Reminder, information, suggestions

Hello John, Patrick, Jim, Emily, Tom, David, Colleen,  and Mike.

I hope you’re all well and enjoying the summer; I’m looking forward to next week’s conference and to meeting you all.

You comprise the “round table.” With eight participants from different reading groups our experience and enthusiasm for collective reading of this book will surely throw up information, advice, and guidance to our own advantage and to that of the audience.

Times:

Sinclair Suite, on Bloomsday itself, Saturday the 16th June from 2.00 to 3.30.
Object:

The object of the exercise is to search out and formulate the attributes that make for a vibrant reading group, and, on the other side of the balance sheet, to define just what a happy group should avoid. That’s it. We’re not looking for a set formula–there surely is none–but for whatever rough guidelines an experienced bunch of Wakers can, in the course of what I hope will be a comfortable and engaging conversation, come up with.

With such a number around the table, there are, of course, not one but two audiences–ourselves, the round tablers, and the people out there in (one hopes) a participatory attendance. So, we’ll be talking to ourselves as well as to them. I’ve no doubt that our accumulated brainpower can come up with some new thinking and fresh ideas for those of us already in groups and guidelines for those in the audience who haven’t yet braved setting up one in their own institute or program.

Format:

I’ll introduce each of you with a brief bio, and call on you in turn to say a few words about the strengths of your own group. If you can limit this to no more than 3 minutes, that’d be excellent.

Out of the themes that have arisen, I’ll then moderate a conversation that will, I hope, take place initialy as a dialogue among the round-tablers.

I’ll then open the discussion up to the floor hoping to involve the audience in a conversation about particular issues arising from their experience, lack of experience, or hopes for their own groups.

Participants:

• John Bishop, (Cal., Berkeley)
• Patrick Moran (Boston College)
• Jim LeBlanc (Cornell)
• Emily Bloom (U.Texas)
• Tom Hofheinz (Eastern Oregon)
• David Rando (Trinity)
• Colleen Jaurretche (ClaremontMcKenna)
• Mike Rubenstein (Cal., Berkeley)

Directions:

There are a series of rather obvious areas we can traverse in search of the successful formula–asking the usual when’s, where’s and how’s. If you’ve a chance, you might muse over these in advance of the workshop…

• why do a good number of groups flounder?
• what reading strategies work best?
• with what sections of the book might a new group begin?
• what’s the optimum frequency of meetings?
• can technology help or hinder a group’s cohesion?
• what ancillary texts (if any) contribute to the exercise
• what are the optimum numbers in any group?

But please, feel totally free to approach this table from whatever angle and with whatever queries and suggestions you like. Despite the rather formal outlines above, I do hope that we can make this not so much a discussion as a conversation.

I’d love to hear your suggestions. And I hope to meet many of you before our panel: unfortunately, plane schedules force me to race off as soon as we finish.

best, and thanks again

Joe Nugent

Boston College

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