NOVEMBER 2026
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, at 7 pm. The POETRY GROUP will meet on Zoom to continue our discussion of “Resurrection City,” the paradise section from Kevin Young’s poem “Darkling,” a response to Dante. Contact for the group is Winifred Hughes, poetry@princetonresearchforum.org.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2:30 – 4:00 pm. Olga Ast’s Work-in-Progress, which has been rescheduled from October, will be given. Olga, as noted in the October issue, does cross-disciplinary conceptual artwork, which is dedicated to the subject of time. Called ArcheTime, it’s a body of work that began over 30 years ago when she was living in the former Soviet Union and has continued since she moved to the United States. (See October calendar for more information about Olga’s work.) For Zoom link, write info@princetonresearchforum.org.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 13, at 12:30 pm. The SCIENCE/SCIENCE HISTORY GROUP will meet via Zoom to discuss A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness, by Michael Pollan. For information and Zoom link, contact science@princetonresearchforum.org.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 3-4 pm. The PRF Board Meeting will be held. All PRF members are welcome to attend, but only board members can vote. For information and Zoom link, write pres@princetonresearchforum.org.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 3-5 pm. The SHORT STORY GROUP will meet at the home of Ellen Gilbert in Princeton. Reading will be M.F.K. Fisher’s “How to Keep Alive,” from her 1942 classic How to Cook a Wolf. For information, a copy of the story, and to RSVP, write info@princetonresearchforum.org.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, at 7 pm. The POETRY GROUP will meet on Zoom to continue discussion of Kevin Young’s “Resurrection City.” Contact and Zoom link as above.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, at 7 pm. The HUMANITIES GROUP will meet on Zoom at 7:00 to discuss Plato’s dialogue Meno, Tania Lombrozo’s article “AI Could Worsen a Common Cognitive Trap: Almost Everyone Knows Less Than They Think” from the current Atlantic, and a short selection from Sherry Turkle’s Artificial Intimacy. Links or copies will be distributed. For more information and Zoom link, contact Jeff Spear at humanities@princetonreseardchforum.org.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, at 12:30 p.m. Join the PRF Monthly Luncheon, which is held in Mackay Hall at Princeton Theological Seminary. Prix fixe $15.00; cards only. No cash. For more information, write donn.mitchell@yahoo.com.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6, at 3 pm. The SHORT STORY GROUP will meet to launch Meghana Karanjkar’s debut short story anthology, First Generation. The group will meet at the home of Ellen Gilbert in Princeton. For more information, write info@princetonresearchforum.org. Meghana’s book is a collection of 12 stories set across India and America; all explore the idea of what it means to belong – or not to belong. The book can be pre-ordered through Amazon or The Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/first-generation-meghana-karanjkar/abca6b870972df0b?ean=9798901745519
NEWS AND NOTES
A reminder: At 5 pm on Friday, November 6, Joyce Irwin will give a talk at Scheide Hall, Princeton Theological Seminary, titled “Reasonable Worship and Spirit-rich Hymns:
Themes in 18th Century Hymnology.” The talk will cover controversies about new hymnals and different approaches to music in worship held by theologians and poets at the time. All are welcome to attend. (For further information, consult October calendar.)
Bob Craig has written a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Thomas E. and Annie D. Applegate House in Hightstown. He will be defending that nomination at the next meeting of the New Jersey State Review Board for Historic Sites on Thursday, November 12. The nomination is available online at: https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/hpo/archive/meetings/srb/2026/2026-11-12/nj_mercer_thomas-e.-and-annie-d.-applegate-house_tpcs.pdf
Bob will also be giving a webinar presentation sponsored by the American Cultural Resources Association (ACRA) on Wednesday, November 18, to teach architectural historians about mechanic liens and other related building records. This follows a webinar that he gave for ACRA last March. For information about the upcoming webinar, go to the ACRA website, at: https://acra-crm.org/webinars-and-events/#id=119&cid=2026&wid=801&type=Cal
Donn Mitchell reports that he will present “Frances Perkins: The Philadelphia Years” at historic St. Mark’s Church, Locust Steet, Philadelphia, on Sunday, November 8. Also the Book TV link to his talk at the FDR Library (held earlier this year) is now available: https://www.c-span.org/…/eleanor-roosevelts…/683641.
New PRF member Lavinia Kumar has an ongoing and interesting Substack post on “Women Important for the Revolutionary War.” The posts consist of a short essay (with references) about each woman, and it arrives every 10 days or so. Subscribe at lasummer.substack.com. It’s free – and offers intriguing information about women most of us likely know too little about.
REMINDER ABOUT DUES
Dues payments for the 2026-27 fiscal year are appreciated. (Note that the PRF fiscal year is September 1 through August 31 the following year.) There is plenty of time before the December 31 deadline, but why not pay while you are thinking about it? Individuals pay $40 per year, couples $60; lifetime membership is $400 for an individual or a couple. Checks can be mailed to PRF at P.O. Box 264, Kingston, NJ 08528; payments can also be made via Zelle at 609.216.6647.
Note: Given that Thanksgiving isn’t until Thursday, November 26, your calendar editor would appreciate receiving notices for the December calendar before that holiday break. Thanks for taking this into consideration!