On Wednesday, November 16, eleven of us gathered at the home of Ann Freeman for a rare in-person meeting. One of the themes of “Intimacies,” by Katie Kitamura, is shifting perceptions, and our discussion illustrated this theme: we held varying views of the protagonist, of the man she is involved with, of their relationship, of the author’s flow-of-consciousness style (many commas, minimal periods), and of the ending. We found the range of intimacies depicted in the book thought-provoking, particularly the way the protagonist, an interpreter, forms a kind of intimacy with a criminal defendant. Thanks so much for hosting us, Ann!

We tried something new, and what a delight! Ellen Dong '22 led us through two separate dance combinations to some excellent music, and the results were... varied. Judge for yourself when you watch the video.

Twice per school term we put together care packages for the current Smithies from the Peninsula Bay Area. Our student care package coordinator Trang Le '20 led us through making stenciled Smith notebooks and an enthusiastic letter of support for the students to receive in time for finals!

On Wednesday October 19th, eight of us discussed “The Last Kings of Shanghai” by Jonathan Kaufman. We found the book interesting and enjoyable, with the research well integrated into the stories of men—and a few women—who contributed significantly to the development of modern China. We viewed the Sassoons and Kadoories as individuals with mixed emotions: admiration for their resourcefulness, ability to survive, willingness to take risks, and good works—including saving some 18,000 Jews during World War II—while deploring their involvement in the opium trade. We felt the writing was journalistic; another writer might have made the book deeper and might have explored some themes more thoroughly. But we were all glad we’d read this account of Chinese history that we were mostly ignorant of.

A few of us took a long drive and a less-long hike in Portola Redwoods State Park. Our intrepid hikers climbed over downed trees and forded a shallow creek in an exciting day of waterfalls and redwoods.

Our Young Alums headed out to San Francisco to check out the annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival at Golden Gate Park. It was a beautiful day to picnic and relax. Elvis Costello was the highlight for our club members.

Our September book, “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett, was the basis for a multifaceted discussion among eight of us (see screen shot) on Wednesday the 21st. The book has an abundance of themes, including twin-ness, doubles, and halves; disappearing, reinventing and finding yourself; secrets, hiding, lying, acting, and revealing; racism, colorism and passing…plus a quartet of intriguing women. We liked pretty much everything except the ending, which seemed abrupt and lacking nuance; we would have liked to know more about these characters.

We braved the rain and gathered together at the home of Donna Dong ‘13. We reviewed the finances for the past fiscal year, the plethora of events that were planned and executed, and what we’re looking forward to in the new year. The new executive board was approved via electronic survey prior to the meeting.

Nisha Thatte-Potter hosted five of us for Annual Book Club Movie Night where we gather to watch a movie based on a book. Our potluck menu reflected the movie, “Victoria & Abdul,” about Queen Victoria and an Indian who became her closest companion in the last years of her life. Most of us had read the book on which the movie is based, by Shrabani Basu; we thought the moviemakers had excavated a charming tale from a poorly done book. Both book and movie avoid larger issues such as Britain’s relationship with India and instead focus on the genuine affection between the queen and her “Munshi” amid opposition and racism from the queen’s household. We all enjoyed the movie. Thanks, Nisha, for your hospitality.

Our July book was “City of Thieves” by David Benioff. We all liked this coming-of-age novel, despite the frequent scenes of horror and violence. We felt it was very well written, with research well integrated, humor balancing the heavy spots, immensely likable main characters, and vivid scene-setting details. The siege of Leningrad was not familiar history to most of us, so we learned a bit as well.

Michael Lewis’ “The Premonition” drew nine of us into a lively discussion on Wednesday, June 15. Many of us were happily surprised by this book’s readability, particularly its focus on individuals, who are profiled engagingly (if perhaps a bit too uncritically).

A small group visited Filoli, a gorgeous 16-acre formal gardens surrounded by a 654-acre estate in Woodside, CA. Our own Diana McDonough ‘66 acted as docent, showing us around this incredible property.

We gathered on this beautiful day to welcome local students who are heading to Smith for the first time this Fall! It was a great mix of new students, current students, young alums, and less-young alums.

On Wednesday, May 18, eight Smithies gathered on Zoom to discuss “Band of Sisters” by Lauren Willig. We were proud of these Smithies, fictional but based on real alums who went to France in 1917 to aid the civilians whose lives had been torn apart by the war.

We spent a lovely afternoon wandering around the Hakone Gardens, an 18-acre traditional Japanese garden in Saratoga made up of a variety of hillside gardens, historic buildings, multi-tiered waterfalls and koi ponds, strolling gardens, unique lanterns, stonework, and more. We had the pleasure of taking part in a traditional tea ceremony.

Twice a year, our care package coordinators lead the effort to create, assemble, and send care packages to current Smith students who hail from the Peninsula Bay Area. Thank you to Christine Hoffman '14 for leading the charge on the project this term.

On Wednesday, April 20, in recognition of Poetry Month, eight of us discussed Walt Whitman and some of the poems in “Leaves of Grass.” We liked Whitman’s spirit: enthusiastic, optimistic, honest, egalitarian, with a reverence and sense of wonder about nature.

We gathered for a beautiful hike at Mori Point near Pacifica . It was about a 2.5-mile loop trail where some of scrambled to the highest peak to take in gorgeous views up and down the coast, and wandered to a lower point that made us feel like we were hanging over the breakers below. We then settled ourselves onto a grassy area and had a lovely group picnic.

We invited all Bay Area alums to join us for this virtual faculty speaker event: Using AI to Learn the Laws of Nature presented by Smith College Professor Luca Capogna, Professor of Mathematics & Statistics; Department Chair of Mathematics & Statistics.

On Wednesday, March 16, eight of us discussed “The Bowl with Gold Seams” by Ellen Prentiss Campbell (a Smithie). This interesting novel brings to light an unusual moment in history, when a group of Japanese diplomats, captured in the fall of Berlin in World War II, was housed in a Pennsylvania resort/hotel as prisoners of war.