickel, On the Seawall and poetry editor of The New York Times Magazine and Tupelo Quarterly. She currently serves as the Bourne Chair of Poetry at Georgia Tech and the Director of Poetry@Tech Rabbi Steve Leder currently serves as the Senior Rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple, a prestigious synagogue in Los Angeles with two campuses and 2,400 families. He is the author of five books including: For You When I Am Gone. Newsweek Magazine twice named him one of the ten most influential rabbis in America but most important to Steve is being Betsy’s husband and Aaron and Hannah’s dad. "