Campus Reading Group Cultivates Literary Tastes
Read any
good books lately? The members of the Women’s Reading Group certainly
have—and they would like you to join them. The group, made up of
staff, faculty and, occasionally, students, gets together about once a
month in the Cave to discuss the latest book they’ve all just read.
And don’t let the name fool you; everyone is welcome. “It’s called the
Women’s Reading Group because that’s what it was when it started, but
we’re open to the entire campus community,” explains Laura Lockwood,
director of the campus women’s center. “We’d love to have some men
join us.”
Lockwood started the group in 1999 because, she says, “I love to read
and I really enjoy talking with other people who have shared the same
experience. It’s a great way to bring people together from different
parts of campus.” The group’s format is informal by design, with
members suggesting future books each month. Sometimes they look for
outside recommendations or consult the New York Times Book Review.
However they find them, the group reads a wide variety of works of
both fiction and non fiction, including some by Trinity authors. In
addition to bestsellers like Amy Tan’s The Bone Setter’s Daughter and
Michael Cunningham’s The Hours, the group has read Professor of
Philosophy Dan Lloyd’s Radiant Cool and Writer-in-Residence Lucy Ferriss’
Leaving the Neighborhood. Group members have read and
discussed more than 40 books since 1999.
“We used to pick a few months’ worth of books at the beginning of each
semester, but now we go month to month,” says Associate Director of
Annual Giving Abbie O’Brien, a member of the reading group for about
two years. “This way we can read something current if we want to.”
O’Brien agrees with Lockwood about the importance of the social aspect
of the group. “I’ve gotten to know people from all around Trinity
through the reading group—people I might not have met otherwise. And
it has definitely expanded my reading material; we’ve read some books
that I probably wouldn’t have picked up if it weren’t for the group.
Sometimes people come who have read a book outside the group, like The Da Vinci Code, and they want to talk about it.”
Anyone interested in joining the group is encouraged to contact
Lockwood at extension 2408 or by e-mail at
laura.lockwood@trincoll.edu.
You can also look for meeting announcements on Trinity Exchange.
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