Fourth Friday Book Club: 'Main Street'
Fri, Sep 27, 2024, 2pm
October is the season for Nobel Prize announcements, so it is fitting that UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club will be reading books by two Nobel Prize-winning authors this fall: Main Street by Sinclair Lewis and Vintage Munro by Alice Munro.
Main Street, first published in 1920, is a satirical novel set in the small town of Gopher Prairie, a fictionalized version of Sauk Centre, Minnesota, the author’s hometown. Lewis was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1930.
Vintage Munro, originally published in 2004, is a collection of six short stories from throughout the author’s literary career. Munro, who died in May 2024, was praised as a “fantastic portrayer of human beings” when she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2013.
UMRA’s FF Book Club welcomes new members. Email Dorothy Marden or Margaret Catambay for more information and to get the Zoom link to join the meetings, which start at 2 p.m.
Upcoming Events
52 Loaves: One Man's Relentless Pursuit of Truth, Meaning, and a Perfect Crust by William Alexander will be the selection for discussion when the UMRA Book Club gathers via Zoom for its first monthly meeting of 2026.
Developing a sense of identity is a central psychological task of the lifespan. Memories and stories from our personal past, as well as cultural memories and stories in society play key roles in how we develop our identities. This presentation will discuss psychological theory and research on how memories and stories make us who we are.
When you are of Icelandic descent you can trace your ancestors back to around 1200 and sometimes further.
Bleak House by Charles Dickens.
Here’s another great opportunity to buy discounted tickets and join your UMRA friends to cheer for the Gophers when the Women’s Basketball team hosts the Purdue Boilermakers at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on February 1.
Join fellow UMRA members for a morning hike in Theodore Wirth Park to celebrate Groundhog Day on Monday, February 2.
UMRA’s special event for this winter will again be a celebration of brighter days and the approaching end of winter. We’ll have food, fellowship, and music provided by Urban Sound, one of the University’s premier student a cappella ensembles.
"One color" is the theme for the meeting of the UMRA Photo Club on Tuesday, February 10.
Family history with Jim Kurle. A tale of Swedish emigration to Dunn County, North Dakota including my grandfather, whose unusual relationship to several churches, and religion in general, was one of the reasons for his emigrating.
UMRA’s Cabinets of Curiosity tour on Thursday, February 12, will offer an inside look into the rich resources of the University Libraries Borchert Map Library. Map Librarian Ryan Mattke will showcase the treasures and innovations of one of the largest map libraries in the U.S.
Well-known Twin Cities-based financial journalist and economics commentator Chris Farrell will be the featured guest for UMRA’s February 17 Living Well Workshop via Zoom. He will discuss why and how the current generation of older Americans is not following the traditional retirement pattern of a relaxed lifestyle.
UMRA's Book Club I will discuss Where Rivers Part: A Story of My Mother's Life. Author is Kao Kalia Yang. Discussion leader is Linda Lindeke.
Renee Alexander’s first job at the Great Minnesota Get-Together was as an intern in 1989. She took over the top job in 2023, following the 26-year tenure of her predecessor.
Growing Up by Russell Baker.
Family history with Michelle Casey.