Annual Meeting

Jacquieʼs Email Hello Literary Ladies! Just a quick reminder that we will be meeting this Wednesday, March 12th, in Joanna's beautiful, now finished living room, for the annual meeting of the Literature Club of Hastings-on-Hudson. Please come equipped with book/play/TV/movie recommendations to share, or just helpful hints on how you are getting through your days. In addition, if so desired, please brown bag your lunch, though Joanna will be providing a hot soup, beverages hot and cold, and I'll bring something sweet to share. (Not lunch???!!!)

Besides general chat, we will be brainstorming new possible themes for next year, as well as reviewing the old. For inspiration, above I've attached the list of past themes from 1909 to the present which I've taken the liberty of updating (see sidebar, important documents).

Christineʼs Minutes On March 12, 2025, ten members and one associate gathered at Joanna’s historic house, where the ceiling was no longer falling down. We gathered initially in the kitchen and enjoyed a delicious soup, which was not meant to be our lunch. Following that came the pièce de résistance: for Joanna’s 60th birthday, Jacquie made her famous gateau au chocolat fra diablo. This is where words fail me.

Joanna rang the bell at 1:05 PM. Given that this was our annual meeting, it was posited: what exactly do we do now? Many suggestions followed. The minutes of the previous meeting were not read, because they were unfinished. However, the minutes for January 22 were read and accepted. Our treasurer was in Rome, but it was stated with confidence that our treasury remains the same. Dues are generally due at this time, and they can be submitted via check, cash or Venmo. A nominating committee was created of Linda, Carol and Constance. They are tasked with coming up with a slate for Recording Secretary and Corresponding Secretary. It appears entirely likely that Lori will remain treasurer, but about this your current recording secretary is unsure. In determining who will fill the soon-to-be vacant offices, Joanna asked the salient question: who is not here today?

Then Laura, our hard-working vice, passed out a list of possible topics for the coming season. A rollicking discussion followed. Certain topics were jettisoned for obvious reasons, and new possibilities were suggested, including, but not limited to: how-to books, as a cultural marker; books about movies; investigative journalism; and just picking a topic from a hat. Laura will type up the list, and Jacquie will put it into a Google doc. Laura also told us about a bookstore in Ossining called Hudson Valley Books for Humanity. It sounds excellent. There is also a rumor that a bookstore will soon be opening in Hastings.

The club then played a short round of the game “Humiliation” in which one names a classic book she NOT read and then gets points for the number of people in the group who have read it. (Or maybe who have not.) Books unread by members braving such humiliation included: One Hundred Years of Solitude; War and Peace; Hamlet; Moby Dick; Paradise Lost; and even Pride and Prejudice. But having been sufficiently bribed, your secretary will not name names.

Finally, in an egregious breach of Literature Club protocol, members were requested to leave by 2:30, as our president and hostess had a compelling appointment in Brooklyn.

Respectfully submitted,
Christine Lehner, Recording Secretary