The council periodically hosts one-day mini-retreats that feature lively discussions in congenial settings. In recent years, San Francisco mini-retreats have been held in February at the Mechanics Institute Library, 57 Post Street, San Francisco. The event has typically featured discussion of a novel in conjunction with viewing of a film adaptation.
The next mini-retreat will take place on February 4, 2012 from 9:30 to 4:30. There will be a discussion of Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig followed by a screening of the film version starring William Hurt, Raul Julia and Sonia Braga.
THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT. If you are interested in having your name added to the mailing list for this year's event, please email event chair Claudia O'Callaghan at callcoc@aol.com, and include your mailing address.
Mini-retreats in recent years have featured discussions of great works of fiction as well as discussion of works on human rights and privacy. These have sometimes been paired with tours of our surroundings, including the Academy of Sciences, the Arboretum, the Main Library and the Museum of Modern Art, or with film adaptations of the works being discussed, which have recently included The Leopard, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, 1984, The End of the Affair, Death in Venice, Lolita and The Painted Veil.