Literary Circle get-togethers need not only be centered around a discussion of a book read prior to the gathering. Often times it is difficult for each guest to get the reading done before the event, so to help out those who want to have literary discussions but may not be able to read in advance, hold a literary circle for a work to be read aloud at the meeting.  

Plays, short stories, and poetry are perfect to read and discuss in one sitting.  Most of Shakespeare’s plays are able to be read or performed in two hours.  Don’t fret over having copies for all members unless you’re reading a play.  Your circle can share a single copy of a story by passing the selection from one member to the next. 

When selecting a menu, keep in mind that the food for a this type of event should be able to be put out for the duration of the gathering.  You might also plan a menu that compliments the work you are reading.  The menu suggested below is centered around tortilla roll-ups; some complementary readings include Tortilla Flat  by John Steinbeck and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.  The House on Mango Street and Annie John, by Jamaica Kincaid, are short story cycles in which a group of connected short stories are told, like Pulp Fiction, and make good choices for a literary circle such as this one.

Menu ideas:

Remember: it’s best to serve quiet foods, nothing crisp or crunchy that would be loud to eat.

Recommended short stories:

  • “A Rose for Emily” William Faulkner
  • “The Cask of Amontillado” Edgar Allan Poe
  • “To Build a Fire” Jack London
  • “The Open Window” Saki
  • “The Lady, or the Tiger?” Frank R. Stockton
  • “The Necklace” Guy de Maupassant
  • “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson
  • “The Devil and Tom Walker” Washington Irving
  • “The Story of an Hour” Kate Chopin*
  • “A Worn Path” Eudora Welty
  • “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” Flannery O’Connor

Poets to savor:

  • Robert Frost
  • Langston Hughes (and other Harlem Renaissance Poets)
  • Emily Dickinson
  • Walt Whitman
  • Edgar Lee Masters