Harvard Club of Philadelphia

Harvard Club of Philadelphia | Book Group

We are excited to announce that we are forming a HCP Book Group! Inspired by memorable experiences with the book gatherings of the Harvard Clubs of San Francisco and New York, the organizers look forward to lively discussions, at informal gatherings, hosted by different club members at their homes, favorite cafés or other interesting venues. Your partners and friends are also welcome to participate with you. We anticipate mutually selecting books that are available at libraries, in paperback or digitally. 

To get the group started, the first gathering will be hosted by Deborah Ritter on Sunday, April 2nd from 10am to 2pm at the Ritz Carlton on the second floor lounge, and the book for discussion will be The Stone Face by William Gardner Smith (see description below). 

After we determine interest, Deborah will figure out the best way to coordinate with people whether via zoom, email, etc.  Please submit your contact information, school (partner/child affiliation), and interest in in-person or remote participation on questions page after RSVP'ing. 

We look forward to hearing from you!
   

I'm interested!!! Registration Closed.

Host / Lead Organzier: Deborah Ritter 

Date: Sunday, April 2nd from 10:30am till around 1pm.

Location: The Ritz Carlton, 1414 South Penn Square, 2nd floor lounge 

Pastries, fruit, coffee and tea will be provided.

Book Selection:

The Stone Face | William Gardner Smith (NYRB Classics)
In 1951, Black journalist and novelist William Gardner Smith left his native Philadelphia for Paris to join a community of African American writers, including James Baldwin, Chester Himes, and Richard Wright. In Smith’s final novel, The Stone Face — published in 1963 and reprinted by NYRB Classics this year — his protagonist does the same thing, leaving Philadelphia only to find new forms of racism and oppression in Paris. It’s a bold, underappreciated classic that deserves shelf space next to Baldwin and Wright.  Buy it now on bookshop.org | Borrow it from the Free Library