Open Book is launching a new series of literary lectures in 2020. Join me, Lynn Rosen, for this new program! Beginning in February, we will convene monthly and, each month, I will present a talk on a different topic. Each lecture will address a different writer, theme, or group of books.
These are all standalone talks. They don’t require preparation or reading ahead of time. They simply require you to come with an expectation of learning something about the particular writer or topic of the month. You’ll be able to ask questions, participate in discussion, and meet other like-minded passionate readers. You can attend one talk or as many as you like!
DATES AND TOPICS:
We will be running two sessions of this lecture series. One will run monthly on Saturday mornings from 11am to 12:30pm. The second separate session will run monthly on Tuesday evenings from 7pm to 8:30pm. In otherwords, each lecture will be presented once on a Saturday morning, and again on a Tuesday evening, so you can choose which works best for your schedule.
February 1 or February 4:
From Little Women to Loose Women: The Wide World of Louisa May Alcott
(Note: Scroll down for detailed descriptions of each lecture.)
February 29 or March 3:
Philly Writes: Philadelphia Authors from Thomas Paine to Jennifer Weiner
March 28 or March 31:
Self-Helpful: Things You Really Can Learn from Self-Help Books That Can Change Your Life
April 25 or April 28:
Good Books: Examining the Literary Canon
May 30 or June 2:
Later in Life: Women Aging into Abundance
ABOUT LYNN:
Lynn Rosen
Lynn Rosen runs Open Book’s extensive program of classes, workshops, and events for readers, writers and thinkers. Lynn is a long-time book publishing industry professional with many years of experience as an editor, literary agent, teacher, and author. For the past five years, she has been co-owner of Open Book Bookstore. She has served as Editorial Director of Book Business magazine, and Director of Graduate Publishing Programs at Rosemont College. Prior to that, she was Editorial Director at Peter Pauper Press, a Senior Editor at Running Press and, earlier in her career, an Editor in the Trade Division of Ballantine Books (Penguin Random House). In 1991, Lynn launched Leap First, an independent literary agency, which she ran until 1999. She is the author of Elements of the Table: A Simple Guide for Hosts and Guests (Clarkson Potter). Lynn graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with an Honors degree in English, and holds a Masters in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. She teaches writing and publishing classes at Open Book, and has been a professor at Drexel University, Temple University, Rosemont College, and numerous other academic institutions.
LOCATION
Free Library of Springfield Township, 8900 Hawthorne Lane, Wyndmoor, PA 19038
COST
1 or 2 lectures: $40 each
3 lectures: $115
4 lectures: $150
The whole series (5 lectures): $180
Books related to each lecture will be available for sale both prior to and at the lecture. Participants receive 10% off on all related book purchases.
SIGN UP HERE
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS:
February 1 or February 4:
From Little Women to Loose Women: The Wide World of Louise May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is celebrating 150 years as a go-to volume of young readers, a classic so many continue to hold close to their hearts well into adulthood. We will take a close look at the life of the Philadelphia-born Alcott and explore her major contribution to American letters and her role in the Transcendentalist movement that truly determined the essence of American literature. We will learn about her life working as a writer to support her family, and reveal Alcott’s secret life as an author of sexy “bodice rippers,” something not revealed until a century after her death.
February 29 or March 3:
Philly Writes: Philadelphia Authors from Thomas Paine to Jennifer Weiner
Our city has a rich literary legacy. Writers who have changed the course of history, like Paine and Franklin, made their homes here, and writers today who reign on bestseller lists and appear in literary award listings currently reside here, with more literary stars joining their ranks each year. This course is an overview of Philadelphia writers, including capsule bios, literary excerpts, and other interesting local literary trivia and history.
March 28 or March 31:
Self-Helpful: Things You Really Can Learn from Self-Help Books That Can Change Your Life
Self-help is a popular genre, filled with books that say they will help you improve your life. They promise to help you tidy your home, become a better person, get rich, de-stress, and much more. Can we trust these books? Yes, we actually can! Some self-help books really will help us become better and happier people – if we choose the right ones.
We’ll track down the books that can help us based on Lynn’s research and with support from the new book from the creators of the “By The Book” podcast: How To Be Fine: What We Learned From Living By The Rules of 50 Self-Help Books by Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer (pub date 3/17/20)
April 25 or April 28:
Good Books: Examining the Literary Canon
What are the qualities of a good book? What defines literary fiction? Why are some books canonized and others overlooked?
In this session, we will look at the question of the canon. We will view the canon as defined by literary scholars, and discover what qualities make a literary work worthy. We will then examine the question of popular literature, and what that contributes.
We will explore examples of what both critics and participants in the class deem to be “good books” in order to work to our own determination of what makes a book worth reading, teaching, and passing down through the ages.
May 30 or June 2:
Later in Life: Women Aging into Abundance
As several new books reinforce, women become more authentic as they age. There is less concern about saying or doing the right thing, and women feel freer to do and think as they please. As Mary Pipher says in Women Rowing North, ““If we can keep our wits about us, think clearly, and manage our emotions skillfully, we will experience a joyous time of our lives.”
In this talk we will explore the positive side of growing older and into our power and take a closer look at books by Mary Pipher, Gail Collins, and others.