Once a month for the past 15 years, Bixby Knolls residents have gathered to discuss works of literature as the Bixby Knolls Literary Society.
The book club was started by the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association (BKBIA) in 2008, and was the second social club the association created in an effort to get more residents to visit the local business corridor along Atlantic Avenue.
The Bixby Knolls Literary Society will be meeting to discuss its 187th book next month—the 2014 novel “An Unnecessary Woman” by Lebanese American author Rahib Alameddine. This work of fiction follows a reclusive elderly woman living alone in Beirut.
The first discussion was held by author DJ Waldie on his memoir “Holy Land,” which centers around his childhood in Lakewood. The next 100 meetings were led by local resident Gordon Cohn, who was described as a “voracious reader” by Blair Cohn, his son and Executive Director of the BKBIA.
Blair said that when Gordon was in charge, he often chose New York Times bestsellers, as well as other significant works of literature from the 20th and 21st century.
Now, a small group of book club members nominate works to read over the next six months and submit the titles to Blair, who shuffles them into a random order. The book for the following month is always announced at the end of each meeting.
The book club meets at Dream Come True Tea & Party Room, and books vary from modern works of literature to American classics from the 20th century.
The Bixby Knolls Literary Society meets on the second Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. at Dream Come True Tea & Party Room (4350 Atlantic Ave.).
