Activities
Most of our groups start on a trial basis with a member providing an activity idea. Have an idea for a new activity or a question? Contact the current Activity Chair.
The Afternoon Lunch Book Club meets during the academic year, September through June, on the 4th Friday at noon at the Athenaeum. All CWC members are invited for a friendly and interesting discussion. Members do not need to hold an Athenaeum membership to participate. Non Athenaeum members may pay another CWC member for their lunch.
Past titles read (recently featuring an international location) include:
Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Twenty Chickens for a Saddle by Robyn Scott
What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
A Death in Brazil by Peter Robb
Big in Sweden by Sally Franson
Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Who is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews
Retreat to the Spanish Sun by Jo Thomas
When the Ground is Hard by Mall Nunn
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey
The Paris Library by Janet Charles
Murmur of the Bees by Sofia Segovia
The Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Gramus
Wood, Water and Wild Things: Learning Craft, Cultivation in a Japanese Mountain Town by Hannah Kirshner
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
142 Ostriches by April Davila
Votes For Women American Suffragists and the Battle for the Ballot by Winifred Conkling
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
They Left Us Everything by Plum Johnson
Love and Saffron by Kimi Fay, who joined us for our June 2022 meeting
Monthly lunches at 12:00 p.m. at the Athenaeum.
Join other CWC members as we gather for lunch. If you are not a member of the Athenaeum, bring cash or check (to Caltech Women's Club) for your lunch. Add 33% to the menu price of your lunch to cover Athenaeum charges.
Second Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom. Casual, informal discussion of the selected book. Join us on a regular basis or just drop in occasionally for a particular book discussion.
2026-2027 Books
Jul. 13 In the Land of Invisible Women by Qanta Ahmed
Aug. 10 The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
Sep. 14 American Wife by Curtis Sittenfield
Oct. 12 The Convenience Store by the Sea by Sonoko Machida
Nov. 9 The Girl from the Grand Hotel by Camille Aubray
Dec. 14 The Astral Library by Kate Quinn
Past Titles discussed:
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Evicted by Matthew Desmond
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
The One-In-A-Million Boy by Monica Wood
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
The Women by Kristin Hannah
The Last White Man by Mohsin Mahid
Say Nothing by Patrick Keefe
Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac
An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
Such Kindness by Andre Debus, III
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See
Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan
Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
The Soul of a Woman by Isabel Allende
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue
Invisible Child by Andrea Elliot
The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
Miracle Country by Kendra Atleework
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
The Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Breast and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami
Bad Fruit by Ella King
Stay True: A Memoir by Hua Hsu
Caltech Playreaders: 76th Season, 2026 - 2027
Athenaeum Hall of Associates
[email protected]
Athenaeum Hall of Associates, 6:30 p.m. Season runs October - May. The Playreaders meet six times a year for semi-staged script-in-hand readings of comedy and drama. Performances run about two hours. Stay after the performance for discussion with the cast. Please check the Caltech Playreaders website for latest details. A donation of $8 is requested at the door (only $5 for CWC members).
Dining Before the Show: No reservations are needed for the reading, but are requested for those joining the Playreaders' table in the Athenaeum Main Dining Room. If you plan to dine at the Athenaeum before the reading, your party should be seated by 5 p.m. You may order before everyone in your party has arrived and you are welcome to join the Playreaders' table.
Show titles and performance dates for Playreaders' 2026-27 season will be announced soon! Check our website for updates and details!
The club meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. on ZOOM.
The club offers its members the opportunity to learn together about investing in stocks, starting with a set buy-in amount and paying monthly dues. Members are expected to participate in monthly meetings, serve in positions of responsibility, and complete monthly written analyses on assigned portfolio holdings as well as on any proposed purchases.
This group brings together parents with young children for playdates and field trips, offering mutual support through the ups and downs of parenting. The CWC Casita serves as the location for our biweekly social gatherings and also provides a lending space for children's clothing, toys, and household items.
Communication about playdates, the exchange of parenting advice, and the sharing of children's items takes place through the Caltech Community WhatsApp group.
Occasional group tickets arranged to theatrical productions. Recent excursion to Suffs at the Pantages
Join us as we explore sights of interest in and around Pasadena.
Past excursions have included:
Caltech Birdwalk, Huntington Gardens, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Pasadena Museum of History & the Tournament of Roses House
Last Thursday of the month 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Meeting virtually on Zoom for a social hour. Bring your own wine and cheese and enjoy the camaraderie of the CWC from the comfort of your own home.
The Scenic Walks group meets on the first Thursday of each month, October through May, for an easy hike to scenic local places to enjoy friendship and the outdoors. The locations depend on weather and trail closures. Past walks have included trails in Pasadena, La Canada and Glendale, Arroyo Seco Trail, Brand Library, Chantry Flat, Deukmejian Wilderness Park, Gabrielino Trail, Hahamongna Park & Oak Grove Park.
The Group meets weekly at noon for one hour at Caltech's Red Door Café. All levels of French speakers are welcome for friendship, travel experience sharing, and some French conversation practice.