Annual Meeting March 4, 2026

Jacquieʼs Email Hello Literary Ladies! The Literature Club of Hastings-on-Hudson will be enjoying two beloved annual events this Wednesday, March 4th—our Annual Meeting as well as our annual jaunt to Ossining and Laura Riceʼs magnificent bit of Hastings-on-Hudson on Rockledge Avenue. Although Literature Club tradition has been to brown bag our Annual Meeting, we will reserve that for our April 8th meeting at Joannaʼs. Laura will be providing what is sure to be a scrumptious lunch which we are certain to enjoy with a large side helping of her glorious view and good company.

Luncheon will begin at noon, and Joanna will ring the bell at 1 PM to begin the final meeting of her tenure. The order of business will include the announcement from our nominating committee of their recommendations for our new president and vice-president. After the formal acknowledgement of their recommendations, Joanna will pass the bell to her successor for safe keeping and good use. With new officers in place, the vice-president will then hand out a list of potential topics for our 2026-2027 season for us to review, edit, and amend. Please come with any new ideas for possible future topics.

In addition, I'm sure we will all join together in praise and thanks to outgoing President Joanna Riesman, who has led us with grace, punctuality, good humor, and many, many memorable hostessing gigs. It's been a most excellent two years.

I will be driving Carla but have two to four extra seats in my van for anyone who would like a ride. (The additional two seats are if anyone feels nimble enough to climb into the third-row seat.) I will try not to back up into any other cars on the way home as I did last time and make sure everyone gets back without delay!

Please let Laura know if you are unable to attend.

Below are the topics being considered for the theme for the 2026-2027 season. Rather than create some fancy schmancy spread sheet for our first round of voting, I've listed the topics we decided on below. Please email me back with your top five choices. This is not ranked—each vote will have the same weight—but will help whittle our choices down to the top five contenders for our final, ranked vote. And what was that metaphor, Joanna? “No fingers will be on the lever at the voting booth!” Please respond by the end of next week so that I can have a final list by our next meeting on March 18th. Thanks! Jacquie (now the Vice-President)

Possible Topics for 2026-2027

New York Stories

Best Books of the 21st Century—Thus Far
Major Literary Prize Winners and/or Nominated But Never Won
Book Pairs: A Classic and Its Modern Retelling
There Was a Movie? (Books Made into Films - Popcorn Optional)

Politics in Literature

Novels of Place
Haunting
One Topic—Multiple Views
Investigative Journalism
Scandinavian Literature
Canadian Literature
Solely Shakespeare
Villains in Literature
Monsters—Wonderful Literature by Horrid People
Literature About the Arts
Out of Our Comfort Zone—Books in Translation
Obscure Writers Who Need to be Read
Science Fiction
Essays
Banned Books
Enough with the Drama - Let's Do Drama Redux

Frances' Minutes Eleven members and one associate met at Laura’s. The day was clear; the views of the Hudson and the Palisades were panoramic from the living room’s 4 large windows.

Joanna called the meeting to order at 1 PM. Lori reported the treasury at $113.12 but it increased rapidly as many members paid their $20 annual dues. Associates are required to pay dues too.

Joanna announced the new slate of officers.
President: Laura
Vice-President: Jacquie
Corresponding Secretary: Carla

Joanna handed the president’s bell to Laura. We thanked Joanna for her superb leadership as well as her willingness to host more than her fair share of meetings. We are delighted Laura and Jacquie are president and vice-president. Good to have Carla back on the board – she last served as president in 2010.

Recommendations: The Director by Daniel Kellerman; a fictionalized account of film director G.W. Pabst’s life. An Austrian, Pabst worked in Hollywood as a director. In 1939, he returned to Austria and made Nazi propaganda films. Barbara recommended Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xuegin, an 18th century novel considered one of China’s greatest. Jacquie recommended Zadie Smith’s essays, Dead or Alive. Joanna recommended Unless by Carol Shields. A mother tries to accept her daughter’s peculiar life.

We discussed the list of topics passed around by Jacquie. Editing was done; some additions, some removals. Jacquie will send out the final list. Members should pick their five favorite topics by our next meeting on March 18th. We will then rank, from the five, three, in order of our preference.

Onto another year of literary pleasures.

Respectfully submitted,
Frances Greenberg
Recording Secretary