An Evening with Elena Sheppard

Gain insights on leadership, purpose and personal growth from a local changemaker whose work bridges public service and storytelling.

Books & Books hosts an evening with author Elena Sheppard to discuss her debut memoir, The Eternal Forest: A Memoir of the Cuban Diaspora, published by St. Martin’s Press. Blending personal narrative with historical insight, Sheppard traces her family’s journey from Cuba to exile in the United States, reflecting on memory, identity and cultural legacy across generations.

The memoir centers on the stories passed down by her grandparents, who fled Cifuentes, Cuba in 1960 following Fidel Castro’s rise to power. Through their recollections and her own exploration of history, Sheppard paints a vivid portrait of a family shaped by separation and resilience, and of a homeland that lives on in memory.

Elena Sheppard’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Guardian and Vogue, among others. She holds an MFA from Columbia University and has taught creative nonfiction and journalism in Columbia’s summer programs.

Presented by Books & Books and the Books & Books Literary Foundation. Admission is free and open to the public.