It's a celebration marking the official launch of Discovering Elizabeth, the debut novel from Palestinian-American author Alexandra Khayat Dahl—timed to coincide with the American Film Market. This is more than a book launch. It is a gathering of storytellers, industry professionals, and community supporters who believe in the power of meaningful fiction—and in the urgent need to bring underrepresented stories to the page and to the screen.

Panel Discussion featuring author Alexandra Khayat Dahl, award-winning writer and Executive Producer Aalia Lanius, and award-winning writer and director Rolla Selbak — on bringing underrepresented stories to the page and screen.

 

About the Book

Discovering Elizabeth is a sweeping dual-timeline historical novel inspired by the author's own great aunt—a Palestinian-American doctor, aviator, and supporter of the French Resistance.

1984, Queens: Rebellious seventeen-year-old Vicky is sent to spend the summer with her great-aunt Elizabeth, a grieving pathologist with a guarded past. As the two clash over everything from clothing to boys, Vicky slowly uncovers her Palestinian heritage—and the secrets her great-aunt has kept buried for decades.

1939, France: A brilliant young medical graduate navigates love, sexism, and survival as Vichy France darkens around her—culminating in a daring midnight escape.When the two timelines collide, both women discover they needed each other more than they knew.