SPOILER: The Unpredictable Storytelling Festival

Last week, JTS was thrilled to welcome extraordinary storytellers and curious guests to the inaugural SPOILER: The Unpredictable Storytelling Festival. Over three unforgettable sold-out evenings, audiences packed the room for lively conversations, unexpected turns, and the chance to hear from expert storytellers. Guests also had the opportunity to meet the storytellers face-to-face at signings after the event.

On the first night of SPOILER, despite an unpredictable flight delay, comedian Alex Edelman and author Shalom Auslander had a whirlwind conversation. They talked about God, David Remnick from the New Yorker, time travel, failed writing experiments, Hitler, and even the reincarnation of an advertising executive, who returns as a Port Authority toilet. Hard to keep track of their conversation? I guess “you had to be there,” which was also the punchline of one of their jokes. 

On night two, MFA Director and author Etgar Keret joined longtime editor Deborah Treisman, Fiction Editor at the New Yorker, for a captivating dialogue on the art of editing. Along the way, they shared personal stories about a clown named Silly Philly, Keret’s experience as one of the IDF’s “worst soldiers,” and the riveting story of Keret’s father’s Holocaust survival—hidden underground for 600 days during World War II. Through their exchange, they revealed the importance of editing and how it functions as a creative force in bringing stories to life. 

The festival closed on a high note with night three, featuring author Jonathan Safran Foer and investigative journalist Jodi Kantor. The longtime friends and colleagues kept the audience riveted as they discussed expansive thinking in troubled times; the balance between professional and personal lives, especially as a Jew; the line between truth and fiction; experiencing the written word without judgment; and the role writing and reading played for them after October 7. Their seamless rapport and willingness to explore critical questions made for a moving and thought-provoking finale. 

Read more about SPOILER in JTA. 

The week also marked the launch of the MFA in Creative Writing residency program. Over several intensive days, 18 students embarked on their journey with a full schedule of classes, lectures, and workshops. Sessions such as “Literature is a Joke!”, “How to Talk about Things That Have Happened,” and “What’s Your Story?”—led by creative advisors and guest teachers—combined with writing workshops, social events, and behind-the-scenes access to SPOILER. The residency kicked off the MFA experience with great energy, laying the foundation for a vibrant year of writing, learning, exploring, and crafting personal stories. 

Interested in applying for next year’s MFA? Learn more here.