The Busy Parent’s Short Story Club

If you’ve been wanting to join a book club, but worried about the time commitment and childcare, this group is for you.  Adults will get to discuss short stories that have a connection to our exhibits, while CMCH staff leads your kids in crafts and stories of their own.  Coffee (for grownups), cocoa (for kids), and treats (for everyone) will be served!

For our first meeting, we will be discussing John Cheever’s classic The Swimmer, a twisty short story about suburbia and social status in the 1960s, over tea, coffee and cookies. While the grown-ups are chatting, museum educators will lead children in stories, crafts, and games, all about the fun of swimming. Afterward, you can take a walk through our exhibit Pools, Patios & the Invention of the American Backyard, and see how the story connects to the larger context of 1950s and ’60s outdoor culture.

The Swimmer can be found in many Cheever short story collections, or you can access a copy here.

Cost: free for CMCH members, $8 per family for non-members

This is a drop-in program, but we welcome RSVPs to help us better serve our visitors. Please email rsvp@chs.org or call 860-236-5621 ext. 238 with the number of people attending and the ages of your children. Questions? Please contact Corinne Swanson, Coordinator of Youth & Family Programs, at corinne_swanson@chs.org.