FitzFirst@Four, with Joan Mathison

FitzFirst@Four is a monthly discussion group, focused on the short stories of F Scott Fitzgerald. It meets at 4:00pm on the first Sunday of every month at Common Good Books. Events are free and open to the public.

This month’s guest is Joan Mathison is the founder of Adventures with a Locavore, a social enterprise that offers community experiences and neighborhood tours of the rich art deco legacy of Saint Paul’s urban fabric. Her past experience as a pastry chef, history geek and community development professional provides Joan with a unique perspective about the culture, nature, history and food of the Twin Cities.

We’ll be discussing the short story “O, Russet Witch!,”  which can be found in Tales from the Jazz Age, available now at Common Good Books.

“O, Russet Witch!” is set in an equally fascinating, though fictional bookshop, The Moonlight Quill.   This story appears in Fitzgerald’s earliest short story anthology, Tales of the Jazz Age, which includes works that were written for magazines in 1919 to 1921.  The strange tale is often compared with Fitzgerald’s better known story, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” in that both examine the themes of youth and aging, life choices and chances, and contain elements of the supernatural.  Interested participants are encouraged to read the short story and to share their comments and ideas.