Spring Semester with Mark Schenker - Short Fiction By Women (Zoom and In-Person)

Mark Schenker returns to the Wilton Library to discuss six short works of fiction, spanning nearly 90 years, all written by women. Last season's series on British stage comedies featured only male authors. For this semester, the six works, by five authors, include writers from Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and America. They all explore the theme of coming-of-age, a motif more commonly found in works with male protagonists. Join us for tales that range from the cautionary to the comic, from the exhilarating to the heartbreaking.

The first three lectures will be Zoom only at 7pm; the last three will be in-person at the library with a Zoom option at 3pm.

The schedule is as follows:

The garden party (1922) - Catherine Mansfield (1888-1923)

Where are you going? Where have you been? (1966) - Joyce Carol Oates (born 1938)

No name woman (1976) - Maxine Hong Kingston (born 1940)

The headless horseman (2006) - Margaret Atwood (born 1939)

The art of cooking and serving (2006) - Margaret Atwood (born 1939)

Foster (2010) - Clare Keegan (born 1968)

No charge for the program. These lectures are made possible with the support of the Literary Series in Memory of Amy Quigley. Advance registration required. Register online or call 203-762-6334. You will automatically be registered for all six sessions.

Mark J. Schenker, having served in various decanal roles in Yale College since 1990, retired last year. A former lecturer in the English Department, he received his Ph.D. from Columbia University with a concentration in 19th-century and early 20th-century English Literature. He had taught previously at Columbia, New York University, and Trinity College (Hartford, CT). Outside of academia, Mark has for over 35 years lectured on literature and film, and has led book discussion series in more than 100 venues in Connecticut, including public libraries, museums, and cultural centers. He also conducts monthly sessions for a number of private reading groups in the state. In 2001, he received the Wilbur Cross Award for Outstanding Humanities Scholar, presented by the Connecticut Humanities Council.