This group meets in-person on the fourth Monday of every month at 6 pm. We will be taking part in the Massachusetts Center for the Book‘s 2026 Monthly Reading Challenge. Each month has a different theme, and members will meet at the end of the month to discuss the book they read for that month’s theme, share recommendations, and enjoy lively discussion about a wide range of books. If you want to expand your reading horizons while meeting new people, this discussion group is for you!

Meeting Dates & Topics:

• Jan. 26: A book about or set in winter
• Feb. 23: A book outside your usual genre
• Mar. 23: A book featuring an unlikely friendship
• Apr. 27: A short story or essay collection
• May 25: A book set in Massachusetts
• Jun. 22: A book with a sympathetic villain
• Jul. 27: A book found at a Little Free Library, tag sale, or used book store
• Aug. 24: A book that could be considered taboo
• Sep. 28: A book about a journey
• Oct. 26: A mystery, thriller, or ghost story
• Nov. 23: An adult classic you’ve never read
• Dec. 28: A book that connects to your heritage or cultural identity

The 21st-Century Fiction group meets in person the second Wednesday of the month at 6 pm to discuss fiction that has been published since 2000. This group is distinct and separate from the virtual group.

What we’re reading:

AI Technology and Policy meets in person on the second Saturday of the month at 10:30 am. This group reads and discusses books related to AI technology developments and prospects.

What we’re reading:

• Dec. 13: Fei-Fei Li, The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI

The Art & Artists Group will meet on second Mondays from 6 – 7:30 pm in person.

When you look at art do you want to know more about the painting, the artist, the period? Do you enjoy reading books about the art world, about famous artists’ lives, about art thievery, about art around the world? If so, this group may be for you!

Meeting dates:

• Dec. 8: The Great Nadar: The Man Behind the Camera
• Jan. 12, 2026: Deborah Davis, John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X
• Feb. 9: Olivia Lang, Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency
• Mar. 9: Zara Anishanslin, The Painter’s Fire
• Apr. 13: Special Collections Visit
• May. 11: Laura Cumming, The Vanishing Velasquez: A Nineteenth Century Bookseller’s Obsession with
  a Lost Masterpiece
• Jun. 8: Sue Prideaux, Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin
• Jul. 13: Susan Owens, The Story of Drawing: An Alternative History of Art
• Aug. 10: TBD
• Sep. 14: Andrew Graham Dixon, Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane
• Oct. 12: Rugh E. Iskin, Mary Cassat: Between Paris & New York: The Making of a Transatlantic Legacy
• Nov. 16: Prudence Peiffer, The Slip: The New York City Street That Changed American Art Forever
• Dec. 14: The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini

This group meets in person on the third Tuesday of the month at 6 pm to read fiction-focused banned books. We will explore each book as a work of literature, as well as address the reasons for being censored and challenged. We aim to foster critical thinking as well as engaging and respectful literary conversations.

What we’re reading:

The Based On The Book discussion group meets the fourth Tuesday of every month from 6 – 7:30 pm. This group meets using a hybrid solution. You can attend in person or connect remotely.

Each month, this group discusses a book of fiction and a corresponding movie adaptation. Each discussion is moderated by one of the group members. The discussion group selects the book and movie pairs. Some examples of book and movie pairs are Jane Austen Emma (1815) and the 1995 movie Clueless with Alicia Silverstone; Pierre Boulle, The Bridge on the River Kwai (1952) and the 1957 movie with Alec Guinness; Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It (1976) and the 1992 movie with Brad Pitt; Mario Puzo, The Godfather (1969) and the 1972 movie with Marlon Brando; Ian Fleming, Casino Royale (1953) and the 2006 movie with Daniel Craig; Ian McEwan, Atonement (2001) and the 2007 movie with Keira Knightley.

Thank you for your interest in this group. Unfortunately we are currently at capacity, but if you’d like to be contacted once space becomes available, please join our waitlist.

What we’re reading

• Nov. 25: Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake, 2006 film
• Dec. 23: Cormac McCarthy, The Road, 2009 film
• Jan. 27, 2026: Patrick DeWitt, The Sisters Brothers, 2018 film
• Feb. 24: Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, 1988 film
• Mar. 24: Christopher Isherwood, Berlin Stories, 1955 film “I am a Camera”
• Apr. 28: Evelyn Waugh, The Loved One, 1965 film
• May 26: Peter Hoeg, Smilla’s Sense of Snow, 1997 film
• Jun. 23: Elmore Leonard, Get Shorty, 1995 film
• Jul. 28: Henry James, The Wings of a Dove, 1997 film
• Aug. 25: Michael Shaara, The Killer Angels, 1993 film “Gettysburg”
• Sep. TBD: Colson Whitehead, The Nickel Boys, 2024 film

This group discusses how business plays a major role around the world throughout time, from the medieval period through the industrial revolution, the twentieth century, and up to the present. It meets in person on the second Thursday of the month at 6 pm.

What we’re reading:

• Sep. 11: Rebecca Henderson, Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire

The Civil War Discussion Group meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month, at 6 pm, in a hybrid format. No meetings in July. Lively since 2012, this group takes on all the controversies of our American Civil War. Yes, we study battles, generals, and political leaders–plenty to discuss about them–but also the causes of war, its lasting impact, the persistence of racism, the ongoing battles over state versus federal authority, and our efforts to reunite a divided country.

What we’re reading:

• Dec. 17 (third Wednesday): Paulette Jiles, Enemy Women
• Jan. 28, 2025: David Blight ed., A Slave No More: Two Men Who Escaped to Freedom, Including Their Own Narratives of Emancipation 
• Feb. 25: David Blight ed., When this Cruel War is Over; The Civil War Letters of Charles Harvey Brewster 
• Mar. 25: Bill Cross, American Passage

The Ancient Greco-Roman Classical Literature Reading Group (“Classics”) will meet the second Tuesday of every month from 6 – 7:30 pm. This group meets using a hybrid solution. You can attend in person or connect remotely.

The group will focus on Greek and Roman Literature in Translation and the Classical Tradition. Greco-Roman Literature encompasses epic poetry, love elegiacs, odes,  dramatic works, historical narratives, etc.

Participants must sign up in advance for the year. There is an annual fee of $150.

What we’re reading:

• Sep. 9:Aristotle, Poetics and Tractatus Coislianus (the reconstruction of the lost book Two, on comedy)
• Oct. 14: Sophocles, Trachiniae & Euripides, Heracles
• Nov. 11: Sophocles, Ichneutae; Euripides, Cyclops. Optional additional reading: Tony Harrison, The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus.
• Dec. 9: Aristophanes, The Birds
• Jan. 13, 2025: Aristophanes, The Frogs
• Feb. 10: Aristophanes, Assemblywomen, Plutus
• Mar. 10: Menander, Dyskolos
• Apr. 14: Plautus, Menaechmi, Aulularia
• May 12: Terence, Heauton Timorumenos, Adelphoe
• Jun. 9: Seneca, Hercules Furens

Classics Re-imagined meets in person on the first Tuesday at 6 pm of each month to discuss new and old re-tellings of classic stories.  We will aim to read texts that reshape familiar narratives and explore new perspectives.

What we’re reading:

• May 6: Gregory Maguire, Wicked
• Jun. 3: Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad
• Jul. 1: Madeline Miller, Circe
• Aug. 5: Geraldine Brooks, March
• Oct. 7: Jo Nesbø, Macbeth
• Nov. 4: Sandra Newman, Julia

The Contemporary Fiction group meets on zoom only the third Wednesday of the month at 6 pm to discuss fiction that has been published since 2000. (This group is distinct and separate from the group that meets in person).

What we’re reading:

• Dec. 17: Thomas Pynchon, Inherent Vice
• Jan. 21: James McBride, Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
• Feb. 18: Robert Bolaño, Distant Star

The Crafting Conversations Group meets on the first Thursday of the month from 5:30 – 7 pm in person.

Calling all crafters! Join us on the first Thursday of each month to work on your craft while discussing a brief podcast shared in advance. Members are encouraged to bring a craft to work on. No crafts using glitter, glue, and/or paint allowed.

Meeting dates:

• Apr. 3: Podcast for this meeting
• July: no meeting
• Aug. 7
• Sep. 4

The Dickens discussion group will meet the first Thursday of every month from 6 – 7:30 pm. This group meets using a hybrid solution. You can attend in person or connect remotely.

Taking its keynote from the memorable Nabokov introduction in which he announced, ‘We are now ready to tackle Dickens. We are now ready to embrace Dickens. We are now ready to bask in Dickens,’ the group seeks to create a welcoming literary space where members may tackle, embrace, and bask in Dickens for years to come.

The group is open to all levels of experience and interest in Dickens, from those who have never had the pleasure of meeting him at all, to those who had a brief acquaintance with him in school, to those many for whom he has become an old and very dear friend.

What we’re reading:

• Dec. 4: Annual reading of A Christmas Carol
• Jan. 8, 2026: Laurence Sterne, Tristram Shandy I
• Feb. 5: Tristram Shandy II
• Mar. 5: David Copperfield I
• Apr. 9: David Copperfield II
• May 7: Anne Bronte, Tenant of Wildfell Hall
• Jun. 4: Hard Times

What we’re reading:

• Nov. 18: Taylor Jenkins Reid, Atmosphere

The Drama discussion group will meet the first Wednesday of every month from 6 – 7:30 pm.
This group meets in person. No background familiarity with dramatic works is required
to partake. After the session, many choose to dine together at a nearby restaurant.

Each meeting we read a play aloud, rotating parts among participants and pausing between
scenes to discuss what we have read. Most plays may require more than one session to complete. A group member serves as “play leader” and pre-circulates any background readings and the
expected scenes to be read. Everyone has a chance to read, although anyone who would prefer not to is free to pass. Discussions are guided by the play leader and group moderator.

Plays are chosen collectively by the members of the discussion group.

Previous plays include:

Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw (1913)
The Winter’s Tale, by William Shakespeare (1610/11)
Educating Rita, by Willy Russell (1980)

Meeting dates:

• Dec. 3: Michael Frayn, Copenhagen
• Jan. 7, 2026: Don Nigro, Madonna
• Feb. 4: Don Nigro, Madonna
• Mar. 4: Henrik Ibsen, Peer Gynt
• Apr. 1: Henrik Ibsen, Peer Gynt
• May 6: Lisa D’Amour, Detroit
• Jun. 3: Lisa D’Amour, Detroit
• Jul. 1: Shakespeare on the common play
• Aug. 5: Shakespeare on the common play

This discussion group would focus on non-fiction materials in US history, with an emphasis on Boston and Massachusetts, from the 17th to the early 19th century. Books can range from popular to serious non-fiction titles. This group will meet every fourth Monday of the month at 6 pm in person. 

What we’re reading:

• Nov. 24: Nathaniel Philbrick Mayflower
• Dec. 22: Stacy Schiff, The Witches: Suspicion, Betrayal, and Hysteria in 1692 Salem

This in-person discussion group meets on the third Wednesday of the month at 6 pm. Readings will describe the intrepid explorations, thrilling adventures and thoughtful travels of men and women throughout history. Participants will take turns recommending readings/films and leading the conversation.

What we’re reading:

• Sep. 17: Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air
• Oct. 15: Sarah Vowell, Assassination Vacation
• Nov. 19: Cherry-Garrard, The Worst Journey in the World
• Dec. 19: Kapuscinke, Imperium
• Jan. 21: Izzard, The Abominable Snowman
• Feb. 18: O’Hanlon, Congo Journey
• Mar. 18: Vailant, The Tiger
• Apr. 15: Summers, Fearless on Everest
• May 20: Theroux, Bright Star
• Jun. 17: Bale, A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages

The Fiction Discussion Group meets on the first Monday of each month at 6 pm. This group meets using a hybrid solution. You can attend in person or connect remotely. Titles are suggested by members and then chosen to obtain a variety of authors, publication dates, themes, and lengths.

Thank you for your interest in this group! Unfortunately they are currently at capacity, but if you’d like to be contacted once space becomes available, please join our waitlist.

What we’re reading:

• Dec. 1: Muriel Spark, The Abbess of Crewe
• Jan. 5: 2026: Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge
• Feb. 2: Nevil Shute, On The Beach
• Mar. 2: Mark Twain, Pudd’nhead Wilson
• Apr. 6: Samantha Harvey, Orbital
• May 4: Paula Fox, Desperate Characters
• Jun. 1: T. H. White, The Once and Future King
• Jul. 6: Joachim Maria Machado de Assis, The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas
• Aug. 3: Cory Doctorow, Red Team Blues
• Sep. 14: Han Kang, The Vegetarian

Fiction Audiobooks meets in person the third Saturday of the month at 2 pm to discuss fiction enjoyed in the audiobook format.

What we’re reading:

• Nov. 15  Percival Everett, James 

The French Conversation group meets in person at 12:30 pm on the second Wednesdays of the month. This group is an opportunity for members to gather and speak in French with one another. Those who wish to hone their language skills are encouraged to join.

Meeting dates:

• July-August: no meetings

The James Joyce Discussion Group will meet the second Thursday of every month from 6 – 7:30 pm, remote only.

Thank you for your interest in this group! Unfortunately they are currently at capacity, but if you’d like to be contacted once space becomes available, please join our waitlist.

What we’re reading:

This thriving, 30-year old discussion group meets at 6 pm on the third Monday of each month to discuss works of literature selected by the group, from the ancient classics to contemporary best sellers. Members take turns leading the discussions and engage in active e-mail correspondence about the book currently being read. Our Literary Conversations continue at a local restaurant following the meeting, and all members are invited. This group meets using a hybrid solution. You can attend in person or connect remotely.

Thank you for your interest in this group! Unfortunately they are currently at capacity, but if you’d like to be contacted once space becomes available, please join our waitlist.

What we’re reading:

• Dec. 15: Ted Hughes, Tales from Ovid
• Jan. 19, 2026: Amitav Ghosh, The Glass Palace
• Feb. 16: Edward Hirsch, How to Read a Poem
• Mar 16: Plato, The Republic
• Apr. 21: Thomas Mann, Lotte in Weimar
• May 18: Stendhal, The Red and Black
• Jun. 15: James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room

The Literature in Translation Group meets in person on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 6 pm. To start, the group will focus on Latin American Literature.

What we’re reading:

• Dec. 3rd: Bernhard Schlink, The Granddaughter
• Jan. 7th, 2025: Yuri Herrera, Signs Preceding the End of the World
• Jan. 28th: Valeria Luiselli, The Story of my Teeth

The Mathematics, Technology & Society discussion group will meet the first Saturday of every month from 10:30 am – 12 pm. and will consider mathematics and technology topics from historical and social perspectives. This group is remote only.

Participation is encouraged by anyone interested in the history and impact of technology — no mathematics or computing expertise is required. Each meeting will focus on a different topic and background reading.

What we’re reading:

• Dec. 6: Tim Gregor, In Going Nuclear: How Atomic Energy Will Save the World
• Jan. 3, 2026: Brian Potter, The Origins of Efficiency
• Feb. 7: Michael Kempe, The Best of All Possible Worlds: A Life of Leibniz in Seven Pivotal Days

This group meets in-person the second Monday at 6 pm for curious minds to come together to explore thought-provoking articles from a variety of magazines and periodicals. Each month, we select engaging pieces on timely topics—ranging from culture and science to politics, technology, and the arts—and dive into open, respectful conversations that welcome all viewpoints.

Directions on how to access online copies of selected magazines will be provided.

What we’re reading:

• Nov. 10: articles from the August 4, 2025 issue of The New Yorker:
  • The Pope’s Astronomer – A career at the intersection of faith and science
  • Word of Mouth – Crossing the Mexican border for dental care
  • Period Pieces – Was the Renaissance real?

Unless otherwise specified, the Mystery Discussion Group meets the last Monday of the month at 5:30 pm. This group meets over zoom only. Titles are democratically selected and range from popular thrillers to quiet country investigations to literary prizewinners with a mystery element.

What we’re reading:

• Nov. 24: Stuart Macbride, Cold Granite
• Dec. 29: Rennie Airth, River of Darkness
• Jan. 26, 2025: Keigo Higashino, The Devotion of Suspect X
• Feb. 23: A.A. Milne, The Red House Mystery
• Mar. 30: Fred Vargas, Have Mercy on Us All
• Apr. 27: Adrian McKinty The Cold Cold Ground
• May 25: Tetsuya Ayukawa, The Black Swan Mystery
• Jun. 29: Michael Gilbert, Smallbone Deceased
• Jul. 26: Batya Gur, Saturday Morning Murder
• Aug. 31: Andrea Camilleri, The Shape of Water
• Sep. 28: Darko Dawson, Wife of the Gods

The New England Seminar meets on the first Monday of the month at 6 pm. This group is remote only. The Group reads fiction and non-fiction written about Boston and New England. Past selections include Santayana’s The Last Puritan, Louis Menand’s The Metaphysical Club, Dorothy West’s The Living Is Easy, William Dean Howells’, The Rise of Silas Lapham, Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Collected Short Stories.

What we’re reading:

• Dec. 1: Philip Deloris, Becoming Mary Sully
• Jan. 5, 2026: Colson Whitehead, The Nickel Boys
• Feb. 2: T. F. Kelly, First Nights
• Mar. 2: Richard Russo, Straight Man
• Apr. 6: Heather Cox Richardson, Democracy Awakening
• May 4: Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteridge
• Jun. 1: David Enrich, Murder the Truth

“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.” Isaac Newton, in a letter to Robert Hooke in 1675.

This group meets in person on the second Monday of the month at 6 pm. We will be reading books by some of the great authors in history. Some are well-known, some lesser-known, some forgotten. What do these authors tell us about our inner selves and our own unique vision of the world?  Join us as we share our thoughts and feelings about these works and experience together the unparalleled joy of reading great literature.

What we’re reading:

• Sep. 8: Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge
• Oct. 13:  Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God
• Nov. 10: George Eliot, Middlemarch
• Dec. 8: George Eliot, Middlemarch
• Jan. 12: Ivan Turgenev, Fathers and Children
• Feb. 9:  Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
• Mar. 9:  Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
• Apr. 13: John Steinbeck, East of Eden
• May 11: Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon

This group meets in person on February 28 at 1 pm. With over 800 million fans, Formula 1 is one of the world’s most popular sports. But beyond the speed lies a story of innovation, rivalry, and resilience. Whether you’ve followed F1 since the Senna–Prost days or were drawn in by Drive to Survive, join us as we kick off the 2026 season discussing the joy of motorsport, the heartbreaks that stuck with us, and the moments that made us cheer. Lights out, and away we go!

Possible resources:

• “The Formula: How Rogues, Geniuses, and Speed Freaks Reengineered F1 into the World’s Fastest-Growing Sport” by Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg
• Season 2 of the “Choosing Sides: F1” podcast

Join the Oscar Reads book group! This group meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 6 pm in person. From classics like “From Here to Eternity” up to modern-day hits like “12 Years a Slave” and “The Zone of Interest” (maybe even “Dune”!), we’ll read, watch, and talk about adaptations that have been nominated for Academy Awards.

What we’re reading:

• Dec. 16: Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
• Jan. 27: Ted Chiang, “Story of Your Life”
• Feb. 24: Bernhard Schlink, The Reader
• Mar. 24: Jules Verne, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

The Poetry Study Group meets in person from 5:30 – 7 pm on the third Wednesday of each month. Together we strive to unlock a poem’s meaning, ponder a poet’s intention and savor poetic achievements. Our discussion is lively: We interrogate, debate, take stabs, and applaud each new insight. We appreciate new voices and views, and welcome all earnest readers to join the discussion. A selection of poems will be distributed before each meeting.

What we’re reading:

• Dec. 17: Michael Longley
• Jan. 21, 2026: A primer of poetic meter
• Feb. 18: Blake: Songs of Innocence and Experience
• Mar. 18: Jean Valentine
• Apr. 15: Poetry with photographs
• May 20: Eamon Grennan
• Jun. 17: Mary Oliver

The Philosophy Group meets on the third Thursday of every month at 6 pm. unless otherwise specified. This group meets using a hybrid solution. You can attend in person or connect remotely.

This discussion group is for people who wish to step back from their daily routines and take some time to examine the whys and hows in life. We will cast a wide net, from the Classics to current politics, and participants will be invited to suggest authors and topics of interest.

What we’re reading:

• Nov. 20: JJC Smart and Bernard Williams, Utilitarianism: For and Against

This group meets on the last Tuesday of the month (with certain exceptions for holidays), from 12 – 1:30 pm, using a hybrid solution. You can attend in person or virtually.

Are you interested in reading Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time for the first time? Have you started reading his novel in the past but have never had the stamina to finish it? Are you interested in reading (or re-reading) this work slowly and discussing it in detail with fellow Proust enthusiasts and no threat of plot spoilers? This group is for you.

Participants will read approximately 50 pages a month, and discussions will be guided by reading questions distributed in advance. The group is led by Proust scholar Dr. Hollie Harder, Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Brandeis University.

Participants must sign up in advance for the year. There is a fee of $150 per year. Register through the member portal. If you have questions, contact discussion@bostonathenaeum.org or harder@brandeis.edu

Tuesday meeting dates:

• November 18, 2025
• December 16, 2025
• January 27, 2026
• February 24, 2026
• March 24, 2026
• April 21, 2026
• May 19, 2026

This group meets on the second Tuesday of the month (with certain exceptions for holidays), from 12 – 1:30 pm, using a hybrid solution. You can attend in person or connect remotely.

Have you already read Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time and would you like to re-read the novel and discuss it in further detail with a group of dedicated Proust readers? Are you interested in exploring the myriad connections, contrasts, and comparisons that can be made between the seven volumes of the novel in order to better understand the complex literary, philosophical, social, and artistic worlds that Proust created? Are there questions about this work that you would like to mull over with other experienced readers? This group is for you.

Participants will read approximately 75 pages a month, and discussions will be guided by the interests of the readers who will post questions before each meeting. The group is led by Proust scholar Dr. Hollie Harder, Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Brandeis University.

Participants must sign up in advance for the year. There is a fee of $150 per year. Register through the member portal. If you have questions, contact discussion@bostonathenaeum.org or harder@brandeis.edu

• November 11, 2025
• December 9, 2025
• January 13, 2026
• February 10, 2026
• March 10, 2026
• April 14, 2026
• May 12, 2026

All fiction presents imagined people, places, and plots. Science fiction imagines broader realms than we experience day-to-day. Come every fourth Saturday at 2 pm to explore those worlds and how they touch upon our encounters.

This group meets using a hybrid solution; you can attend in person or connect remotely.

What we’re reading:

• Nov. 22: William Gibson, The Peripheral
• Jan. 3, 2026: Kim Stanley Robinson, The Ministry of the Future
• Jan. 24: Samantha Harvey, Orbital
• Feb. 28: Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon
• Mar. 28: Timothy Zahn, The Icarus Hunt
• Apr. 25: Alfred Bester, The Stars my Destination

The Scrabble Group meets in-person semi-monthly, on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 2 pm, for a friendly game of Scrabble.

The Shakespeare Discussion Group meets the second Wednesday of the month at 6 pm. This group meets using a hybrid solution. You can attend in person or connect remotely.

Every year we select a range of plays, each of which is read over two months. A play leader pre-circulates background readings, talking points, and questions, as well as the scenes to be read in plenary. Everyone has a chance to read, although anyone who would prefer not to is free to pass. Reading aloud helps to take us off the page and breathes life into the words themselves. Discussions are guided by the play leader and group moderator and generally flow organically.

There is no requirement of familiarity with Shakespeare’s works in order to join our discussions. We recommend the Arden edition if you are acquiring a new text.

Thank you for your interest in this group! Unfortunately they are currently at capacity, but if you’d like to be contacted once space becomes available, please join our waitlist.

What we’re reading:

• Nov. 12: Doctor Faustus
• Dec. 10: Doctor Faustus
• Jan. 14, 2026: Coriolanus
• Feb. 11: Coriolanus
• Mar. 11: Timons of Athens
• Apr. 8: Timons of Athens
• May 13: Richard II
• Jun. 10: Richard II

Short & Sweet meets remotely on the fourth Thursday (with exceptions noted below) of each month at 6 pm. “If I had more time, this would be shorter.” Just because something is a quick read does not mean it can be easily appreciated. The moderator will share the story a week ahead of the meeting.

What we’re reading:

• no meetings November and December

This group will meet in-person every fourth Wednesday of the month at 6 pm. If you’re curious or want to learn something new about our natural environment and the creatures that inhabit it, come join us. We will be reading & discussing a variety of books/genres that help us explore and connect to the world around us (such as The Hidden Life of Trees, Raising Hare: a memoir, Braiding Sweetgrass, and more). Books will be decided by group vote.

What we’re reading:

• Sep. 24: Organizational meeting

Join us for a discussion group dedicated to the life and work of Patricia Highsmith—one of the most enigmatic and psychologically complex writers of the 20th century. She is best known for Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley, both adapted into iconic films, including Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 thriller. This group will meet in-person every fourth Thursday of the month at 6 pm for six sessions, August through January.

What we’re reading:

• Aug. 28: Patricia Highsmith: Her Diaries and Notebooks edited by Anna von Planta (note that this text will not be read in full but rather certain selections will be read in conjunction with one novel per month).

Sylvia Plath’s poetry and prose changed literature forever and made her into a cultural icon. In this group, we’ll explore her most famous works, discuss the contexts that shaped them, and delve into her status as a symbol for everything from dysfunctional motherhood to postwar ennui. This group will meet in-person on the second Tuesday of the month at 6 pm.

What we’re reading:

• Oct. 14: Sylvia Plath, Ariel

The Great American Novel will meet in person on the fourth Thursday of the month at 6 pm for six months. It is dedicated to exploring the literature that has shaped—and continues to redefine—the American literary imagination. Each month, we will immerse ourselves in a novel that either stands firmly within the canon or deserves a place there, examining how these works grapple with the themes that have long animated American life: identity, belonging, memory, power, faith, and the pursuit of meaning in an ever-shifting cultural landscape. Together, we’ll read across eras, regions, and sensibilities to trace the evolving story of America as told through some of its most resonant voices.

Our reading list will blend established works with contemporary classics that challenge our understanding of what “the Great American Novel” is and can be. Each session will invite lively conversation, thoughtful analysis, and spirited debate. Whether you’re eager to revisit formative texts or discover landmark works for the first time, this group offers a welcoming space to engage deeply with novels that illuminate the American experience in all its complexity. Join us as we map a literary tradition that is as dynamic, contradictory, and compelling as the nation itself.

What we’re reading:

• Mar. 26: Toni Morrison, Beloved
• Apr. 23: John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
• May 28: Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street
• Jun. 25: Louise Erdrich, The Round House
• Jul. 23: Marilynne Robinson, Gilead
• Aug. 27: Lauren Groff, Fates and Furies

The Thought for Food group meets on the fourth Thursday of each month at 6 pm. Because the group may opt to enjoy a meal or drinks outside Athenaeum grounds after the meeting is over, meetings will only be in-person so that all attendees have the option of the full communal experience.

Literature for Thought for Food could include both modern and historical literature and recipes based on the members’ current interests. We plan to focus on not just current food science and literature but also on historical recipes and literature and their impact on the food we eat today. Our discussions will involve a topic of the group’s choosing with each member choosing material that relates to the topic and sharing it with the group.

The Trollope Discussion Group meets the first Tuesday of every month at 6 pm. This group meets using a hybrid solution. You can attend in person or connect remotely. Over the past several years, Boston Athenaeum Trollope enthusiasts have completed all of Trollope’s novels, yet many have decided to read them all over again. Sometimes the group complements their reading list with another contemporary novelist or a biography.

What we’re reading:

• Dec. 2: Rachael Ray
• Jan. 6, 2026: Edith Wharton, House of Mirth

• Jun. 14: Susanna Clarke, Piranesi
• Jul. 12: Robert A. Heinlein, The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag
• Oct. 11: Jorge Luis Borges, Labyrinths
• Nov. 22: Robert W. Chambers, The King in Yellow
• Dec. 13: Kōbō Abe, The Woman in the Dunes

Weird Literature II meets on Zoom at 6:30 pm on the last Wednesday of the month to discuss weird literature in the short story format. The emphasis will be on weird works generated during the late 19th and early 20th century, though occasionally reaching further back into the gothic tale or forward to the modern weird.

What we’re reading:

• Jan. 28: Clark Ashton Smith, “Abominations of Yondo”

What‘s the Big Idea? is a discussion group exploring general nonfiction in order to learn about topics relevant to the world we live in today. This group meets in-person in the fourth floor conference room on the first Thursday of the month at 6:30 pm.

What we’re reading:

• Dec. 4: Ed Conway, Material World

This discussion group was established in honor of the centenary of the August 1914 outbreak of World War I. Titles will be chosen democratically by group members. The group will meet the first Saturday of each month from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm. This group meets using a hybrid solution. You can attend in person or connect remotely.

What we’re reading:

• Dec. 6: Edith Wharton; GK Chesterton, Fighting France; Lord Kitchener

On September 1, 1939, Adolf Hitler ordered the invasion of Poland and set the world ablaze. World War II would bring destruction, terror and death to millions. However, the world would also be a witness to incredible bravery, fortitude and brilliance. Today, we read and exchange ideas about the events, people, and strategies so we may learn from the past and be a bit wiser in our every day life.

The group meets on the third Saturday of the month at 10:30 am using a hybrid solution. You can attend in person or connect remotely. Afterwards, at noon, we go to lunch and share some laughter and friendship. Please join us.

What we’re reading:

• Dec. 20: Louis Zamperini, Devil at my Heels: A World War II Hero’s Epic Saga of Torment, Survival, and Forgiveness
• Jan. 17, 2026: Joseph Balkoski, Utah Beach
• Feb. 21: Steven Ambrose, Pegasus Bridge
• Mar. 21: Buzz Bissinger, Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II
• Apr. 18: Walter Lord, The Miracle of Dunkirk: The True Story of Operation Dynamo
• May 16: Samuel Elliot Morison, The Two Ocean War
• Jun. 20: Joseph H. Alexander, Edson’s Raiders: The 1st Marine Raider Battalion
• No meetings in July and August
• Sep. 19: John Scott, Beyond the Urals: An American Worker in a Russian City of Steel

The Writers’ Workshop meets the second Saturday of every month from 9:30 am – 12 pm remote only.

How are things? That latest piece talking to you yet? Or perhaps you’re talking to yourself? It gets lonely in that writing corner after a while with nobody to bounce ideas off of. Maybe it’s time to come up for air, commune with other writers, and discuss the work in an informal and encouraging atmosphere. Writers of all stripes are welcome!

Each season is divided into trimesters, allowing members to join in September, January, or May, with the understanding that they will be committed to the group for the following four months. Sign-ups are on the first day of each trimester, and we will receive submissions from members in the previous group for that first meeting.

Thank you for your interest in this group. Please join the waitlist via the member portal if you’d like to be contacted once space becomes available.

• Mar. 9 Session 2 Winter/Spring Trimester
• Apr. 13 Session 3 Winter/Spring Trimester
• May 11 Session 4 Winter/Spring Trimester
• Jun. 8 Session 1 Spring/Summer Trimester
• Jul. 13 Session 2 Spring/Summer Trimester

The Writing Fiction group meets on the third Tuesday of the month, in person, at 6 pm. The first meeting will be on June 18, and the group is open to writers of all different genres. Participants do not need to have written work prepared for the first meeting.

The Writing Fiction II group meets on the first Tuesday of the month, in person, at 6 pm. The first meeting will be on November 4th, and the group is open to writers of all different genres. Participants do not need to have written work prepared for the first meeting.

Writing Fiction III meets on the fourth Saturday of the month, in person, at 2 pm. The first meeting will be on November 22nd, and the group is open to writers of all different genres. Participants do not need to have written work prepared for the first meeting.

Members of the nonfiction writing group meet in person on the first Wednesday of each month at 6pm to work on projects of all kinds from creative non-fiction to academic research and everything in between. Bring your personal essays, book proposals, dissertations, Substack articles, letters to the editor, or whatever else you’re working on. Meeting time is predominantly allocated for silent work. Depending on group preference, time can also be allocated for members to receive feedback or discuss processes.

Meeting dates:

• Jan. 7: first meeting

Writing Poetry meets in person at 6 pm on the second Thursday of each month. This is a non-judgmental space for amateur or professional writers who enjoy capturing moments in poetic form. A poem to spark conversation will be shared each meeting and participants will bring their own poems to share.

The Speculative Writers Group meets on every third Thursday from 6 – 7:45 pm, in-person only.

Whether you are a published author, an aspiring speculative novelist, or a fan fiction artiste, we welcome you to join our writing community. We will do it all – discussions of craft, impromptu writing prompts, silent group writing sessions, and exploring the never-ending struggle of what it means to be a writer. Most importantly, we will have fun doing it.