Whether by a lakeside during summer or nestled beneath a blanket on a cold winter’s night, there are few more pleasurable pastimes for many of us than curling up with a good book. Last school year, SCS staff and alumnae gathered together for four meetings of the SCS Alumnae Book Club. Between November and April, keen SCS readers came together to discuss some of the most talked about page-turners as curated by a team of former SCS English teachers.
Initially held in the Lassonde Library, circumstances necessitated that the sessions switch from in-person to the digital domain in the spring with participants joining in from across two continents.
St. Clement’s is now delighted to announce that by popular demand, the Alumnae Book Club returns to SCS this school year with the first event taking place virtually on Thursday, October 1 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Led by former St. Clement’s English teachers Ruth Griffiths, Julia Scott, and Patricia Westerhof, this year’s round of reading will feature a “Proud To Be Canadian” theme, with three novels by Canadians of colour and a fourth and final evening open for Alumnae to present their own personal source of Canadian literary pride.
To kick-off this year’s sessions, Ruth Griffiths will discuss Theory, by novelist, essayist, documentarian, and former Toronto Poet Laureate Dionne Brand. In November, Patricia Westerhof will host a discussion on Lawrence Hill’s award winning The Book of Negroes, while early in the New Year we’ll see Julia Scott lead a conversation around David Chariandy’s Brother, which was described by The Globe and Mail as “a supremely moving and exquisitely crafted portrait of his hometown (Scarborough).” The season will end in the spring with an open chat on what books make us proud to be Canadian with Ruth, Julia, and Patricia all joining in. More information on the SCS Alumnae Book Club will be posted on SCS Connect (https://scsconnect.ca) and on the SCS website. In the meantime, save October 1 as a date to remember!
