Need advice, expertise, or a discussion leader for your book group? We can help!

The Great Books Foundation has years of experience leading book discussion groups, recommending titles for discussion, and cultivating a style of conversation that keeps a group's attention focused firmly on the text. In fact, long before the current boom in book discussion groups, we were building a network of them—at last count, 850—that includes thousands of participants.

The secrets of successful book groups can be learned, and we can help you learn them. Whether you're a leader or a participant, whether you're  launching a new book group or are part of a well-established one looking for fresh ideas, you'll find the help you need here:

• Gary Schoepfel, vice president for discussion groups, is our most experienced book discussion leader. He has trained new leaders and consulted with all kinds of book groups in nearly all fifty states, Canada, and Europe. In Chicago he has conducted discussions for the Lyric Opera and the Art Institute, and he plans the annual Great Books Chicago event, which brings 200 people to the Windy City from around the country each spring. Gary is also a frequent leader of Great Books getaway excursions to locations that in the past few years have included France, Italy, and Spain.
• Don Whitfield, director of higher education programs, is a graduate of St. John's College, and has been leading Great Books discussion groups for more than thirty years. He co-edited several recently published books from the Foundation, including The Nature of Life: Readings in Biology, and Keeping Things Whole: Readings in Environmental Science.
• Daniel Born, vice president of post secondary programs, is a former college professor with fourteen years of classroom teaching experience, including a Great Books sequence for honors students. He is editor of The Common Review, the magazine of the Great Books Foundation, and author of The Birth of Liberal Guilt in the English Novel. He has led book discussions for One Book, One Chicago, the Terra Museum of American Art, and the Junior League of Chicago.

Call 1-800-222-5870 if you have a question or you're interested in a visit from one of our staff. We offer a variety of services, including book group visits, discussion leader workshops, and more extensive training sessions for teachers and other professionals—all at affordable prices.