9th Annual
Celebration of Literary Discussion
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Saturday, October 19
10 am - 3:30 pm |
Bayou Bend
Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center 6003 Memorial Drive (at Westcott Street) Houston TX 77007 |
Meet & Greet
Doors open at 9:45 am
Sign in, talk to old and new friends, and meet your HGB Councilmembers.
HGBC Membership Meeting
10 - 10:15 am
Our brief official meeting of the Houston Great Books Council will begin
with President Connie Lewis giving some opening remarks
followed by a quick election of new and returning board members.
Doors open at 9:45 am
Sign in, talk to old and new friends, and meet your HGB Councilmembers.
HGBC Membership Meeting
10 - 10:15 am
Our brief official meeting of the Houston Great Books Council will begin
with President Connie Lewis giving some opening remarks
followed by a quick election of new and returning board members.
|
Morning Workshop A
10:15 am - 12:15 pm Understanding Shared Inquiry: How to Improve Our Book Discussion Skills led by Helen Cohen "Shared Inquiry promotes an intellectually stimulating interpretative discussion of a work—a group exploration of meaning that leads to engaging and insightful conversation. It helps participants read actively, articulate probing questions about the ideas in a work, and listen and respond effectively to each other. And it is based on the conviction that participants can gain a deeper understanding of a text when they work together and are prompted by a leader’s skilled questioning."
from the Shared Inquiry Handbook. We will be using the short stories "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber and "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry to hone our discussion skills. This is a great session for people new to book discussion as well as for people with experience who want to get back to basics. PDFs of the short stories and the Shared Inquiry Handbook will be sent when you RSVP. |
Morning Workshop B
10:15 am - 12:15 pm Poetry of Emily Dickinson led by Wendy Wilkinson & Kristen Stewart Emily Dickinson is a true icon, a name everyone knows and respects. She's widely considered one of the greatest poets in the English language. You might have even been shown a poem or two in high school, but have you ever taken time to interrogate and discuss her poems?
The exact poems are to be determined. But we will read through several of her poems together and talk about their unique style and powerful themes. Remember that we do not rely on experts to inform our reading. Please refrain from looking up any analysis of the poems. We can and will make our own opinions on the structure and beauty of these works. We welcome everyone, whether you've never read poetry or you are a dedicated aficionado! A PDF of the poems will be sent to RSVPers about two weeks before the event. |
Lunch & Chat
12:15 am - 1:30 pm
Lunch will be provided for anyone who attends
both a morning and afternoon session and RSVPs by October 16.
12:15 am - 1:30 pm
Lunch will be provided for anyone who attends
both a morning and afternoon session and RSVPs by October 16.
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Afternoon Workshop
1:30 pm to 3:30 pm The Supreme Court and the Constitution: Two 2024 Cases led by Kent Guida and Eric Timmreck How, exactly, does the Supreme Court craft its decisions in reference to the text of the Constitution? When resulting decisions differ significantly over time, how can this be explained in reference to the Constitution and the justices’ written opinions?
Come join us in a discussion of two cases, both decided this year, but already of historic importance. These cases are focused on significantly different constitutional issues, apply different methods of analysis, and resulted in different outcomes. First, in 1984 the Supreme Court determined that under certain circumstances when the law is ambiguous, ‘deference’ must be accorded to the opinion of federal agencies in resolution of these ambiguities. Earlier this year, the Court overturned ‘Chevron deference,’ leaving the resolution of such ambiguities with the judicial branch. Major downstream implications are already being felt from this decision. Second, this past year a major case was brought (Murthy v. Missouri) in which government suppression of speech on social media was alleged. This case was remanded to the lower courts because of inadequate ‘standing’ by the suppliants. It was not addressed on the merits and may rise again. The arguments used and the content of the dissent shed light on how the Court approaches such issues. We’ll use the actual texts of the Court’s decisions (abridged for readability) and the text of the Constitution to develop through discussion a better understanding of how this key element of our government functions. |
Afternoon Workshop
1:30 pm to 3:30 pm Prize Winners discussion group begins with Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan led by Ellen Bishop and Connie Lewis This discussion will mark the beginning of the group "Prize Winners." This group will read books that have been nominated or awarded the prominent contemporary literary prizes.
For this workshop, we will be discussing a historical fiction novella Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. This book was praised for its suprising depth from such a small read. "It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant, is facing his busiest season. While delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church." In 2022, the book won the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, and was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize and the Booker Prize. |
