By definition, the 22nd annual Jewish Book Festival is different than the others that take place in book-crazy Ann Arbor each year: All the material is either authored by Jewish writers or is about Jewish topics.

But organizers of the event have historically gone out of their way to enhance the experience by bringing as many of the featured writers to participate.

This year is no exception as the Jewish Community Center of Washtenaw County will host 20 featured authors in special events scheduled from Nov. 3-15.

Following an opening-night reception at 7:30 p.m., famed author and Wall Street Journal columnist Jeffrey Zaslow will kick off the festival Nov 3 with a discussion on his latest book, “The Girls from Ames.”

Zaslow, who wowed a standing-room-only audience at last year’s festival when he introduced the late Randy Pausch's #1 New York Times best seller “The Last Lecture,” will tell how one of his columns evolved into a touching story about the bond between 11 childhood friends from Ames, Iowa that survived over the years.

The festival’s daily lunch and learn sessions with authors begins the next day at noon with a presentation of “Start-Up Nation” by Dan Senor, a former deputy White House press secretary during George W. Bush’s presidency.

In “Start-Up,” Senor, a former spokesman for the coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and a long-time Middle East observer, chronicles Israel’s economic success despite several perceived shortcomings.

“One of the things we set out to do is offer a wide variety of books on topics from so many different categories and try to make it the premiere cultural event of the fall,” said Julie Gales, who coordinates the festival as the Center’s director of Jewish Cultural Arts and Education.

“Where else can you spend time to talk about books with their authors, sometimes even before their books become famous? It makes it unbelievably exciting to be around here.”

Officials said more than 2,000 people either attended a presentation or visited the makeshift bookstore of nearly 800 book titles that lined the center’s hallways, lobby and lounges last year when 17 authors participated.

“It gets a little crowded, but for two solid weeks I’ve got an author outside my door everyday at lunch and again at dinner” said David Shtulman, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor, which is housed in JCC’s administrative offices.

Shtulman said he’s also impressed by the breadth of topics covered by the books on display, which ranges from fact-based accounts of events in politics and sports, to fictional novels and children’s books.

“What amazes me too is that there’s such a variety of authors that no matter what type of book you like, it’s represented,” he said.

Gales said the difficult selection process began in May when she, JCC Executive Director Leslie Bash and three lay leaders attended the national Jewish Book Council’s “Meet the Authors” convention in New York City.

In a format similar to speed dating, the authors meet with groups representing Jewish Communities around the country, pitch their book, and prove whether they can hold an audience long enough to be a featured speaker.

Among the selections this year are authors and actors Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry. Known widely for their roles as a married couple on television’s L.A. Law, the real-life spouses have penned a new book,“Family Meals: Coming Together to Care for an Aging Parent.” They present their work after the special sponsor reception and dinner at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8.

The festival also promotes several local authors. Featured at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 4 is Jonathan Cohn’s “Sick: The Untold Story of America’s Health Care Crisis — and the People Who Pay the Price.”

Cohn, a senior editor at The New Republic, lives in Ann Arbor and spent more than a year reporting on his travels across the country investigating American health care.

On Wednesday, Nov. 11, Ernie Harburg will present “Liberty, Equality, Consensus and all that jazz at the Del Rio Bar.”

Harburg, a social psychologist and former co-owner of Ann Arbor’s Del Rio Bar, outlines how the iconic watering hole became the epicenter of the city’s counterculture movement in the late 1960s.

For the first time, organizers also scheduled themed nights, such as baseball night with authors Brooks Mendell and Ira Berkow on Monday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Mendell’s first book, “Beaverball,” offers a firsthand account of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s varsity baseball team and their magical 1993 title season. Mendell was co-captain and co-MVP of the record-setting team.

Berkow, author of “The Corporal Was a Pitcher,” recounts the struggle of pitcher Lou Brissie, who overcame a devastating leg injury suffered while serving in World War II to return to the major leagues.

Also new this year is a special night set aside for book clubs on Thursday, Nov. 12. David Liss, author of “The Devil’s Company,” a suspenseful novel set in eighteenth century England, highlights the evening for members of local book clubs to meet and interact.

All author talks are free, open to the public and take place at the Jewish Community Center at 2935 Birch Hollow Dr. Lunch and learn programs begin at noon and are $10 in advance and $12 at the door for the meal only.

Call 734-971-0990 or visit the JCC of Washtenaw County web site for more information and a calendar of events.

Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the entertainment desk at entertainment@annarbor.com or 734-623-2540.