Groups to Join
Membership is not required to participate in groups at the Athenaeum. All are welcome!
Several groups take summer breaks. Please check the dates under each group.
La Tertulia
Meets the 2nd and 4th Tuesday
2nd Tuesdays online—5:00 to 7:00 PM
4th Tuesdays in person—6:00 to 8:00 PM
La Tertulia is a group of people interested in keeping their Spanish speaking skills in practice.
Book Group
Meets the 2nd Saturday
from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM—hybrid
Sign up here for Zoom link only
(Registration for in-person attendance is not required)
Open discussion meeting on wide variety of fiction and non-fiction works, new and classics.
Check out what we’ve read over the years here:
SA Book Group List 2024–2016
Upcoming discussions:
2026
Jan. 10:
The Land of Sweet Forever by Harper Lee
Feb. 14:
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdich
Mar. 14:
This Is What It Sounds Like : What the Music You Love Says about You by Susan Rogers & Ogi Ogas
Apr. 11:
The Last Navigator: A Young Man, an Ancient Mariner, the Secrets of the Sea by Steve Thomas
May 9:
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
June 13:
The Women of Arlington Hall by Jane Healey
July 11:
The American Revolution and the Fate of the World by Richard Bell
Aug. 8:
Dancers at the End of Time: An Alien Heat by Michael Moorcock
Sep. 12:
Arcadia by Tom Stoppard
Oct. 10:
The Last Man by Mary Shelley
No November meeting
Dec. 13:
March by Geraldine Brooks
Any Book Group
Sign up here
Meets bi-monthly on Third Thursdays at 7:00 PM—Online
An online book discussion group for readers of all genres.
Monday Evening Conversations
Meets the 2nd Monday at 7:00 PM—Online
Sign up here
Topics for discussion are wide open, but must be amenable to good conversation.
Reappraisal Reading Circle
Meets Bi-monthly on Third Wednesdays—hybrid
at 7:00 PM Sign up here
Open meeting discussing the works of a prolific, popular author of the past whose works are held in quantity by the Athenaeum.
Past Reading Circle Authors 2015-2025
2025–26 Discussions:
Sep 17
Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832)
Scottish novelist, poet, and historian.
Alexandre Dumas, pere (1802–1870)
French playwright and author of historical adventure novels.
Margaret Deland (1857–1945)
American writer of poetry, short stories, and realistic novels. Sometimes called the American Mrs. Humphry Ward.
Mar 18
Warwick Deeping (1877–1950)
English author of short stories and best sellers.
May 20
Elizabeth Goudge (1900–1984)
English writer of fiction and children’s books.
June 17
Selection meeting for 2026–27
Upcoming Events
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Jan. 22:
Writers and AI: What You Need to Know
7:00 p.m. -
Jan. 24:
New Members Event
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. - Feb. 9:
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Feb. 11:
New Perspectives on Salem’s African American History from Salem’s Centuries
7:00 p.m.