Website: https://baltimoredickensabout.com/Regular meeting venue: The Hale Auditorium, on the campus of Church of the Redeemer, 5603 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21210.Contact: Ruth Scally (president): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Alternative: Andrea Struble (secretary): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Baltimore chapter became a branch of the Dickens Fellowship in 2014 after having been active for a number of years. Our enthusiastic group of Dickens devotees reads one novel by Dickens each year, with five or six monthly meetings beginning in September.
The Baltimore branch may be unique in that we have an official Sommelier who sends photos, descriptions and tasting notes for the wines he has selected for each meeting. The wines are provided by our Sommelier and served in stemware, adding another dimension of interest to our Dickens discussions.
The group sometimes schedules outings to a theater or other local venue—and in June we have a party, where we celebrate all things Dickens and vote on the next novel selection.
Special guests with a Dickens connection are occasionally invited to our meetings. In October 2022, we welcomed Loyola University Maryland professor Brian Murray, who joined us for a discussion of Our Mutual Friend. Professor Murray is the author of two books about Dickens: Charles Dickens (biography and literary study, 1994), and the illustrated Bedside Guide to Dickens (2009).
Dickens visited Baltimore in 1842 and was favorably impressed with our public buildings and monuments, many of which still exist. He returned to the city during his second U.S. visit in 1867–68, when he performed a public dramatic reading.
The Baltimore branch welcomes visitors to our meetings! Meetings are on Friday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. See the schedule in our events listing. Email and let us know if you plan to join us. The Hale Auditorium is located off the E. Melrose Street parking lot behind the church. Enter the auditorium under the green awning.
Website: dickens-society.org.ukRegular meeting venue:Contact: Mrs Roma Hussey, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Alternative:
The Society was founded on the 4th of April 1902 and is one of the oldest Dickensian organisations in the world. It is open to anyone interested in Charles Dickens and his works and is an autonomous branch of the Dickens Fellowship.
Website: www.dickensfellowshipbroadstairs.com
Regular meeting venue: Bleak House, Havisham & Cratchit Café, meetings on the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm
Hon Secretary: Viv Wilson - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Alternative contact: Andrew Stokes - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Brief Description
The connection between Charles Dickens and Broadstairs is very strong and we celebrate that at our branch meetings. We meet at Bleak House, which was formerly named Fort House when Dickens stayed there, so we like to think his spirit is with us at our meetings. Over the year we have a mix of meetings, including well-known speakers from the Dickens world, performances by the Dickens Declaimers, talks by members, and social events with Victorian games and quizzes. We also run a book group and coffee mornings, and occasional outings and events. The Dickens Declaimers are a group of our members who perform dramatised readings from Dickens's works. They are well known for their annual performances in December of A Christmas Carol, with all proceeds going to local Charities. We also have close ties with the Dickens House Museum in Broadstairs and the annual Dickens Festival in the town.
Newsletter September 2025
Website:Regular meeting venue:Contact: Dr David J. Greenman, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Alternative:
Website: cambridgedickensfellowship.org
Regular meeting venue: monthly currently by Zoom; from January 2022 Clare Hall, Cambridge
Chair: Robert-Louis Abrahamson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website Coordinator: Jim Jones, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Secretary: Christine Watts (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
The Cambridge branch meets, currently on zoom, at 7.30 pm on the second Monday of the month during the academic year September to June. Our chosen text for 2021/22 is ‘Great Expectations’ which will be studied in monthly instalments starting in September and continuing throughout the year. It is hoped we will be able to resume normal meetings, which will take place in Clare Hall, in January 2022. Until then our virtual meetings will continue, complemented by online contributions from members of a Google group. In normal times our meetings include a lecture or presentation on a theme connected with the novel being studied.
Regular meeting venue: St Dunstan's Church Hall, Canterbury, on the second Tuesday of each month. Most meetings are also live-streamed on Zoom. Secretary: John Ingram, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 01227 472589President: Professor Malcolm Andrews, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Zoom details available from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
After a break of some years, the Canterbury Branch was re-founded in 1996 by Dr Frank Fricker with a programme of monthly talks, of a mainly academic nature, and occasional outings. That, with the annual Birthday and Christmas lunches, remains the basic pattern. However, before each talk there is a convivial half-hour for refreshments, news and chat, not always strictly Dickensian. The Branch AGM is held at its December meeting, when business is leavened by a Christmas entertainment accompanied by Dickens Tart and Punch. The Canterbury Branch has twice staged the Fellowship's Annual Conference, in 2005 and 2012, and also assisted with hosting the 2025 conference in the city.
A short introduction to Canterbury
Website: https://www.dickenscarrara.it/Regular meeting venue: Centro Giovanile Diocesano Anspi, Via 7 Luglio 2, 54033 Carrara (MS) on Sunday afternoons at 5 pm.Hon Secretary: Marzia Dati , This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0039-333-6464596Alternative:
With a lively membership of over 500 people, The Central Fellowship’s annual calendar of events aims to provide ‘something for everyone’: talks, walks, readings, visits, and opportunities for socialising in true Dickensian fashion!
Most of our talks are held at The Charterhouse, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6AN. Nearest stations: Barbican, Farringdon, Moorgate. Buses 4, 56, and 153 stop in front of Barbican station on Aldersgate Street, a five minute walk from Charterhouse Square.
Map1 Map2 Map3
To get to the meeting room, go to the porter's lodge (left of the main entrance) and ask for directions to the learning centre. Please arrive from 6 pm for a drink and a chat before the talk starts at 6.30 pm.
More about Central Fellowship programme | Contacts: News and Calendar | Talks Search the Fellowship for 'Online events'
Website: chicagodickensfellowship.org/
Secretary/Treasurer: Jerry O’Connor, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Chicago Dickens Fellowship is branch #33 of the worldwide Dickens Fellowship and is the second oldest branch in the United States, having been officially established on May 24, 1905. We received our charter, signed by Kate Perugini, Charles Dickens’s second daughter, on June 16, 1923.Our branch celebrates the historical life and timeless works of Charles Dickens, who was a man of his time and a man for all time.
Read A Brief History of the Chicago Branch (pdf)
Website:Regular meeting venue: 2pm on the first Saturday of every month from March to November in the staff room of Hagley Community CollegeContact: Annabel Gormack – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Alternative:
Welcome to the Christchurch Branch of the Dickens Fellowship. All public are very welcome at our meetings. You do not need to have read Dickens or be an afficionado to enjoy the meetings. We have members from all walks of life and all ages. Every year, the Fellowship studies one of Dickens' major works, and several minor ones. One member of the Fellowship presents a programme each month, in which a section of the novel studied is covered, by sketches and readings. We also have video afternoons, mid-year and Christmas parties, and other forms of entertainment.
We are due to celebrate our 90th year as a branch this coming Saturday June 19th.
This year (2025), our major novel for study is Little Dorrit and we will also be studying George Silverman's Explanation and No Thoroughfare at the end of the year.
Newsletter 2025
This issue and all back copies can be found on our website christchurchdickensfellowship.nz
Website:Regular meeting venue:Contact: Mr Andrew Whitton, Flat 1, 1 Hayes Place, London NW1 6UAAlternative:
Website: clevelanddickensfellowship.orgRegular meeting venue: Contact: Kathy L. Broz, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Alternative:
The Cleveland Dickens Fellowship of Cleveland, Ohio, Branch No. 177, established in 1984, meets monthly from September through June to study and enjoy the works of Charles Dickens, his life and times.Meetings are held on the second Saturday of the month, 11:00-1:00.Most meetings take place at a branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library. Please check our website for location and details.We welcome all Dickens enthusiasts!
Facebook: Dickensselskabet i DanmarkRegular meeting venue:Contact: Tina Lindop Gable, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. +45 28371191Alternative:
Our ordinary meetings for the rest of the year 2024 will be:15/9 and 24/11Study group for The Tale of Two Cities:28/10, 11/11 and 25/11General Annual Meeting 2025: 2/2-2025
Website: dentondickensfellowship.comRegular meeting venue:Contacts:
Charles M. Gatlin, Jr. (president) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Jane Welborn (vice-president) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Elizabeth McSween (treasurer) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website:Regular meeting venue:Contact: Ernest Morris, 16 Copperkins Lane, Chesham Bois, Amersham, Bucks, HP6 5QFAlternative
(Photo by David Iliff. License: CC BY-SA 3.0)
Website:
Regular meeting venue: Crown & Anchor, Marine Parade, EastbourneContact: Keith de Vos, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 01323 471615
We meet on the first Thursday of each month September - May. We follow a BOOK OF THE YEAR and enjoy discussions, lectures, films and a special Birthday Luncheon each February to honour the birth of CD. We always have a musical Christmas event with singing, readings, food and drinks and great merriment.
Programme 2021-22
Thursday 8 December - Christmas Party. Buffet supper with live music.Thursday 9 February - Dickens' Birthday luncheon at the Langham Hotel, Eastbourne. With guest speaker Dr Marzia Dati (President, Carrara branch) giving talk on 'Dickens in Italy'.Thurday 4 May: AGM and meeting
Website:Regular meeting venue:Contact: Sandra Regan, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Alternative:
The Greater Boston Chapter was founded in 1995. Meetings are held the second Sunday of the month, September - June, at the Union Oyster House, 41 Union St., Boston. Our December Christmas Afternoon Tea is held at Charles Dickens’ preferred residence when visiting the United States, the Parker House on Tremont St. Dickens’ birthday is remembered with a luncheon and birthday cake. The three Massachusetts chapters, North of Boston, Worcester and our own chapter hope to meet for an informal luncheon in the spring.
Website: www.dickensfellowship.nl
Regular meeting venue: At least four times a year. For the exact dates, see the websiteContact: Pieter de Groot, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +31 646.657.432Alternative: Marijke Drost, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +31 621.814.987
The Haarlem Branch, founded in 1956, is a national Branch, its members come from around the country. Members travel from all over the country so we limit the number of meetings to four or five a year.In general the programme of the meetings is a drink, a lecture, a drink and a dinner. Lectures are often given by our own members. Sometimes there is a quiz on the Book of Study or a film, music, poetry, etc. The Haarlem Branch has its own magazine, The Dutch Dickensian. The first issue appeared in 1961.
Website:Regular meeting venue:Contact:Alternative:
Website: http://www.facebook.com/groups/mwdickensians Keep an eye on the FB page for events and details.Contact: Max Magee This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.We generally choose one book per year to focus on, usually in the order of publication. There are six meetings per year, including special events. Our schedule mirrors the academic year, starting in September and ending with a spring celebratory luncheon held at a local country club. Other meetings are held in members' homes. We do not meet in November (due to conflicts with Thanksgiving) or January (due to difficult travel conditions), or from May-August.
The meetings are generally scheduled at 2 pm, usually on the 4th Sunday of the month with some exceptions. One such as the Tiny Tim Tea, our annual fundraiser for Camp Wawbeek (a recreational camp in Wisconsin for handicapped children) and the local chapter of the Second Harvest Foodbank. This is held the first Saturday in December, and takes the place of what would have been the Nov/Dec regular meetings. It usually includes a carol sing-along, seasonal readings/performances, Dickens-theme puzzles, door prizes, the annual group cracker-pull, and a special tea.
Website:Regular meeting venue:
Contact: Diane Shepard
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.1616 17 AvenueMenominee, MI 49858920-606-9384
Alternative:
Prof. Susan BeckwithDepartment of EnglishOakland UniversityRochester, MI 48309This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.montereypeninsuladickensfellowship.org
Regular meeting venue: September through May, third Saturday of the month, members' homesContact: Beth Penney, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 831 372 7625
The Monterey Peninsula Dickens Fellowship was founded in 1991 and chartered in 1992. Since its inception, it has met regularly in members' homes on the Central Coast of California to discuss Dickens's works. The group chooses one novel to focus on each year, and annual events also include a Dickens Birthday Dinner in February and a Christmas Party in December. The branch publishes a traditional printed monthly newsletter, The Mutual Friend, which contains meeting places and times and other Dickens-related news. Dues are $25 per year.
Website: www.dickensmontreal.com
Regular meeting venue: Westmount Library First Tuesday of the month, 1:00 - 3:30 (currently on Zoom)Contact: Ellie Clavier-Rothstein, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Montreal Branch is a lively, active society. Each year we study one novel by Dickens and have several social events: celebrating Dickens's birthday; holiday party in December; Victorian tea in June. Once or twice a year Guest Speakers are invited to talk on topics relevant to Dickens, his period and his novels. The web-site is always kept up to date and newsletters are published regularly. The Branch supports The Tiny Tim Fund at the Children's Hospital. At the moment, all our activities (books, parties, speakers) are on Zoom and will probably continue in this way for the foreseeable future.
Website:Meetings: 2nd Saturday of the monthContact: Meghan Kelly - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Alternative: Marigny Dupuy - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.The Dickens Fellowship of New Orleans meets from September to May, usually on the second Saturday, at the Bright Library of Metairie Park Country Day School in Metairie, Louisiana. Our group concentrates on one book each year, and meetings feature discussions, film clips, guest speakers, and tea parties. Each December we read aloud a stave from A Christmas Carol and enjoy a seasonal feast.
Website: dickensnewyork.com
Regular meeting venue: The DFNY meets the third Saturday of each month on Zoom. Visit our website for information to find out more about our Fellowship, including our current reading schedule and for information about how to receive a meeting link.
President: Jordan Cerbone This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Dickens Fellowship of New York was founded in 1905. Members of our Fellowship vote on a work by Charles Dickens to be studied. Our meetings consist of chapter presentations by volunteers from our DFNY which include discussion questions. After the presentation of a chapter, a discussion is then led by our moderator. Each meeting features very interesting and thought-provoking discussions! All are invited to participate!Lunches, brunches, and special outings are gatherings occasionally scheduled and enjoyed by members of our Fellowship .The Dickens Fellowship of New York encourages all members to participate in its programs and activities to their individual degree of interest, and welcomes new members from near and far, all walks of life, and at all levels of interest in the writings and philosophies of Charles Dickens.Yearly, due to the enthusiasm and support of our members we are able to generously donate to local charities that would have appealed so strongly to the heart of Charles Dickens.
Website:Regular meeting venue:Contact: Robert Nunn, 52 Crescentwood Drive, St Catherines, Ontario L2N 4L2 Canada This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Alternative:
Website:Regular meeting venue:Contact: Dr Elliot Engel, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Alternative:
Website: NoneRegular meeting venue: Our meetings are held on the Third Wednesday of each Month from 12.30 o'clock until 2.00 o’clock at Low Fell Library at 710 Durham Road, Gateshead.Contact: Chris McLoughlin, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 01429 267270Alternative: Carolyn Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 0191 469 0597
Please feel free to drop in as we are a very friendly bunch who will make you very welcome. (Please note the main entrance to the Library closes at 1 o'clock prompt but access can still be gained from ringing the bell at the back of the library at the Caretakers entrance).
Website: www.dickensnorthofboston.com/Regular meeting venue: The Salem Athenaeum Contact: Kathleen Anderson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Alternative:
North of Boston Branch (No.206) The Branch was founded in Spring 2010. Founder Deb Benvie just returning from a London trip had become acquainted with the Dickens Museum and Fellowship. Upon her return to the Massachusetts area she realized that the closest Fellowship was in Greater Boston. The North of Boston Branch achieved Charter status in 2011. The Salem Athenaeum is the base for the literary group and has served the membership well. We hope to participate and forward Dickens through the many cultural festivals, and events held in the area. Meetings are a combination of book club, social events, student programming, and community education.
Website:Regular meeting venue:Contact: Anita Fernandez Young, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website - https://dickensphila.org/Branch Secretary - Veronica Scutaro - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Our new group e-mail address is:Dickensfellowshipphila@gmail.com
Contact: Patricia Vinci, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The fellowship meets one Saturday afternoon a month to share good food and conviviality in the true spirit of Dickens and to enjoy the day’s Dickens presentation and discussions. If you do not live in the Philadelphia area and are unable to attend meetings, you can read about the meetings and about Dickens in general in our monthly newsletter, The Buzfuz Bulletin, which will be mailed to you. Our season opens in September with an overview of a chosen Dickens book of the year. At Christmas, we celebrate the immortal Christmas Carol by engaging in some spirited fun. In February, we pay our greatest homage to Charles Dickens as we celebrate the anniversary of his birth with a Toast to the Immortal Memory of the man who truly made Christmas merry! Our season ends with a June Outing.
Website:Regular meeting venue:Contact: Roger Warwick <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>Alternative:
Meeting venue: varies; please check meeting details carefullyContact: Marge Lubawy, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.All meetings are held at noon on the third Saturday of the month
Photos - Birthday Celebrations February 2022
Photos - Lunch March 2022
Photos - Lunch April 2022
Photos - Ramble June 2022
Photos - Birthday Celebrations February 2026
Regular meeting venue: St Swithin’s Church Hall, Waverley Road, Southsea, Portsmouth. (To navigate to the car park at the rear of the building use PO5 2QZ).
We usually meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month from 14:30 to 16:30, except for July and August. We are a friendly group and new members are always welcome. To find out more, please contact:
Secretary: Administrator: Sharon Howarth This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Chair: Tim Suffolk - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / 023 9238 8870
A typical meeting will consist of:
The Portsmouth Birthplace branch of the Dickens fellowship has connections with Dickens Birthplace Museum: https://charlesdickensbirthplace.co.uk/ and meets monthly for an afternoon of good Dickensian fellowship under the Chairmanship of Tim Suffolk.For further information, please click here.
Regular meeting venue: Meeting are held on the 3rd Thursday of the month, normally in the hall of Gad’s Hill School which is in the grounds of Charles Dickens’ home, Gad’s Hill Place. Entrance is via the main school entrance in Crutches Lane. There is a car park, good wheelchair access and facilities for the disabled. Hon Gen Secretary: Steve Martin This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 01474 560250Treasurer: Vacant postWebpage administrator: Claire Hitchcock This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Web page for house: www.gadshillplace.co.ukMembership Application Form
One of the oldest and most respected branches in the Dickens Fellowship, branch 13 was founded in 1903. Rochester and Chatham have close links with Dickens, who spent his childhood years in Chatham and his later years at Gad’s Hill in Higham near Rochester. The connecting towns are featured in many of his novels. Rochester has two Dickens festivals a year. Our branch president is Gerald Dickens, the great-great grandson of Charles Dickens. We have an interesting and varied programme of talks and social events. We strive to be all inclusive and pride ourselves on our proactive outreach attitude. Some of our members are part of our voluntary team of guides that host tours of Gad’s Hill Place during its open season.
Rochester & Chatham Dickens Fellowship
Secretaries “What’s on Guide”, 6 April 2024
Branch Meeting Thursday 18 April: Due to unforeseen circumstances, Dr Jeremy Clarke has had to postpone his talk about William Cuffay to a future date. This will now be a Members reading night consisting of several short extracts from Dickens books or about his life followed by branch business read by members.
Rochester Sweeps Festival: Provisional dates for the 2024 Rochester Sweeps Festival are Saturday 4th, Sunday 5th and Monday 6th May. We have been asked to take part in the festival. Sweeps parade to be on Monday 6th May.
Branch Meeting Thursday 16 May: David Burton with his presentation "The Tales of the Riverbank" talk part two.
Rochester Summer Dickens Festival: The Rochester Summer Dickens Festival has been cancelled. Some groups intend to turn up on Saturday to walk about but there is no organised festival.
Broadstairs Dickens Festival Friday 14th to Sunday 16th June: The Director of the Broadstairs Dickens Festival has invited our members at attend. We are invited in costume to take part or not in costume to just enjoy the festival. Details to follow, further information from Steve Martin and their web site below. Some of the draft Saturday events are also below, the Grand Parade is probably the highlight - www.broadstairsdickensfestival.co.uk
Saturday - Victorian Fayre at Pierremont Hall - outside
- Display and sale of costumes - Pierremont Hall
- Grand Parade - 12 noon (time tbc as waiting on approval)
- Punch & Judy at Pierremont
- Coffee/tea and bar available all day @ Pierremont
- Declaimers @ Dickens House Museum - 2 pm (time tbc)
Branch Meeting Thursday 20 June, Deborah Collins - "Drunkenness, Madness and Bigamy - The Staff of Strood Union Workhouse".
Armed Forces Day Saturday 29th June, This year’s national Armed Forces day is on Saturday the 29th June. This years Armed Forces Day is being held in Chatham Historic Dockyard, details to follow. No reply to date.
Branch Meeting Thursday 18 July, The July branch meeting is the summer outing. It starts with a guided tour of Rochester Cathedral. The tour starts at 11am and estimated to take an hour and cost £5.50, in advance, per person. After the tour, it is hoped members stay and purchase their own refreshment in the Cathedral Crypt Café, tables have been reserved. Member Christine Bostock has taken over the running of the event and details have been emailed to members. Further information and details of how to pay for your tour to follow.
Ellenor Hospice Open Garden Sunday 28th July: We have been asked if we would like to attend in Victorian/Dickensian costume to add colour and may be provide a talk. The event is an open garden fund raising event at Little Hermitage in Higham on Sunday 28th July between 1 and 5 pm. Details to follow, further information from Steve Martin.
Dickens Fellowship Conference 5 to 8 August: The 117th Annual Conference of the International Dickens Fellowship, themed “Dickens on Holidays” is in Portsmouth from 5–8 August 2024.
Hoo Peninsula Heritage Festival - 7th and 8th September
We have been asked to take part in the Hoo Peninsula Heritage Festival taking place on 7th and 8th September in Hoo. The five areas at the centre of the festival are: Thomas Aveling, the artist William Lionel Wyllie, Charles Dickens, William Hogarth and pioneering farmer Henry Pye. Details to follow, further information from Steve Martin
Salute to the 40’s September We have been asked to take part in the Salute to the 40’s event in Chatham Historic Dockyard. Details to follow but home front WW2 uniforms or civilian costumes and be prepared to educate on Charles Dickens and his descendants connection to the Dockyard. Notes on the connections will be available from Steve ASAP.
Branch AGM Meeting Thursday 19 September The branch AGM is on Thursday 19th September, there will be no speaker
Branch Meeting Thursday 17 October, Details TBC.
Branch Meeting Thursday 21 November, Details TBC.
Branch Meeting Thursday 19 December The December meeting will consist of a Christmas Dinner. Suggestions from members on a venue are welcome. Further details TBA.
Notes: Further information from Steve Martin via email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone 01474 560250
Branch meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month, 6.15 for a 6.30 pm start between September and June. Venue - Gad’s Hill School Hall. Gravesend Road, Higham ME3 7DS (School car park entrance via Crutches Lane).
Website:Regular meeting venue:Contact: Cyril Baldwin, cyril_This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 01634 851512Alternative:
Regular meeting venue: we meet on Zoom at 2pm Pacific Time on the second Sunday of every month, excepting August.
To obtain the Zoom link, please email Sherry Reser: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For all other enquiries, please contact Marguerite Romanello: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 1-415-994-0568
The SF branch is a small but lively group that concentrates on reading and discussion of Dickens's works, keeping a theme in mind. The group has agreed to add works of other Victorian writers that complement the themes of the Dickens works, or were championed by or worked with Dickens. So, we have added George Eliot, Anthony Trollope, Henry James, Walter Scott, Barbara Kingsolver, Elizabeth Gaskell, Henry Fielding, Laurence Sterne, Jane Austen, Wilkie Collins, Edgar Allen Poe (whom he met), and Mark Twain. The members also have spent some time reading books that Dickens read and which may have influenced his writing, such as The Arabian Nights. The members are willing to explore many avenues of interest with Dickens as the lodestone.
Contact: Courtney Mahaney, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Regular meeting venue: Once monthly, Channing Hall, Surrey St. Sheffield. Branch Secretary: Julie Edworthy, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Branch Administrator: Julian Crooks This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sheffield Branch currently has 40 members. We study the works, life, and times of Charles Dickens, usually attached to reading a particular work each year. There is an annual programme of events designed to facilitate our study in a variety of ways - talks, trips, workshops, readings, musical and theatrical events. We hold an annual public reading of `A Christmas Carol` every December in aid of Sheffield's homeless people. Our venue is in the city centre and easily accessible by public transport. There is good access for those with physical disability. Membership costs £12 a year.
Website:Regular meeting venue: Highlands Methodist Church (monthly September to June)Contact: Mr Dennis Frankin, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +44 1268 792847Alternative:
Founded in 1910 the Southend & District Branch has been active in the borough since that date. In its heyday in the 1930's and 40's the membership was over 200. Today, however, we have a much smaller membership although all the members show tremendous enthusiasm in their love of the works of Charles Dickens and participate wholeheartedly in our reading sessions. In true Dickensian spirit all the members care about and support one another and enjoy not only the Dickens readings but a true sense of Fellowship fuelled by good humour and laughter.
The Southern California Dickens Fellowship
Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/1405191869718211/
The Southern California Dickens (SoCal DF) Fellowship meets every other month to discuss a selected novel or a specific Dickensian theme.
If a Guest Presentation opportunity avails, we will calendar in the between month.
We continue to offer Zoom meetings in 2026, including:
View our Programme here.
Dickens Universe 2025:
The 45th annual Dickens Universe, hosted by the Dicken Project, enjoyed a successful last week of July at idyllic U. C. Santa Cruz in California, USA. The novel of discussion was The Old Curiosity Shop. Approximately 160 participants delighted in a daily schedule that featured three square meals, multiple lectures, morning novel discussion groups, Victorian Tea, Post Prandial Potations (free after dinner beer and wine), silent auction and merchandise sales, and film screenings (to name a few).
Additional pleasures were the Thursday night novel Farce and the Grand Party; capped off on Friday night by the Curiosity Gala (fundraising Grand Auction, Victorian Dance and Casino Gaming). A total of 16 excellent speakers presented throughout the week on topics that ranged far and wide, all with the root connection of the novel The Old Curiosity Shop. The chosen work for 2026 is Bleak House.
A few photos can be viewed here.
The Southwold Branch meets monthly from September to May on the 4th Tuesday of the month in The Guide Centre, Cautley Road, Southwold. Members, both local and from other Suffolk towns and villages, number around 20. The annual subscription is currently £10.
Our programme typically covers presentations on Dickensian subjects and readings from the works of Charles Dickens by members, study of one novel each year, a Christmas celebration, a Birthday lunch and a Spring buffet. Visitors and new members are always welcome.
ContactChairperson & Treasurer, Mr W J Wallond tel. 01502 722212 email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.images/branches/southwold/southwold.jpg
Website: www.thefriendsofdickens.org
Address : P.O.Box 2743, 450 Lexington Ave, New York, N. Y. 10163
Regular meetings: First Saturday of every month
Executive Director: Suyapa QuinnPresident: Joe FodorNewsletter editor: James Armstrong, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Secretary: Carrie Lee, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Friends of Dickens New York (FODNY) is a literary, cultural, and educational organization dedicated to the works of Charles Dickens. Our motto is FUN, FRIENDSHIP AND LEARNING! Fun, because we get together regularly to read, dramatize, and discuss the works of Charles Dickens. Friendship, because the group encourages and cements unity, understanding and cooperation among people. Learning, because great literature adds to our knowledge and understanding of one another and the world.
Website: www.dickens.jp/index-e.html
Regular meeting venue: Our AGM takes place at a different venue every year.President: Yasuhiko Matsumoto,This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +81 4 7124 1501 Vice President: Fumie Tamai, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Although, at present, most members of the Japan Branch are researchers, teachers or students of universities in Japan, membership is open to anyone who loves the person and works of Charles Dickens. The main branch activities include AGM in October and the annual publication of 'The Japan Branch Bulletin'. Visit our website where you can watch the videos from our past meetings and read our members’ essays and articles (some of them are written in English) on Dickens.
Regular meeting venue: Boz Reading Group meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, 7 pm, usually at Northern District Library, Toronto, currently meeting by Zoom
Branch President: Terry Sleightholm, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Branch Secretary: Barbara Rusch, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Toronto Branch received its charter in 1905, the first Branch of the Fellowship in North America. Almost since its founding the Branch has raised funds to support children's hospitals, currently Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. Regular events are our monthly meetings of the Boz Reading Group, the formal Dickens Birthday Lunch in February and a Welcome Brunch in September. Our major fundraiser is our annual Christmas Tea.
The Worcester Dickens Fellowship in Massachusetts has been flourishing for over half a century. Originally founded in London in 1902, the Dickens Fellowship's aim was to "knit" together in a common bond of friendship lovers of the great master of humour and pathos, Charles Dickens. We in the Worcester Fellowship have thrived on the traditions of fellowship and scholarship.
Officers and Committees
President Richard FentonVice President Robert SteeleTreasurer Michael BadgerCorresponding Secretary Anita FentonRecording Secretary Carrie CorcoranMembership Kathy McFarlandSkits Joan Townsend (Chair), Joel Brattin, Robert SteeleHoliday Luncheon Kit Polga, Kathy McFarland
2025-2026 Program