Reading Groups

In Short: John Cheever’s “The Swimmer” with Pam Newton

$50

Includes a Complimentary Drink from Our Café & Bar

Out of stock

Tuesday, 6:30 pm EDT - 8:00 pm EDT January 7, 2025

The Center for Fiction

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This single-session group is held in person at The Center for Fiction. Registration includes a complimentary drink from our Café & Bar.

John Cheever, one of the American masters of the short story form, first published his iconic story “The Swimmer” in the New Yorker in 1964. A haunting, surreal commentary on the hollowness of suburban middle-class life, it is Cheever’s most famous story and the only one that has ever been adapted for the screen. We will unpack this short—but extremely rich—story while sipping gin-and-tonics (or the non-alcoholic beverage of your choice) in honor of protagonist Neddy Merrill’s love of a good drink.

What to read in advance of the first meeting: Please read the “The Swimmer” by John Cheever. A PDF of the story will be emailed to all participants and can also be purchased in this collection.

What to expect from this reading group: This will be more of a conversation than a lecture, but the instructor will be on hand to provide some context and guide the exploration of the story.

Capacity: 25

Led by

Pam Newton

Pam Newton

Pam Newton teaches writing in the English department at Yale University and is a freelance magazine writer. Her articles, mostly personal essays and art/culture journalism, have appeared in the Atlantic, the New York Times magazine, Time Out New York, the Huffington Post, American Theatre, the National Book Review, Literary Hub, and elsewhere. She has taught writing and literature for many years to a wide range of ages, including a decade teaching in the Humanities faculty at Cooper Union and directing the Writing Fellows program there. She has a B.A. in Drama from Northwestern University and an M.A. in English Literature from the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College.

About this series

Reading Groups

Whether you’re looking to catch up on great novels or you’re interested in exploring a new writer or literary period, our reading groups offer high-level literary discussion led by experts in the field.

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