Etel Adnan was a significant Arab and Arab-American poet and painter who wrote in both French and English. Adnan published an enormous range of works: from the internationally recognized novel about the Lebanese Civil War (Sitt Marie Rose) to volumes of poetry (The Indian Never Had a Horse and Other Poems) to essays (Paris, When It's Naked) to a collection of letters (Of Cities and Women). Barbara Lesch McCaffry will lead us in a tour of the Sitting Room’s collection of Adnan’s books and art followed by a discussion of a selection of her work whose subjects range from the political to the poetic to the philosophic to the artistic. Participants will have time to read passages from any one of several books or the Etel Adnan archives. We will come back together as a group and share our discoveries.
Please RSVP to JoAnn Borri at joannborri@gmail.com. Limit 10
Sitt Marie Rose is the internationally recognized novel about the Lebanese Civil War by Etel Adnan. Barbara Lesch McCaffry will lead a discussion and participants will read and share passages from the novel. We encourage those who are interested to read the novel in advance. It is a slender novel and several copies are available for participants at the Sitting Room. It is also available on Kindle.
Please RSVP to JoAnn Borri at joannborri@gmail.com. Limit 10.
Who does the dishes? or the laundry? fixes school lunches? and works part or full time outside the home. These are some of the questions addressed in Arlie Hochschild’s groundbreaking book, The Second Shift: Working Families and the Revolution at Home. This round table discussion will explore domestic work and the transformative (or not) role working women play in today’s world. How this has played out in your life or another’s? If you are planning to contribute to this year’s anthology, devoted to the subject of work, feel free to bring along a draft, an idea, a sketch. Details on our website, sittingroomlibrary.org/publish
Please RSVP to JoAnn Borri at joannborri@gmail.com. Limit 8
During this creative workshop (or playshop) we will use books, art, and ephemera from the Sitting Room to prompt our writing. Nicole R. Zimmerman will invite us to play with forms, such as erasure poetry and bibliomancy, as we explore the library and write expressively. Participants will have time to share writing aloud (always optional). Rather than critique just-written work, the group’s attentive listening and affirmative feedback will guide our practice. This event commemorates 5 years since Nicole offered her first Amherst Writers workshop here in person before sheltering-in-place began in March 2020.
Please RSVP to JoAnn Borri at joannborri@gmail.com. Limit 10
Conjuring the past, speaking to the present: Black women writers and poets.
Please RSVP to JoAnn Borri at joannborri@gmail.com. Limit 8.
What do we readers, writers, artists, and seekers encounter when entering The Sitting Room Library? Join us for a lively, collaborative experience as we absorb and embody essences of this magical treasure house. Through writing, oral stories and movement we will weave threads of our individual and collective impressions into a multilayered quilt. We will make the richness and history of this unique repository come alive! Join us for this dynamic, adventuresome afternoon. Bring your imagination! All are welcome.
Please RSVP to JoAnn Borri at joannborri@gmail.com. Limit 8.
These Round Tables are a new way of getting small groups in conversation using the rich resources of the Sitting Room Library. Here is how we are imagining them: no cost, no advance preparation needed. And only one meeting planned. Browse the library, select a book. Each person speaks and also listens and thus we have what we all say we are wanting: conversation. Bring your curiosity!
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