Tragic Affairs Abroad – Reading and Discussion Series

The Aiken County Public Library will be presenting an original Let’s Talk About It series titled “Tragic Affairs Abroad” from October 2015 – March 2016. This reading and film discussion series features the timeless intersection of romance and tragedy in great literature. The series will become a part of the permanent Let’s Talk About It collection available to all libraries and nonprofit organizations after it concludes in Aiken. SC Humanities supported this project with a Mini Grant in August 2015.

Let’s Talk About It has long been the backbone of library programming offered by SC Humanities as well as councils across the country. The program connects readers with classic literature, resonant themes, and scholarly interpretation in an exciting classroom-style discussion forum where ideas and insights abound. In partnership with the South Carolina State Library, SC Humanities offers over 40 diverse series, on themes ranging from women’s autobiography to the importance of heritage in South Carolina literature.

The Tragic Affairs Abroad series at Aiken County Public Library will include the following program dates:

October 20, 2015, 7:00 p.m. The Painted Veil (2006 film version)
October 27, 2015, 7:00 p.m.The Painted Veil (W. Somerset Maugham) discussed by Tom Mack
November 24, 2015, 7:00 p.m.A Passage to India (1984 film version)
December 1, 2015, 7:00 p.m.A Passage to India (E.M. Forster) discussed by Amanda Warren
January 19, 2016, 7:00 p.m.Memoirs of a Geisha (2005 film version)
January 26, 2016, 7:00 p.m.Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden) discussed by Matt Miller
February 16, 2016, 7:00 p.m. Girl with the Pearl Earring (2003 film version)
February 23, 2016, 7:00 p.m.The Girl with the Pearl Earring (Tracy Chevalier) discussed by Tom Mack
March 22, 2016, 7:00 p.m.The End of the Affair (1955 film version)
March 29, 2016, 7:00 p.m.The End of the Affair (Graham Greene) discussed by Vicki Collins

The programs will take place at the Aiken County Public Library, 314 Chesterfield Street, SW, Aiken, SC 29801 and are free and open to the public.

For more information about the Let’s Talk About It program and to see a full list of the series that are available, visit https://schumanities.org/projects/ltai/.

The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c) 3 organization is governed by a volunteer 23-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state.  It presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually.