17th September 2026
John Ruskin – Author, Artist & Polymath
Speaker: Doug Irvine
John Ruskin was a prolific and influential writer and artist in 19th Century Britain. His early writing was concerned with art and architecture and he was an early champion of J.M.W. Turner and the Pre-Raphaelites. Later his interests broadened to embrace social and political economy and his ideas influenced William Morris, Bernard Shaw and Tolstoy among others.
This talk will describe Ruskin’s life and identify some of his major books and will briefly discuss his legacy in 2026.
15th October 2026
The Shape of Meaning – Concrete Poetry
Speaker: Neill Allan
From wing-shaped poems in the seventeenth century to moving words on computer screens, poets have long explored the relationship between language, image and form. This presentation charts the development of visual poetry across cultures and centuries, culminating in the emergence of concrete poetry and its continuing influence today.
Examples from Britain, Europe, the Americas and Liverpool’s celebrated poetry scene illuminate this creative and often surprising story.
19th November 2026 – Emily Bronte
Speaker: David James
Details to follow
3rd December 2026 – Members Christmas Gathering
A Christmas Quiz and Readings with a light supper
2027
21st January 2027
Baroness Orczy and The Scarlet Pimpernel
Speaker: Martin Hughes
‘Is he in heaven or is he in hell?’
This is the question that Baroness Orczy’s most famous character, the Scarlet Pimpernel, asks about himself. He has been called the first Superhero and this is the question that Superheroes must answer. Orczy’s conviction that England is heaven on earth emerges from her stories: should we be sympathetic or suspicious?
18th February 2027
Same Country, Different Stories – Japan
Speakers: Katie Phillips, Elaine Biscoe
and Christine Harrington
What can novels tell us about a country? Join three members as they each introduce a different book set in Japan, exploring the country’s people, culture and history through fiction. Although each story is unique, together they offer a fascinating glimpse into the many faces of Japan.
11th March 2027 Guest Speaker: Caroline Kirby
A Georgian Journey – 18th century travel writing and the origin of novels
Travel writing was one of the most popular literary genres of the 18th century, inspiring both factual accounts and fiction. Drawing on her research for Ravenglass, set during the Jacobite Rising of 1745, Carolyn Kirby explores how contemporary travel journals, memoirs and poetry reveal life in Georgian Britain. Her talk examines how these writings influenced the development of the novel and how they provide invaluable insights into the people and places of the past.
15th April 2027
1927 – The Literary Scene 100 years ago
Speaker: Christopher Carter
Set against the cultural changes following the First World War, 1927 marked a turning point in literature. As the Edwardian era gave way to modernism, writers such as Woolf, Eliot and Proust transformed the literary landscape. New works also explored spirituality, nature, jazz and detective fiction, while advances in broadcasting, film, telephony and aviation reshaped how ideas spread – changes whose legacy remains with us today.
20th May 2027 – Cambridge in Literature
Speaker: Hugh Davis
Cambridge has been one of England’s cultural centres from the foundation of the university in the early thirteenth century and the patronage of the Tudors in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. We shall look at a variety of writing set in Cambridge over the centuries, both as a university and a fenland town.
17th June 2027 – Desert Island Books
Hosted by John Andrew
Following the Society’s brief AGM, one of our members will be interviewed and asked to share the eight books they would choose to be marooned with if they were shipwrecked on a desert island and the reasons for their choices. From stories of ancient times, through modern romantic fiction to scientific treatises, this event will throw a light on what might while away their lonely days waiting to be rescued. Which books would you choose?