Join us for a special evening celebrating book clubs. Initially emerging from religious study groups and European literary salons, book clubs originated in the 17th and 18th centuries as rebellious, intellectual spaces. These gatherings provided a vital forum for education, discussion, and social change—particularly for women and marginalized groups who were excluded from universities.
Join Helen Bui, founder of Silverlake Reading Club and Jessica Strand, senior director of Programming and Strategic Engagement at the Library Foundation, Los Angeles, to explore the history of book clubs and reading groups, tracing their origins as intellectual, and often subversive, forums for conversation, learning, and community. They will reflect on the ways reading, gathering, and sharing knowledge has evolved into a contemporary practice of connection and cultural exchange, inspiring new ways of imagining the future.
Following the discussion, guests will enjoy a three-course dinner inspired by recipes from The Literary Gourmet (Linda Wolfe, 1985). Each course will be paired with a live reading performed by Interact Theatre Company, bringing the literary works behind the menu to life in a unique multisensory experience.
Menu
Gluten free and vegetarian options available. Menu is subject to change.
Appetizer: Vegetable Salad from Forbidden Fruit (Guy de Maupassant, 1880)
Sausages from She Stoops to Conquer (Oliver Goldsmith, 1773)
Entree: Boeuf en Daube from To the Lighthouse (Virginia Woolf, 1927)
English muffins from The Importance of Being Ernest (Oscar Wilde, 1895)
Dessert: Wedding cake, apple tarts, and custard from Emma (Jane Austen, 1815)
This event is part of the Getty Research Institute’s Tastemakers series, featuring communal gatherings inspired by cookbooks from the Getty Library.
