Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (pronounced "wood-house") was known as
"Plum" to his family and friends. Plum wrote some of the most entertaining
novels, stories, plays, lyrics and poems of the twentieth century, and created
enduring characters that millions would like to call their friends. His may well
have been the longest professional career of any author; his first story was
published in 1901 when he was 19 years old, and he continued to write up to and
including the day of his death on February 14, 1975 at 93 years of age. For
three-quarters of a century, on both sides of the Atlantic, he worked to craft
and polish an inimitable style, with brilliantly-devised farcical plots and a
witty use of language that reads as though it had been tossed off without a
care. His work has rightly been compared to Mozart's music and Fred Astaire's
dancing; seemingly simple and effortless because so much behind-the-scenes work
went into its preparation.
For more information about Wodehouse and his works, you might want to hie yourself
over to the website of the P G Wodehouse Society (UK)
and take a look at their Reference Materials. We also encourage you to join
the discussions at PGWnet
and/or the newsgroup alt.fan.wodehouse.
You might also enjoy the Wikipedia
entry for P. G. Wodehouse, or the Google Earth
Wodehouse Project. Alternatively, you could amuse yourself for hours with the following
Internet
search.
We are, as described in our
founding Constitution, an association of agreeable human beings who share an
admiration of Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse and the rich products of his
imagination. Our members include everyone from lifelong fans to people who have
only recently discovered Wodehouse's works, from serious rare-book collectors to
academic scholars of literature, and from those who go around warbling his songs
to folks who didn't even know he was involved in musical theatre. The only
generalization we can make is that people who appreciate Plum tend to have a
genial outlook on life and a high fizziness of spirit, which leads to quite a
bit of fun whenever and wherever they congregate.
The Society was founded in 1979 by the late Captain William Blood, who
retired from the U.S. Army to Pennsylvania. It has grown over the years to
include over 700 members. Most of us are in the United States, although there
are sizeable gangs in Canada and England, a fair sprinkling of members on the
European continent, and a few flung as far as Japan, Australia, and Hong Kong.
The Wodehouse Society is a member of the International Wodehouse Association,
which links the various
Wodehouse societies around the world.
Who was P. G. Wodehouse?
Who are we?
What do we do?
Conventions
Our biennial convention brings together Wodehouse fans from all over the world for
a long weekend of talks, games,
excursions, songs, skits and, of course, lots of browsing and sluicing. At most
conventions we also try to hold a cricket match, played according to laws set forth by our
own cricket club, the TWSCC.
Neither athletic prowess nor familiarity with the game are required for
participation.
Our most recent convention was held in Dearborn, Michigan in October 2011.
Previous convention locations include
Saint Paul, Minnesota
in 2009,
Providence,
Rhode Island in 2007, Hollywood,
California in 2005,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada in
2003, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania in 2001, and Houston, Texas in 1999.
Our next Convention is scheduled for October 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. More details will be posted as they become available.
The Wodehouse Society is a non-profit organization under U.S. tax laws, which restrict the amount of business we can do with non-members of the group. So if you plan to attend the Convention and have not yet joined TWS, we've made it easy to do both: the convention registration form will include a $25 additional fee for non-members which covers their first year's membership in TWS.
At the 2005 convention, The TWS Board of Directors took the drastic step of creating its first official task force, The Wodehouse Society Convention Steering Committee (TWS CSC). This was an unprecedented undertaking, our Society's founders and organizers being justly famous for their allergic reaction to anything smacking of "serious purpose." Things have come to the point, however, where such evils are believed to be necessary. Thus, anyone interested in hosting a future convention will need to study the TWS CSC's charter to find out how to proceed.
Regional Chapters
Regional chapters bring some of our
lucky members together for meetings between conventions. Each chapter has its
own traditions and favorite events; some meet in libraries or bookstores, others
in restaurants or members' homes. More often than not, the food, drink, and
friendships shared are as important as the program. Excursions to theatrical
events, historical sites, and just-for-fun weekend retreats are
also popular. New members and visitors are always welcome. To get in touch with
a chapter near you, visit our chapters page.
Plum Lines
Our quarterly journal, Plum
Lines, is one of the principal benefits of TWS membership. To see the range
of its coverage of Wodehouse-related events, publications, research and
meetings, please look at this sample issue.
Performances
Our constitution states that TWS
"strives to keep the literary legacy bequeathed by Plum fresh in the public
mind." One of the ways in which we do this is by attending public performances
of the works of P. G. Wodehouse whenever possible. Here's a list of current and upcoming shows in
the USA and Canada. For performances outside North America, visit
the Future
Events page of the P G Wodehouse Society (UK).
PGWnet
TWS also sponsors an
e-mail discussion list called PGWnet. The list is for TWS members and others
interested in Wodehouse and his works. Please read this description of PGWnet for
more information and instructions on how to sign up.
If you have more questions about The Wodehouse Society and you enjoy the old-fashioned pleasures of ink and paper, you may write to our membership secretary at this address:
Ian Michaud, TWS
PO Box 38575 RPO Metropolitan
North Vancouver BC V7M 3N1
CANADA
You may also send email.
Membership dues for The Wodehouse Society are US$25 per year for up to two members at a single mailing address anywhere in the world. Included with membership is a subscription to our quarterly journal, Plum Lines, and an annual membership roster (with updates throughout the year) to make it easier for members to keep in touch and form new regional chapters. We have several methods to submit your membership request, and two ways to make your payment:
Method 1 (or, The Paper Method): Print this membership form, fill it out, and mail it along with a check or money order (made payable to The Wodehouse Society) for US$25 to our Treasurer at this address:
Kris Fowler, TWS
1388 Wellesley Ave
Saint Paul MN 55105-2417
USA
Method 2 (or, The Easy Web Form Method): To send us your information from a fill-in-the-blanks form right here in your Web browser, click here and follow the instructions.
Method 3 (or, The Easy E-mail Method): If your web browser and e-mail program are properly set up, you can just click here to open a pre-addressed e-mail message containing the membership form. Simply fill in the blanks with your information and Send the message in the usual way.
Method 3a (or, The Traditional E-mail Method): If clicking on the link above doesn't open your mail program with a partly-completed form in the message body, then copy and paste the contents of this membership form into an email addressed to twsmembership@wodehouse.org, fill in the blanks with your information, and send the message in the usual way.
For those using Methods 2, 3, or 3a, you may send a check or money order to our Treasurer by mail, as described in Method 1, or you may continue the process electronically by clicking on this button to send us your oof via PayPal:
Renewing your membership in TWS is as easy as falling into the Drones Club swimming pool in
full evening dress!
Simply click on this button to send us your oof via PayPal:
Or, mail a check or money order (made payable to The Wodehouse Society) for US$25 per year to our treasurer:
Kris Fowler, TWS
1388 Wellesley Ave
Saint Paul MN 55105-2417
USA
Method 1 (or, The Paper Method): Print this membership form, fill it out, ignore the payment instructions, and mail it to our Secretary at the following address:
Ian Michaud, TWS
PO Box 38575 RPO Metropolitan
North Vancouver BC V7M 3N1
CANADA
Methods 2, 3, and 3a are just like the methods in the "How can I join TWS?" section above. Whether using the web form of Method 2 or the email links of Methods 3 or 3a above, choose the "I am a current member and want to update..." selection, fill out the requested information, and send the message as directed, ignoring the payment instructions.