Monthly Luncheons
PRF has a long tradition of monthly luncheons. These are usually scheduled for Fridays in the middle of the month and held in Mackay Hall at Princeton Theological Seminary, which offers convenient parking near the university campus. Its cafeteria offers a varied and inviting menu; some of the ingredients are grown in the seminary’s garden.
Works-in-Progress
These 60-to-90-minute sessions provide an opportunity for PRF members to get informal responses from others about a book, paper, or presentation underway. Since 2020, these have been held online. Usually, the presenter summarizes the project’s main idea – an exercise in refining the “elevator pitch”– and then expands on that during the discussion among others not familiar with the subject.
PRF members can also participate in Mini-WIPs during which participants solicit fast feedback on an idea under development. Recent presentations have focused on the identity of a medieval plant, the settlement of the Dakota Territory, a World War II correspondence between a Czechoslovakian woman and her pen pal in New Jersey, plus a novel set during the Spanish Civil War.
Recent WIP sessions have discussed:
- A librarian’s history of the military and political decision-making of Bengal’s nawab (leader) before and during the 1757 Battle of Plassey; his defeat led to the rising prominence of the East India Company.
- A scholar of Asian art history presented her work on “sound” in traditional Chinese landscape painting, a theme revitalized by the 7th century poet-painter Wang Wei.
- A church historian with a particular interest in the Lutheran liturgy spoke about Johann Semler, an 18th century figure whose work distinguished between public and private religion.
