From Philosophy Professor to Award-Winning Novelist | Jennifer Rosner

At seven hours old, her daughter was diagnosed deaf—and Jennifer Rosner began journaling for the first time. Now a critically acclaimed author of The Yellow Bird Sings and Once We Were Home, Jennifer joins Dara Levan to share her extraordinary journey from philosophy professor to novelist. When her first daughter was born deaf, Jennifer's journaling became a lifeline—and eventually her memoir. She opens up about raising two deaf daughters in a hearing-speaking world, navigating the fractious debate between signing and speaking, and how a discovery about her deaf ancestors—who tied strings from their wrists to their babies at night to feel them stir—became the "string in the darkness" that weaves through all her work. Jennifer reveals how interviewing Holocaust survivors shaped her novels, why she's drawn to themes of silence and connection, and how raising deaf children made her a more sensory, attentive writer. Her message: beauty and connection can be found even in the darkest places. Keywords: Jennifer Rosner, The Yellow Bird Sings, Once We Were Home, deafness, memoir, Holocaust, connection, parenting, philosophy, novelist.


0:04 - Intro
1:52 - Philosophy professor to writer
4:48 - Deaf ancestors & string in darkness
5:24 - Red string & Jewish tradition
6:24 - Raising deaf daughters
8:20 - Intimacy vs. deaf community
9:42 - Second daughter's profound deafness
12:33 - Sensory awareness & writing
13:37 - The Yellow Bird Sings inspiration
17:20 - Holocaust survivors & connection
18:56 - Present-day parallels
20:18 - Memoir vs. novel writing
23:15 - New novel & where to find Jennifer
25:52 – Outro



• https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/
• Website: daralevan.com3
https://www.jennifer-rosner.com/


QUOTES:


"The best actors and actresses are drawing on their life experiences to portray a character. You can't fake that."
– Dara Levan

"Noticing beauty was a key to survival. In terrible times, they might stumble upon something of beauty—usually in nature, or even a poem in their mind."
– Jennifer Rosner