Dear Athenaeum Friends,
It is my hope that you came through last week’s storms unscathed. We are nearing the end of a hot and eventful summer that sometimes feels of biblical proportions! This is normally a time when families hit the stores for school supplies, grandparents gear up for after school snacks and homework help with the grandkids, and all of us anticipate cooler breezes and nature’s annual color changes. It is also the time when The Athenaeum of Philadelphia and sister institutions prepare for a fresh season of programming and events.
As hinted in prior emails, the Athenaeum has a wonderful schedule of virtual programs for the fall. Below you will find the September evening Speaker Series lineup. We will also unroll virtual noon-time programming featuring conversations between staff and patrons about the many treasures in our collections. The Athenaeum Book Club with Lois Reibach continues with great enthusiasm. I will host a monthly “Books with Beth” group as well. In concert with the sixteen member Membership Libraries Group, we will offer Athenaeum shareholders additional high-profile programming opportunities. You will receive more information about all of these in your email or mailbox in the coming month.
Some of you have been inquiring when we will reopen our doors. The Athenaeum plans to open for researchers and library patrons after Labor Day (subject to City, Commonwealth, and National guidelines, of course). We will soon send out an email with details.
|
|
|
Thu, Sep 3, 2020 6:00 PM EST
So, You Want to Be a Writer
|
|
|
|
Two local writers tell about their very different journeys through the world of writing and publishing and answer your questions. |
|
|
Wed, Sep 16, 2020 6:00 PM EST
Locatecture in the City with Witold Rybcynski
|
|
|
|
2019 Athenaeum Literary Award for Art & Architecture author emphasizes the importance of architecture and urban design on a local level, how an old city can remake itself by invention as well as replication, and the role that individuals still play in transforming the urban landscapes around them.
|
|
|
Wed, Sep 23, 2020 6:00 PM EST
In Pursuit of History with H. Richard Dietrich III
|
|
|
|
This book is a tribute to a major collection and its founder, showcasing highlights from the Dietrich American Foundation. The foundation was established in 1963 by H. Richard Dietrich Jr., and focuses on 18th century American fine and decorative art. |
|
|
Thu, Sep 24, 2020 6:00 PM EST
Unmasking Progress: Beyond the Culture of Exploitation with John Larson
|
|
|
|
Larson’s new book, Laid Waste!, offers a deep reinterpretation of the “progress” of modernization in the United States from the first days of English colonization into the early decades of the twentieth century. |
|
|
Tue, Sep 29, 2020 6:00 PM EST
Runaways, or Citizens Claimed as Such with Christopher Bonner
|
|
|
|
Christopher Bonner explores individual and collective strategies African Americans used to defend their freedom and secure rights. The ambiguous, powerful concept of citizenship was central to those strategies. |
|
|
Thu, Sep 3, 2020 3:00 PM EST
Athenaeum Open Book Club
|
|
|
|
The next meeting of the Athenaeum Open Book Club will be on September 3 at 3:00pm. This month we are reading Three Hours in Paris by Cara Black. This novel is a suspenseful historical tale based on the mystery of Hitler’s abrupt departure from newly occupied 1940 Paris. It follows the mission of a British intelligence markswoman who, while trying to assassinate the Führer, discovers that she has been set up. This book club is run by our Bibliographer Lois Reibach! We have a copy of the eBook available here: https://pat.axis360.baker-taylor.com/Title?itemId=0025568571&ISBN=9781641290425&isRecommendable=false
Registration required, free and open to the public.
|
|
Speaking of books, are you as overly ambitious with your reading plan as I am? The pandemic has not brought me the extra reading time that I thought it would. However, my bedside book pile continues to grow. To give you an idea about the sort of books we might discuss in a new book group, I thought I would close by sharing with you a visual presentation of the titles I am currently reading/planning to read (see the photo above!). Any overlaps with your bookshelf? Let me know what you are reading these days! bhessel@philaathenaeum.org
Wishing you joy, hope, health, and good reading,
Beth Shalom Hessel
Executive Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
