SAN FRANCISCO GREAT BOOKS COUNCIL

Serving Northern California

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 1, 2007

 

WEEKEND AT ASILOMAR TO FEATURE TWENTIETH CENTURY LITERATURE -- Works by Iris Murdoch, Stephen Jay Gould, Nilo Cruz to be discussed

 

San Francisco, Calif.  – All book lovers are welcome April 13-15, 2007, at the Asilomar Conference Center, Pacific Grove, for the San Francisco Great Books Council’s spring event. 

 

A novel, The Bell, by Iris Murdoch; the play Anna in the Tropics, by Nilo Cruz; a book discussing the relationship between science and religion, Rocks of Ages, by Stephen Jay Gould, and selected poetry, are on the agenda.  Books may be ancient or modern, but must be worth careful reading and provoke questions of interpretation that group discussion will help to illuminate.  This year all are relatively modern.   Participants must have read the selection and are discouraged from bringing up other works or extraneous matters until later.  Everyone’s opinion is respected, newcomer and veteran alike.

 

Registration is now open but space may be limited so early signup is recommended.  The weekend includes lodging for Friday and Saturday, six meals, reading materials, and social gatherings.   Rates are surprisingly affordable at $236 to $446 per person depending on choice of accommodations.   To sign up, log onto www.greatbooks-sf.com or call Sheri Kindsvater at 916-761-7349.

 

About the San Francisco Great Books Council

 

The San Francisco Great Books Council is an affiliate of the Great Books Foundation, founded at the University of Chicago almost 60 years ago by Robert Maynard Hutchins and Mortimer J. Adler.  A non-profit educational organization, its mission is to provide people of all ages the opportunity to read, discuss, and learn from outstanding works of literature, current and past, western and non-western.

 

The San Francisco council coordinates over 40 book groups throughout Northern California, publishes a newsletter, Reading Matters, provides leader training, helps start new book groups, and sponsors literary events in scenic locations.  To learn more or join a group, log onto www.greatbooks-sf.com or contact SFGB president Brent Browning at (408) 353-6340 or brentbrowning@comcast.net.

 

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Editor’s Note:  Barbara McConnell, Asilomar Event Chair, is available for interviews at (541)488-7463 or barbaramcc29@msn.com.