Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Modern and Contemporary Literature
Speaker
Mary Thompson
We will read and discuss Stone Yard Devotional by
Charlotte Wood, published in 2023 (ISBN 979-8-
217-04735-2). In a move that is less an act of giving
up than of giving in, a middle-aged woman leaves
Sydney to return to the place where she grew up,
taking refuge in a small religious community hidden
away on the plains of New South Wales. An atheist,
she withdraws inward and contemplates how to live
without causing harm. But disquiet interrupts this
secluded life with three practically biblical visitations.
Short listed for the 2024 Booker Prize.
July 8: Pages 1–73
July 22: Pages 74–146
August 5: Pages 147–220
August 19: Pages 221–293
Charlotte Wood, published in 2023 (ISBN 979-8-
217-04735-2). In a move that is less an act of giving
up than of giving in, a middle-aged woman leaves
Sydney to return to the place where she grew up,
taking refuge in a small religious community hidden
away on the plains of New South Wales. An atheist,
she withdraws inward and contemplates how to live
without causing harm. But disquiet interrupts this
secluded life with three practically biblical visitations.
Short listed for the 2024 Booker Prize.
July 8: Pages 1–73
July 22: Pages 74–146
August 5: Pages 147–220
August 19: Pages 221–293
Speaker Bio
Facilitator: Mary Thompson retired from ViaSat, Inc.
in 2005 and now promotes deliberative democracy
with the League of Women Voters. She holds a
business degree from Chapman University in Orange,
California.
in 2005 and now promotes deliberative democracy
with the League of Women Voters. She holds a
business degree from Chapman University in Orange,
California.
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