Book club reaches out to community

• LIon's Paw Book Club

Those in this club have gathered casually on campus since 1998 for hour-long sessions to talk about interesting books. The club took its name from a short story by Wisconsin author Hamlin Garland called “Under the Lion’s Paw.” Submitted photo

Talk about it

A book club you might be unaware of started up again this week. In January it will turn 15 years old.

Lion’s Paw Book Club meets once a month during the academic year in the second-floor breezeway of the UW-River Falls Chalmer Davee Library.

“We would love to see more people from the community participate,” said book club coordinator Cate Dodson, who is also UWRF library services assistant. “Some community members might not be aware that our club is open to anyone -- whether they are affiliated with the university or not.”

Dodson said the informal book club’s “regulars” are mostly current or retired UWRF faculty or staffers with a few local citizens joining in.

The campus library breezeway is spacious and can hold several dozen people. Usually the number showing up for monthly meetings is only about 10.

“So there is plenty of room for newcomers,” Dodson said.

As book club coordinator, Dodson does the organizing: “I seek out discussion leaders, create the schedule, do club publicity, make sure the books get ordered for the library collection as well as the campus bookstore, and maintain our website.”

That website is www.uwrf.edu/Library/LionsPawBookClub.cfm.

Dodson can be reached by email at cate.dodson@uwrf.edu or by phone on campus at 715-425-3874.

“There is not a formal membership,” Dodson said. “If someone is interested in being on our mailing list, they can call or email me and I’ll add them. Casual attendance is perfectly fine.”

Books read and discussed have wide-ranging subject matter.

“The criteria for book selections is very simple --- as long as we haven’t already chosen it as a past selection,” Dodson said. “Our group has covered everything from graphic novels to classics and all manner of nonfiction.

“In the upcoming season we have two local authors who will be leading the discussions.”

One of those was this week with retired UWRF professor of speech, communications and theatre arts Pat Hanson and her book, “It was Greek to Me.”

On Dec. 12 it will be Hudson author Gary Porter and his new children’s book, “Duffy: The Tale of a Terrier.”

Book club sessions are held the second Wednesday of the month from 3-4 p.m.

The next one is Oct. 10. The focus book is called, “Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World has Never Seen,” by Christopher McDougall.

The book highlighted for Nov. 14 is the novel “Home,” by Toni Morrison.

The book club was started by former UWRF Collection Development Librarian Curt LeMay. He’s now director of Ireland Library at the University of St. Thomas.

Tags: river falls, books, education, wisconsin