This month's title: "Paterson" by William Carlos Williams, in celebration of Poetry Month. An epic poem published in five volumes from 1946 to 1958, the origin was an 85 line long poem written in 1926, after Williams had read and been influenced by James Joyce's novel Ulysses. As he continued writing lyric poetry, Williams spent increasing amounts of time on Paterson, honing his approach to it both in terms of style and structure and was intent on a documentary method that would mirror "the resemblance between the mind of modern man and the city." Please register to receive the zoom link, or join us in person in the History Room. Print books are located on the shelves near the Circulation Desk.

The topic of New Jersey is broad. While obviously included in the non-fiction genre, New Jersey is also found within fiction, poetry, and visual works. There are classics written by New Jersey authors, and others who use the state as the setting for their stories. Join us as we explore numerous depictions of the Garden State by native and non-native New Jersey writers across multiple genres, all while strengthening an appreciation for the impact our state makes in literature and in the telling of its history. Meetings will be hybrid - both in person and via zoom. Co-sponsored by the New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance.