Essays

[close] About the Group Welcome! We’re a Vancouver-based reading crew for people who love the classics and want to read them in a friendly, low-pressure way. We rotate between plays (Shakespeare & friends), classic novels (Tolstoy, Austen, Ibsen, etc.), and a monthly Harvard Classics Coffee Club pick (short, actionable reads like Ben Franklin’s Autobiography). Think: big ideas, zero academic gatekeeping. Who this is for Readers who want thoughtful conversation without homework police People curious about “the great books” and how they apply to real life Vancouver locals who may meet in person—non-Vancouver readers still welcome to join threads and chats How we read 1–2 selections per month (mix of short plays, short stories, essays, or manageable chunks of longer books) Discussion threads open a week before meetups with prompts + key quotes In-person meetups (cafés / library rooms) when possible, plus ongoing online chats “Come even if you didn’t finish”—we’ll post summaries and passages Typical Picks Plays: Twelfth Night, A Doll’s House, Death of a Salesman Novels/Novellas: Hadji Murat, The Stranger, Jane Eyre (selections welcome) Harvard Classics: Franklin, Emerson essays, Marcus Aurelius selections, Montaigne, Plato dialogues (short!) Why join Because classics don’t have to be stuffy. We read to think better, live better, and have great conversations—with a warm, curious crowd.

[close] In this monthly reading group, we discuss novels and short stories that rely less on plot and more on the description of sensations, extraordinary experiences and new modes of perceiving reality and relating to others. We are in interested in exploring themes like memory, the passing of time, identity, as well as the various consequences that certain encounters with otherness can bring to a life. We draw on the ideas of different philosophers (Deleuze, Nietzsche, etc.) to enrich our reading of the texts. HOW? Everyone is welcome to the discussion. The only requisite to participate is having read the novel beforehand, because discussions are on topic. Bring your thoughts, questions, and the passages you have underlined! WHERE? In DISCORD: Our online meeting will take place in Discord, so please make sure to join our Discord group beforehand! Here is the invitation to our group: https://discord.gg/DEcXZDgXZj

[close] Reading 50 books that were published last year. All genres. All good.

[close] Whether it be an in-depth look at our natural world through essays written by past and present authors such as H.D. Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, and Gary Snyder or reading authors where the landscape plays an active role in their novels, such as Willa Cather or Jack London this group will focus on how the environment plays a crucial role in literature.