Ellen chats fantasy, feminism and Judaism with Sally Wiener Grotta

Award-winning author Ellen Kushner reads from her charming children's book “The Golden Dreidel” and talks about how it developed out of a yearning for Jewish kids to have a Chanukah "Nutcracker."

She and Sally also talked about her queer fantasy cult classic "Swordspoint" and other her novels.

Their discussion then winded around to a exploration of the characters of the biblical Book of Esther, through a feminist lens, and Ellen's performance piece "Esther: Feast of Masks" which brings that story to life through four modern characters inspired by Esther and Vashti.

In addition, Ellen and Sally explored how being Jewish has influenced her work and her life, with stories about her grandparents' Judaism as well as our modern day interpretations of our heritage.

Watch the video above or read the transcript.