Jack London Book Discussion Group
Jack London State Historic Park announces the formation of the Jack London Book Discussion Group which is designed by and for people who believe, as Alfred Kazin has famously said, that the "greatest story Jack London ever wrote was the story he lived." The book discussion group will explore autobiographical novels and biographical books about Jack London’s spectacular life and adventures. The group will meet March through November and will be led by two Jack London scholars, Susan Nuernberg, Ph.D. and Iris Jamahl Dunkle, Ph.D. Participants can attend individual sessions or sign up for the series. Books should be available in the museum bookshop. The discussion group will be held in the Terrace Picnic area next to the Cottage, accessed via the Ranch parking lot. Cost, which does not include parking, is $10 for individual sessions or $45 for all 5 meetings. (parking fee of $10 is payable at the entrance kiosk. Registration for the Book Club discussions is available online. Call (707) 938-5216 for questions or more information. (more including schedule…) Jack London Book Discussion Group Schedule of Books March 21 Martin Eden (1909) by Jack London This semibiographical novel recounts London's early struggles with poverty and his quest to educate himself and become a writer against the odds. May 16 John Barleycorn (1913) by Jack London The is the closest London came to writing an autobiography and he not only reveals his stories from his lifelong struggle with alcohol but also the details of his spectacular life. July 18 & September 19 The Book of Jack London, Volumes 1 & 2 by Charmian London Written shortly after his death Charmian London wrote The Book of Jack London Volumes 1 & 2 almost as a love letter to her lost “mate.” November 14 Jack London: An American Life by Earle Labor In this much-anticipated and newly released biography of Jack London, Earle Labor draws from his lifetime of scholarship to meticulously reconstruct Jack London’s stunning life. Discussion leaders: Susan Nuernberg is professor emerita of English at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, a past president of the Jack London Society, and a former Jack London scholar-in-residence at Sonoma State University. Her publications include “The Critical Response to Jack London” and “The Letters of Russ Kingman.” She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in English Language and Literature from the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she wrote her dissertation on race in Jack London's fiction. She is a docent at Bouverie Preserve and at the Jack London State Historic Park where she offers docent enrichment workshops. Iris Jamahl Dunkle's debut poetry collection, “Gold Passage,” won the Trio Award and was published by Trio House Press in 2013. Her chapbooks “Inheritance” and “The Flying Trolley” were published by Finishing Line Press. Her poetry, essays and creative non-fiction have been published widely.Dunkle teaches writing and literature at Napa Valley College.She received her B.A. from the George Washington University, her M.F.A. in Poetry from New York University, and her Ph.D. in American Literature from Case Western Reserve University. She is on the staff of the Napa Valley Writers conference and is the managing editor of VOLT.