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Regional and virtual chapters in the USA, Canada, and the Netherlands<\/p>\n
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\nThe CHAPTER is the unit upon which our entire Wodehouse Society is based. Without strong, active chapters we cannot hope to have a strong, active Society. \u00a0<\/span>\u2013 Bill Blood, Comments in Passing<\/i>, Vol. II, No. 3 (15 June 1981)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
This sentiment, enshrined in our <\/span>constitution<\/span>, has been key to the success of The Wodehouse Society\u2014even though chapters are autonomous. Yes, it\u2019s true: There is no requirement for chapter members to be members of the national organization as well. But most join TWS anyway to enjoy the full benefits of membership, including attendance at our biennial <\/span>conventions<\/span> (which, until 2022, were hosted by individual chapters).<\/span><\/p>\n
TWS\u2019s very first chapter was initially called the Bucks-Montgomery-Philadelphia Chapter; this was later changed to the Delaware Valley Chapter. Its first meeting, with seven people present, was held on June 15, 1980, at Bill and Mary Blood\u2019s home in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The following year, on February 1, 1981, the first meeting of the Blandings Castle chapter took place in the San Francisco Bay area. While Delaware Valley eventually disbanded, Blandings Castle thrived and continues to exist today, albeit now mostly in virtual form through Zoom meetings that are also attended by Wodehouseans from across the United States as well as England and Australia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
From 1992 onwards, TWS chapters began popping up all over North America, and we became international in 2009 when our Dutch chapter, the Right Honorable Knights of Sir Philip Sidney, was founded. Over the years chapters have come and gone, but many continue to be active. Presently, TWS has 24 chapters, as listed below.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
What does a chapter do, you ask? Well, there is no simple answer. Generally speaking, all chapters celebrate Wodehouse and his work in all its forms, but each approaches that celebration in different ways. Thus, some chapters read Plum\u2019s fiction, some see his plays, some listen to his lyrics, some watch film or live theater adaptations of his work, some enjoy his poetry, some explore his journalism, some learn about his life and all its ups and downs. Some doubtless do it all. And almost all engage in discussion about whatever they are currently reading or enjoying.<\/span><\/p>\n
Just as TWS is an association of agreeable human beings, chapter meetings are friendly affairs and tend to mix Wodehouse appreciation with browsing, sluicing, and sparkling conversation. Chapter members frequently host meetings in their homes or available community rooms; some meet at restaurants. The Covid-19 pandemic pushed a lot of prior in-person gatherings onto digital mediums like Zoom, and now more than a few chapters use Zoom, if not exclusively, then at least regularly. While this reduces personal interaction, it conquers geographic and temporal barriers, and allows participation to expand across continents, oceans, and time zones. One chapter, the Fourth Dimension, is entirely virtual.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Like most things, chapters are what you make of them, and as ours are made by and of dedicated Wodehouseans, they are inevitably fun, enlightening, relaxing, and refreshing\u2014and highly recommended. Reports of chapter activities can be read in the Chapters Corner section of <\/span>Plum Lines<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n