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Welcome to the official website of the Philadelphia Branch of the Dickens Fellowship. You've just discovered one of the city's oldest and best kept secrets. Since 1907, lovers of Dickens have been meeting monthly here to discuss the life, the times and the works of one of the greatest writers who ever lived. There is no more appropriate place, anywhere in America, for the memory of the man who wrote A Christmas Carol to thrive, than in the City of Brotherly Love!
Join us and enjoy our excellent presentations and discussions. If you do not live in the Philadelphia area and are unable to attend meetings, you can read a lively account of them in our monthly newsletter, "The Buzfuz Bulletin", which will be mailed to you. We meet one Saturday a month (September - June) and, in the true spirit of Dickens, share good food and conviviality. A hot lunch is served amidst friendly companionship and mutual exchange of interests. Our season opens in September with an overview of the chosen Dickens book of the year. At Christmas time, we celebrate the immortal Christmas Carol and engage in some spirited fun of the Victorian era, with games, music and even a little dancing! It is in February, however, that we pay our greatest homage to Charles Dickens at a special banquet, where we celebrate the anniversary of his birth with a Toast to the Immortal Memory of the man who truly made Christmas merry! Our season ends with a June outing, where everyone is invited to make a presentation of their own choice and enjoy a lavish picnic lunch.
Meetings are held each month in the Centennial Room of the Holy Trinity Church on beautiful, historic Rittenhouse Square, with the exception of February, when the Dickens Birthday Luncheon is held in the ornate Pickwick Room of Strawbridge's Department Store; June, when we meet in an outdoor setting; and July and August when we break for the summer.
The Dickens Fellowship is a worldwide organization with branches in twenty-three cities in America, as well as branches throughout Europe, in Japan, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. It's said to be the largest literary society in the world. The Headquarters branch in London was founded in 1902, with our branch coming into existence just five years later. In 2007, we will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of our founding by hosting the Annual International Conference here in Philadelphia.
As the newly elected President, I personally extend an invitation to all of you who have been touched by the magic of Charles Dickens's words, to become a member of our branch and begin a fascinating journey of knowledge, learning about the man who defined the Victorian age in the stories he left behind, as well as the extraordinary events of his own life and his unique place in the history of civilization.
Yours in fellowship,
Patricia A. Vinci
President
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