The Athenaeum Liverpool

Friday Evening Dining, New Members Welcome Evening
2023-12-01 18:00 - 20:00 (Europe/London) | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
At least once a month the Club hosts Friday Evening Dining, where the Dining Room is open to members on a Friday Evening.
Typically this will take place on the first Friday of the month, though where this is not possible it will be moved to another Friday.
This December we have a special edition of Friday Evening Dining where we will be hosting a New Members reception in the Library Reading Room before hand from 6:30pm for our New Proprietors to sign the Share Register before dinner.
The Dining Room will be open from 6:00pm for table bookings with slots every 15 minutes until 8:00pm. If you would like to join our Club table, which dines at 7:30pm, please stipulate this when booking.
You can book for Friday Evening Dining now via the Members’ Area or through the Concierge.

History Group
2023-11-28 14:30 - 16:30
The President, Dr Paul Burns will be the guest speaker at November’s History Group Meeting: Topic to be finalised.

Attendance of the talk is free for Members are guests.
Talk: 2:30pm in the Library Reading Room

Library Dinner 2023
2023-11-24 18:30 - 23:59
Friday 24th November, from 6:30pm in the Newsroom
The traditional Library Dinner showcases the importance of our library to the Athenaeum’s past, present and future. It is the first of the three formal events scheduled for this Presidential year and includes a reception drink, a delicious meal and talk from guest speaker Dr David Jordan, titled: Whose Past is it Anyway?. This talk will explore the importance of communities in exploring their own archaeological heritage.
This year we will also be marking the forthcoming retirement of our librarian Mrs Joan Hanford and celebrating her many years of service.
As is usual with the Library Dinner, a portion of the ticket price (£20) represents a donation which will help to fund a Library project. This year it is the restoration of a Gillows desk that has been generously donated to the Library by one of our Proprietors. When refurbished, the desk will make a handsome addition to the Library Reading Room – and will be available for use to all members!
The evening begins with reception drinks in the Newsroom at 6:30pm.
Tickets are £65 each.
Please note that this is a ‘black tie’ event – a chance to dress up – and gentlemen should wear dinner suits with bow ties.
You can book this event now via the Members’ Area of via the Concierge.

A copy of the Menu and event schedule can be found below, should you have any dietary requirements please highlight these at the point of booking.
Starter
Mosaic of Seafood and Salmon
Cucumber, Caper & Dill Relish

Crème Fraiche, Tomato and Artichoke Terrine (v)
Cucumber, Caper & Dill Relish

Main Course
Boudin Of Chicken with Haggis
Grey Poupon & Girolle Mushroom sauce
Served with Savoy Cabbage and Leeks, Potato Croquette

Aubergine Steak (v)
Grey Poupon & Girolle Mushroom sauce
Served with Savoy Cabbage and Leeks, Potato Croquette

Dessert
Elderflower poached pear, lemon pannacotta. (v)

Event Schedule:
18:30-19:00 Drinks Reception
19:00-19:30 Speeches
19:30-21:00 Dinner
21:00 After Dinner Talk
The Newsroom will be open until 11:00pm following the talk.

The Signalman
2023-11-23 19:00 - 21:00
The Athenaeum is delighted to welcome back ArtsGroupie CIC, to perform their new production of the Charles Dickens classic – The Signalman.
A ghostly figure has visited the signalman twice already, each time preceding a terrible disaster. When the apparition appears for the third time, it’s up to the signalman to decode its meaning and prevent another catastrophe.
Enjoy a gripping slice of gothic horror from Charles Dickens, regarded as the greatest horror story ever written.
In the tradition of classic oral storytelling, a lantern and two players is all that is needed to tell the spine tingling tale of the Signalman.
“The Signalman is a powerful and haunting story about survivor’s guilt and isolation – something we believe will be of striking relevance to our audience following the pandemic. Our inability to control events around us can be more frightening than any ghost, as Dickens knew well. He wrote from experience, a survivor of the Staplehurst railway disaster – events that both inspired and haunted the author.”
Reception drinks will be served at 7:00pm (Club wine or soft drink).
The performance will start at 8:00pm sharp, admittance may not be possible after this time.
Book your place now via the Members’ Area or through the Concierge.

Liverpool Salon: Designs for Living
2023-11-18 12:00 - 16:00
Join Michael Owens (researcher, writer and lecturer; author Play the Game: How the Olympics came to East London) and John Boughton (social historian, blogger; author Municipal Dreams:the Rise and Fall of Council Housing) to take a historical perspective on Britain’s current housing crisis. From the golden age of post war planning to the decades of decline from the late 70s and 80s and focusing on the experience of Merseyside, we’ll ask what lessons might be learnt from Britain’s post-war vision for building a new, more modern and better future from the rubble of war.
Tickets £7.50
The event runs until 1.45 pm, but you are invited to stay to continue the conversation over drinks or a lunch in the Athenaeum’s newsroom.
Designs for Living is the latest in a series of Liverpool Salon discussions, which explore the past as a way of thinking about future possibilities and reflecting on the problems of our own time.

Poetry Evening - Presidential Dinner
2023-11-17 18:30 - 22:30
The Athenaeum is proud to present, as part of this year’s Presidential programme, our first Poetry Night, hosted by Athenaeum Proprietor poet, musician and wit John Gorman (formerly of the Scaffold). John will perform his own work as well as introducing two special guest poets, Keith Wilson (a regular on Radio Merseyside) and Hoylake-born Anna Saunders. There will also be poetry from some poetic Proprietors including Tim Ward, Dave Costello, Ieuan Cligwri and Sally-Anne Tapia-Bowes. If you too write poetry and would like to perform one of your poems, there will be an ‘open mic’ slot as well. Please let us know before the event if you want to read.
There will be live music, a welcome drink and a substantial buffet. The Newsroom will be set out ‘cabaret style’ so that you can eat at your leisure and have a drink or two while enjoying the poetry in a relaxed and convivial atmosphere.
Book now for a night of comedy, emotion, song, surprises and a warm Athenaeum welcome. Bookings can be made via the Members’ Area or via the Concierge.
A copy of the menu as well as the event schedule can be found below, if you have any dietary requirements please highlight these at the point of booking.

Buffet Menu
Lasagne Al Forno
Pollo Parmigiana
Maccheroni conditi con salsa al formaggio (V)
Calamari in umido
Saute Potatoes with Peppers and Oregano
-0-
Selection of Italian Antipasti
-0-
Mixed Leaf Salad
-0-
Selection of Breads with Oil and Balsamic

Sweet
Tiramisu
-0-
Fruit Trifle

Schedule
6.30 – Welcome drink and music
7.00 – Poetry
7.45 – Buffet served and more music
8.15 – More poetry
9.00 – Carry on drinking and chatting until closing time!

Athenaeum Film Nights Presents: Major Barbara
2023-11-15 18:30 - 22:30
The next in the series of classic films takes place on Wednesday 15th November. The programme is being finalised by facilitator Dr Ian Cubbin and will be published shortly, though the dates for this seasons film nights can be found below. Guests gather in the Newsroom from 6:30pm ahead of supper at 7:00pm. The cinema will then open in the Wine Servery at 8:00pm. Sweets and treats will of course be served in the interval!
Book your place now via the Members’ Area or through the Concierge.
Wednesday evening’s at 6:30pm
11th October – Laughter in Paradise (1951)
15th November – Major Barbara (1941)
13th December – It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947)
17th January – Murder, She Said (1961)
21st February – Hobson’s Choice (1954)
20th March – Irish Film Night! (audience choice of three)
17th April – The Gay Divorcee (1934)

Remembrance Sunday Lunch
2023-11-12 12:30 - 17:00
Remembrance Sunday Lunch
Sunday 12th November, 12:30 for 1:00pm
A Traditional Sunday lunch will follow the Civic Remembrance Service at St George’s Plateau. The Club will be open from 11:30am for anyone who wishes to use the facilities before lunch, though guests will be gathering from 12:30pm ahead of lunch at 1:00pm.
Book your place now via the Members’ Area or through the Concierge.
A copy of the menu can be found below, if you or a guest has any dietary requirements please highlight these upon booking.
Menu
Starter
Cream of Mushroom and Thyme soup (Ve) (GF)
Bread Roll
-oo0oo-
Main Course
Roast Sirloin of Beef (GF)
Roast Potatoes, carrots, broccoli,
Yorkshire Pudding, Roast Gravy
Roast Butternut and red pepper Wellington (Ve)
-ooOoo-
Dessert
Bakewell Tart
Custard
Apple Crumble (Ve)
-oo0oo-
Tea or Coffee

Sketching Club
2023-11-07 18:30 - 20:30
The Sketching Club meet on the 1st Tuesday of the month at 6:30pm to sketch portraits. Past models have included those in Tudor, English Civil War and Edwardian costume. It adopts the approach of the well-established Liver Sketching Club where individuals learn through practice rather than instruction. This is an informal club for sketchers of all abilities and experience levels.
Classes are free of charge, and it is hoped members will model on a rota basis, but this is not essential. Members should bring their own pad, charcoal, pastels, pens and pencils. Beside the Athenaeum is Cass Art, should you need to purchase any of these items.
There is no need to book for this interest group meeting, simply turn up and enjoy.

Literature Group
2023-11-07 14:00 - 15:00
The Literature group meet on the 1st Tuesday of the month at 2:00pm in the Library Reading Room – any alterations will be notified in good time.
There is no need to book for this interest group meeting, simply turn up and enjoy.

This week, Proprietor Ann Bates has agreed to lead the meeting, which will likely revolve around 20th Century Poetry.

Friday Evening Dining
2023-11-03 18:00 - 20:00, 2023-10-13 18:00 - 20:00
At least once a month the Club hosts Friday Evening Dining, where the Dining Room is open to members on a Friday Evening.
Typically this will take place on the first Friday of the month, though where this is not possible it will be moved to another Friday.

The Dining Room will be open from 6:00pm for table bookings with slots every 15 minutes until 8:00pm. If you would like to join our Club table, which dines at 7:30pm, please stipulate this when booking.
You can book for Friday Evening Dining now via the Members’ Area or through the Concierge.

Library & Archives Group Supper
2023-11-01 17:30 - 22:30
Im Westen Nichts Neues
(All Quiet on The Western Front)
By Erich Remarque

Published in 1929 by banned and burned. Why does the Athenaeum have a copy?
Followed by the 1979 film – All Quiet on The Western Front.

Talk & Supper available for £16.50. Book your place now via the Members’ Area or with the Concierge.
Talk & Showing: 5:30pm in the Wine Servery
Supper: 7:00pm in the Dining Room
2nd half of film: 8:30pm

Library & Archive Group - All Quiet on the Western Front
2023-11-01 15:00 - 18:30
Wednesday 1st November – 3pm in the Wine Servery
Im Westen Nichts Neues, otherwise known as All Quiet on the Western Front, was published in 1929, but was famously banned and burned in Germany over the years after release.
Some of you may know that The Athenaeum has a copy of the book, and a German copy at that, from the year of it’s publication. How did we collect this timeless piece of 20th century literature? Come along, and help us answer that very question.
This discussion will be followed by the 1930 film of the same name.
Attendance of the talk is free of charge.
To dine afterwards, tickets are £25.

3pm – discuss the book
3:30pm – watch the film
4:30pm – interval
5pm – watch the film
6:30pm – supper in the Dining Room

History Group - Cockfighting in Liverpool: Rise, Fall & Lingering Death
2023-10-31 17:30 - 22:00
This talk will examine the history of cockfighting, once one of England’s most popular pastimes, from the medieval period through to its abolition in 1849. It was first recorded in Liverpool in the 16th century, and the talk will focus on the locations of the town’s cockpits, and on the close connection of the ‘sport’ with schools, the local aristocracy and horse racing at Maghull and Aintree. It became the focus of early campaigns for the prevention of cruelty to animals, led in Liverpool by Egerton Smith, the editor of the “Liverpool Mercury’, who wrote one of the first novels on the subject. Despite abolition, it continued clandestinely for many years, and the talk will conclude with a discussion of how and why that became the case.
If you woud like to stay for supper following the talk, please book with Reception.
Looking forward to seeing you all again.

Attendance of the talk is free for Members are guests.
Supper is available to pre-book following the event for just £16.50. Book your place now via the Members’ Area or with the Concierge.
Talk: 5:30pm in the Library Reading Room
Supper: 6:30pm on the third floor

Theatre Group Visit: Dracula: Mina's Reckoning
2023-10-28 14:00 - 16:30
The Theatre Group’s next outing is a visit to the Playhouse on October 28th to watch Dracula: Mina’s Reckoning
Tickets are available from £26, to be collected from the Concierge in advance
Why not visit the club before or after the showing for a bite to eat?
Book you place now by 7th October through the Members’ Area or via the Concierge.
★★★★★
” … a magnificent new version of Stoker’s timeless story”
The Scotsman
Under the buzzing lights of a psychiatric hospital in Aberdeenshire in 1897, Mina Murray recounts her encounters with the most terrifying of beasts: Dracula. A throng of patients listen with bated breath as they are transported to a world where immortality and ultimate power is possible, even for women – but with terrible consequences…
Protect your loved ains fae the claws o a beast
Not for the faint-hearted, Morna Pearson’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic tale is filled with her trademark humour and taste for the strange and grotesque. This breathtaking gothic production transposes the action to Scotland amid the wild beauty of the landscapes of the northeast which originally inspired the novel. With an all-women and non-binary ensemble cast we witness the addiction, intoxication, and empowerment of Mina.
Miss this contemporary re-telling at your peril…

October Social - New Members Evening
2023-10-27 18:00 - 22:00
Join us for our October Social Evening 27th October from 6:00pm in the Newsroom.
A great way to meet more of your fellow members, guests will be gathering from 6:00pm in the Newsroom with a glass of fizz and nibbles on us!
Light entertainment will be provided during the evening – tbc, and there will also be an opportunity for our new Proprietors to sign their share in the history 1809 share register.
A buffet will also be available during the evening – prebooking is required to assist with catering.

Drinks Reception : 6:00pm
Signing Ceremony: 6:30pm
Buffet Served: 7:30pm

It is free to attend the reception, the buffet is available for £15.00. Book your place now via the Members’ Area or with the Concierge.

The Exchange: Free Your Mind - With Laura Dodsworth & Patrick Fagan
2023-10-26 18:30 - 20:30
An eye-opening look at the world of manipulation, and what we can do to recognise and resist the daily attempts to control and influence our minds. “Manipulation is not new. But today’s combination of technology, social media and AI, combined with marketing and behavioural science, is new in its sophistication and scale. Everyone wants to know their own mind. To do that, you have to be able to understand and resist attempts to influence your mind.” – Laura Dodsworth and Patrick Fagan
You’re manipulated all day every day. We all are. Our social media feeds, our governments, our friends and family, even the humble waiter who asks, “Still or sparkling?” – they’re all conspiring to influence what we think, feel and do. It’s turbocharged in the era of big data and AI, and if you think you’re not being influenced, you’re probably the most influenceable of all.
Fortunately, bestselling author of A State of Fear Laura Dodsworth and former Cambridge Analytica behavioural scientist Patrick Fagan have joined forces to show you what’s up the magician’s sleeve.
Free Your Mind is your field guide to navigating this information battlefield. Join Dodsworth and Fagan in a live discussion on powerful psychological principles like ‘nudging’, cutting-edge science and anonymous insider access. They draw on interviews with mind-control experts ranging from monks to magicians, to uncover their most deceptive techniques and expose the hidden tactics used to influence you, from social media to subliminal messages. They also did the fieldwork so you don’t have to, joining forums, courses, cults and digital detoxes.
Laura Dodsworth
Laura is an author, journalist, photographer and commentator. She is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller A State of Fear, as well as a trilogy of books about the body.
Patrick Fagan
Patrick is a behavioural scientist with 12 years’ experience of mind manipulation. Previously lead psychologist at Cambridge Analytica, he is now a part-time lecturer at Goldsmiths College, University of London and University of the Arts, and a guest lecturer at University College London, as well as running several data consultancies. He is the author of Hooked: Why cute sells and other marketing magic we can’t resist.

Tickets to the talk are available for £10.00, a dinner is also available post talk for an additional £25.00 for three courses.

Arrivals from 6:30pm
Event Commences: 6:45pm
Dinner: 8:40pm

Liverpool Book Club: An Evening with Ramsey Campbell
2023-10-25 18:30 - 20:30
The Exchange in association with Liverpool Book Club & Liverpool John Moores University present an evening with author Ramsey Campbell.
Tickets to the talk are available for £7.00, a dinner is also available post talk for an additional £25.00 for three courses.
Book your places now via the Members’ Area or through the Concierge.
Hosted by The Liverpool Book Club.

Arrivals from 6:30pm
Event Commences: 7:00pm
Audience Q&A : 7:30pm
Book Sales & Signing: 8:00pm
Dinner: 8:30pm

Born in Liverpool, Ramsey has lived all of his life on Merseyside and as a writer, editor and critic, he has been a creative force for over 50 years. He is described as ‘Britain’s most respected living horror writer’ in The Oxford Companion to English Literature and best-selling author Stephen King has said he is: “literate in a field that has attracted many comic book intellects, cool in a field that tends toward panting melodrama…fluid in a field where many of the best practitioners fall prey to cant.”
A precocious intellect, Ramsey was reading at two and dabbling in writing by the age of seven. It was an apparently innocuous children’s tale which first peaked his interest in horror fiction. In a Guardian interview, Ramsey explained how a Rupert Bear story called Rupert’s Christmas Tree had an unexpected effect on him. He said: “Rupert acquires a magical tree that decamps after the festivities and returns to its home in the woods…the details – the small high voice from the tree, the creaking that Rupert hears in the night, the trail of earth he follows from the tub in his house, above all the prancing silhouette that inclines towards him, the star it has in place of a head – are surely the stuff of adult supernatural fiction. I think I got my start in the field right there.”
Two key people are credited with nurturing Ramsey’s early fascination with writing – his mother and his English tutor at St Edward’s College, West Derby. His teacher, Brother Kelly, regularly asked him to read his stories to the class and Ramsey’s mother Nora, who herself had short stories published in writer’s magazines, encouraged him early on to send his work to publishers.
Aged only 11 Ramsey submitted his first collection Ghostly Tales to a range of publishers and although it was rejected, a letter which stated: “We don’t publish ghost stories, but this is a promising start,” encouraged him to keep writing, and Ramsey continued to avidly consume the work of Lovecraft, Bierce, Kafka and the cinema of film noir.
On leaving school at 16, Ramsey worked in the Inland Revenue but continued to write in his free time, selling several of his early stories to editor August Derleth, who went on to become a friend and mentor. At the suggestion of Derleth, Ramsey rewrote many of his earliest stories, moving their settings from Massachusetts to the fictional Brichester, imagined to be near the River Severn in Gloucestershire. This change of locales led to Campbell’s first professional published work, the story, The Church in High Street in 1962 and the book, The Inhabitant of the Lake and Less Welcome Tenants in 1964.
Ramsey left the tax office to work in Liverpool public libraries, becoming a full time writer in 1973 after the publication of Demons by Daylight. His second hardcover collection of horror stories, The Height of the Scream, was published in 1976 as well as his first novel, The Doll Who Ate His Mother, which he now recalls had mixed reviews but has rarely been out of print since. Just three years later this was followed by The Face that Must Die, which is still considered by many critics to be one of Campbell’s finest works.
From that point onwards Ramsey published numerous novels and short story collections, with hardly a year between publications. The majority of his work has been nominated for and has won major awards, leading to him becoming one of the world’s most decorated horror writers. He has won four World Fantasy Awards, ten British Fantasy Awards, three Bram Stoker Awards, and the Horror Writers’ Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
His passion for writing shows no sign of abating, with Ramsey continuing to write in a contemporary style with modern day references. He frequently sets his tales on Merseyside and has drawn on local history and traditions – a book of short stories and ten novels to date.
Ramsey comments that, contrary to what might be expected, the older he gets the more appealing he finds terror, saying: “Being made to feel by art is surely no bad thing – to be scared any more than to be made to weep or indeed to be amused out of one’s wits. It’s a way of engaging the imagination, and a good deal is right with that.”

Theatre Group Visit: Frantic Assembly
2023-10-21 14:00 - 16:30
The Theatre Group’s next outing is a visit to the Playhouse on Saturday 21st October to watch the Frantic Assembly: Metamorphosis
Tickets are available from £26, to be collected from the Concierge in advance
Why not visit the club before or after the showing for a bite to eat?
Book you place now by 30th September through the Members’ Area or via the Concierge.
Kafka’s
Metamorphosis
Adapted by Lemn Sissay OBE. Directed by Scott Graham.
One morning Gregor Samsa awakes to find himself changed. To those around him he is dangerous, untouchable vermin. Worse than that, he is a burden.
A word said, an action out of place, the opening of old wounds, none of which can be undone. Until now Gregor has woken every morning, quietly left to take the same train, and worked to pay off the family debt. But that world explodes on this morning of brutal metamorphosis.
In their first commission since 2019, Frantic Assembly and Lemn Sissay OBE collaborate on this thrilling new adaptation of Metamorphosis. Combining the fluidity and lyricism of Lemn Sissay’s adaptation and Frantic’s uncompromising physicality, this promises to be an unmissable retelling of Franz Kafka’s shocking tale of cruelty and kindness; a visceral and vital depiction of humans struggling within a system that crushes them under its heel.

Philip Whitfield: The Art of Conversation
2023-10-20 12:00 - 14:30
The Athenæum is an enlightened place for conversation. But, as Oscar Wilde said, conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative. We’ll explore how to have worthy conversations among members, friends and family?
Proprietor Philip Whitfield will be hosting a talk, discussion and Lunch on Friday 20th October entitled ‘The Art of Conversation’.
Full Details to follow.

Talk: 12:00pm in the Library Reading Room
Lunch: 1:00pm in the Newsroom

Tickets available for £13.00, including soup & sandwich lunch post event.

Liverpool Book Club: Bodies In The Library - An Evening With Margaret Murphy
2023-10-18 18:30 - 20:30
The Exchange: Bodies In The Library – An Evening with Margaret Murphy – Oct 18th 2023
Join us for the first of two events this month celebrating Liverpool authors who have found national and international success. Margaret Murphy will entertain you with her stories of a life of crime – as an award-winning writer of crime and thriller fiction.
Margaret’s novels have garnered critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. She is a past Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association and Chair of the CWA Debut Dagger. She has been a contributor to both BBC Radio Merseyside’s Drive Time and Radio 4’s The Message.
Tickets to the talk are available for £7.00, a dinner is also available post talk for an additional £25.00 for three courses.

Hosted by The Liverpool Book Club.
Arrivals from 6:30pm
Event Commences: 7:00pm
Audience Q&A : 7:30pm
Book Sales & Signing: 8:00pm
Dinner: 8:30pm

Menu

Starter
French Onion Soup
Cheese Croute
-oo0oo-
Main Course
Ox Cheek Bourguignon
Garlic and parsley mash, brioche crumb
French Beans
Mushroom Bourguignon (V)

-ooOoo-
Dessert
Peach Pavlova

This month marks the first of a new detective thriller series by award-winning writer Margaret Murphy, published under the pen name M.K. Murphy. The novel, described as ‘a compulsive thriller’ by bestseller Ann Cleeves, has been optioned for television.
Over almost three decades, the Liverpool born author has written 12 internationally-acclaimed psychological suspense novels under her own name, and 5 forensic thrillers as Ashley Dyer and AD Garrett.
Margaret will be in conversation with Professor Catherine Cole, Professor in Creative Writing in The Screen School, Liverpool John Moores University. They will talk about how Margaret’s passion for research has sustained her career through turbulent times in publishing. This includes spending time in the US Midwest with cops, CSIs, cold case detectives and a forensic anthropologist researching one of her forensic thrillers. But research has its perils. She’s been threatened with arrest by Manchester police, briefly gained the unwanted attention of a drugs gang, and was infamously kicked out of a psychotherapy open day as a spy!
Professor Cole and Margaret will also discuss the influences that have inspired Margaret’s range of writing styles, the importance of resilience as a writer and the power of reinvention.
Continue the conversation in the Athenaeum’s dining room over a three course meal. This can be booked separately from the talk and details will be sent with your confirmation email.
About Margaret Murphy
Margaret’s work has been published in the UK and across North America, as well as in translation in nine countries. She is a past Chair of the Crime Writers Association (CWA), a former RLF Fellow and Reading Round Lector, and founder of Murder Squad. A Short Story Dagger, HRF Keating, and CWA Red Herring award winner, has also been shortlisted for the ‘First Blood’ critics award and the CWA Dagger in the Library.
About Professor Catherine Cole
Catherine Cole is Professor in Creative Writing in The Screen School. She has published 4 novels, and her non-fiction includes Private Dicks and Feisty Chicks: An Interrogation of Crime Fiction (Curtin University Press, 1996). She is a peer reviewer for the Literature Board of the Australian Council for the Arts, a regular book reviewer, participant in Australian and international writers’ festivals and a judge of major national book awards. Catherine’s research interests include Creative Writing and Crime Fiction and True Crime.

Theatre Group Visit: TONY!
2023-10-14 14:00 - 16:30
The Theatre Group’s next outing is a visit to the Playhouse on October 14th to watch the Tony Blair Rock Opera – TONY!
Tickets are available from £26, to be collected from the Concierge in advance
Why not visit the club before or after the showing for a bite to eat?
Book you place now by 23rd September through the Members’ Area or via the Concierge.

‘Look anyone will tell you, I’m a pretty straight sort of guy.’
Tony Blair
A reckless reappraisal of the life of former Ugly Rumours front man and Britain’s first pop Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The story of how one man went from peace-loving, long-haired hippy and would-be pop star to warmongering multimillionaire in just a couple of decades. Throw in a stellar cast of larger-than-life characters – Cherie Blair, Princess Diana, John Prescott, Peter Mandelson, Alastair Campbell, Osama bin Laden, George W Bush, Saddam Hussein and Gordon Brown – it’s Yes, Minister meets The Rocky Horror Show! and a musical like no other.
A hilarious musical tragedy of political intrigue, religion, power, and romance; this rip-roaring new musical by Harry Hill and Steve Brown received critical acclaim following a sold-out run at the Park Theatre in London.
www.tonyblairrockopera.co.uk

Athenaeum Film Nights Presents: Laughter in Paradise
2023-10-11 18:30 - 22:30
The first in this year’s series of classic films takes place on Wednesday 11th October, and will feature the 1951 comedy Laughter in Paradise, starring George Cole, Guy Middleton & Fay Compton – with a minor appearance from one Audrey Hepburn.
When famous practical joker Henry Russell dies, he leaves his £200,000 to his four remaining relatives. While ostensibly a very loving act, Henry stipulates that each of the benefactors must complete a series of tasks to receive the money, which begins a series of tricky trials, each more hilarious than the last – nobody said getting rich would be easy, after all.
Guests gather in the Newsroom from 6:30pm ahead of supper at 7:00pm. The cinema will then open in the Wine Servery at 8:00pm. Sweets and treats will of course be served in the interval!
Book your place now via the Members’ Area or through the Concierge.
Wednesday evening’s at 6:30pm
11th October – Laughter in Paradise (1951)
15th November – Major Barbara (1941)
13th December – It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947)
17th January – Murder She Said (1961)
21st February – Hobson’s Choice (1954)
20th March – Irish Film Night! (Audience choice of three)
17th April – The Gay Divorcee ( 1934)

Library Book Sale
2023-10-10 08:00 - 2023-10-14 17:00
The Library will be holding a book sale during the week beginning Monday 9th October.
All proceeds are to help fund a Library project – the restoration of a Gillows desk that has been generously gifted to the Library. When refurbished the desk will make a handsome addition to the Library Reading Room – and available for use by all members!
Payments may be made through members accounts or via payment at Reception – price list below.
50p for small pamphlets
£1.00 for small books
£2.00 for medium books
£3.00 for large books

The Sketching Club
2023-10-03 18:30 - 20:30
The Sketching group meet on the 1st Tuesday of the month at 6:30pm to sketch portraits. Past models have included those in Tudor, English Civil War and Edwardian costume. It adopts the approach of the well-established Liver Sketching Club where individuals learn through practice rather than instruction. This is an informal club for sketchers of all abilities and experience levels.
At the October meeting Proprietor James Kay will be our life model.
Classes are free of charge, and it is hoped members will model on a rota basis, but this is not essential. Members should bring their own pad, charcoal, pastels, pens and pencils. Beside the Athenaeum is Cass Art, should you need to purchase any of these items.
There is no need to book for this interest group meeting, simply turn up and enjoy.

The Literature Group
2023-10-03 14:00 - 15:00
The Literature group meet on the 1st Tuesday of the month at 2:00pm in the Library Reading Room – any alterations will be notified in good time.
At the October meeting we will be talking about our holiday reading – led by the President and facilitator of the Literature group Dr Paul Burns.
There is no need to book for this interest group meeting, simply turn up and enjoy.

September Social: New Members Evening
2023-09-29 18:00 - 22:00
Join our new President, Dr Paul Burns, and General Manager, Roy Boardman, at our new Social Evening on September 29th from 6:00pm in the Newsroom.
A great way to meet more of your fellow members, guests will be gathering from 6:00pm in the Newsroom with a glass of fizz and nibbles on us!
Light entertainment will be provided during the evening – tbc, and there will also be an opportunity for our new Proprietors to sign their share in the historic 1809 share register.
A buffet will also be available during the evening – prebooking is required to assist with catering.

Drinks Reception : 6:00pm
Signing Ceremony: 6:30pm
Buffet Served: 7:30pm

It is free to attend the reception, the buffet is available for £15.00. Book your place now via the Members’ Area or with the Concierge.

Cheap & Cheerful Lunch
2023-09-27 12:30 - 16:00
It’s all in the name – a light hearted sociable lunch at the Club.
Join us from 12:30pm in the Newsroom for drinks and special wine offers ahead of a two course lunch in the Dining Room at 1:00pm.
Menu
Smoked haddock and leek fishcake
Petite pois, butter sauce
Mixed leaf and parmesan salad
~~~
Lemon meringue trifle

History Group - Liverpool Botanic Gardens: Past, Present & Future
2023-09-26 17:30 - 19:30
Proprietor Stephen Lyus will give a talk on the History of the Liverpool Botanic Gardens, 1802 to 2023. This is a very important topic given that the remains of the once world famous gardens are now under threat.
Steve spoke briefly about this some months ago and this talk will expand the area with much more detail.
Attendance of the talk is free for Members are guests.
Supper is available to pre-book following the event for just £16.50. Book your place now via the Members’ Area or with the Concierge.
Talk: 5:30pm in the Library Reading Room
Supper: 6:30pm on the third floor
