Jonathan Bayliss Society upcoming events

Gloucesterbook (18 Aug 2026)

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 20:00:00 GMT

JB Reading Group on Zoom

GLOUCESTERBOOK

3rd Tuesday of each month, 4:00-5:00 pm Eastern

All are welcome!

Gloucesterbook is the first of Jonathan Bayliss's Gloucester novels. It begins in 1960 with Rafe Opsimath, a West Coast businessman, visiting "Dogtown" (a fictional city that closely resembles Gloucester, Massachusetts) for the first time.

Rafe hires a young analyst, Caleb Karcist, for a statistical job. Through Rafe and Caleb, we are introduced to the unique features of "Cape Gloucester" - its people (some of whom are loosely based on Bayliss's friends and colleagues), history, economics, politics, neighborhoods, and institutions. We also learn about Caleb's love life, his work, and his "Viking Shepherd" dog, Ibi-Roi.

The format is usually a brief summary of the chapter by a volunteer followed by several participants reading assigned passages aloud. You don't need to read the chapter in advance.

If you'd like to read aloud at one of the sessions, please email Catherine at president@jonathanbayliss.org.

You're welcome to join this friendly group whenever time permits. Once you register, you'll receive a reminder ahead of each session with the Zoom link.

Gloucester's Acropolis (11 Sep 2026)

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Gloucester's Acropolis
Defining the City Then and Now

Friday, September 11-Sunday, September 13, 2026
Downtown Gloucester

The Jonathan Bayliss Society's September conference, "Gloucester's Acropolis: Defining the City Then and Now," will offer a mix of talks, walks, and readings over the course of three days (9/11-9/13) exploring how the cultural, educational, literary, and civic center of Gloucester's historic downtown neighborhood has defined the city, shaped its identity, and enriched the lives of its residents - from the 19th century to today.

The term “Acropolis” was used by Gloucester novelist Jonathan Bayliss (1926-2009) to refer to the cluster of vital institutions located on the hillside above Gloucester Harbor including Gloucester City Hall, Sawyer Free Library, Post Office, the former high school, and Cape Ann Museum.

Please click here to review the preliminary schedule of events.

"What you do see from the outermost harbor to the center of the city is its acropolis, or at least the tops of buildings and even the tips of trees surrounding it on the four or five streets that define its geological platform." -- Jonathan Bayliss, Gloucestermas

Bayliss Birthday Dinner (12 Sep 2026)

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 21:45:00 GMT

Bayliss Birthday Dinner with Special Guest Ken Riaf

Saturday, September 12, 2026, 5:45 pm

Join us for a dinner celebrating the centenary of Jonathan Bayliss's birth 100 years ago. (Bayliss was born on September 7, 1926, in Arlington, Massachusetts, and grew up poor during the Great Depression - mainly in Cambridge and southern Vermont. In 1956 he settled in Gloucester, where he wrote his four-volume fiction series, Gloucesterman.)

When he moved to Gloucester, Bayliss chose a house on Washington Street near the Gloucester train station because rail was his favorite form of travel. The dinner will be held at the Azorean Restaurant, located just steps from the train platform.

After dinner, Gloucester writer Ken Riaf – whose plays include My Station in Life, Think of Me Tuesday, and Copy and Acknowledge - will describe an encounter that he and filmmaker Henry Ferrini had with Bayliss in 2002.

Birthday cake will be served.

Gloucesterbook (15 Sep 2026)

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 20:00:00 GMT

JB Reading Group on Zoom

GLOUCESTERBOOK

3rd Tuesday of each month, 4:00-5:00 pm Eastern

All are welcome!

The format is usually a brief summary of the chapter by a volunteer followed by several participants reading assigned passages aloud. You don't need to read the chapter in advance.

If you'd like to read aloud at one of the sessions, please email Catherine at president@jonathanbayliss.org.

You're welcome to join this friendly group whenever time permits. Once you register, you'll receive a reminder ahead of each session with the Zoom link.

Gloucesterbook (20 Oct 2026)

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 20:00:00 GMT

JB Reading Group on Zoom

GLOUCESTERBOOK

3rd Tuesday of each month, 4:00-5:00 pm Eastern

All are welcome!

The format is usually a brief summary of the chapter by a volunteer followed by several participants reading assigned passages aloud. You don't need to read the chapter in advance.

If you'd like to read aloud at one of the sessions, please email Catherine at president@jonathanbayliss.org.

You're welcome to join this friendly group whenever time permits. Once you register, you'll receive a reminder ahead of each session with the Zoom link.

History of Cape Ann Rail (14 Nov 2026)

Sat, 14 Nov 2026 19:00:00 GMT

History of Cape Ann Rail

Presented by the Jonathan Bayliss Society and the Sawyer Free Library

Saturday, November 14, 2026, 2:00-3:00 pm
Sawyer Free Library, Dale Avenue, Gloucester

Free and open to the public; advance registration required

Join us for an fascinating program about the development of rail on Cape Ann. Retired locomotive engineer Alan MacMillan – famous for reading poetry and providing weather updates to his passengers on the Rockport-North Station line – will illustrate his talk about the local history of freight and passenger service with slides from his extensive photograph collection.

MacMillan, who was introduced to locomotives as a young boy by his railroad-construction-engineer father, worked for 44 years on six New England railroads and currently serves on the Board of Massachusetts Bay Railroad Enthusiasts.

Gloucester writer Ken Riaf – whose plays include My Station in Life, Think of Me Tuesday, and Copy and Acknowledge - will read brief passages about rail from the Gloucesterman novels of Jonathan Bayliss (1926-2009), who in the early 1930s lived near the Rockport train station and was treated by an engineer to a locomotive ride on the turnaround loop.

Gloucesterbook (17 Nov 2026)

Tue, 17 Nov 2026 21:00:00 GMT

JB Reading Group on Zoom

GLOUCESTERBOOK

3rd Tuesday of each month, 4:00-5:00 pm Eastern

All are welcome!

The format is usually a brief summary of the chapter by a volunteer followed by several participants reading assigned passages aloud. You don't need to read the chapter in advance.

If you'd like to read aloud at one of the sessions, please email Catherine at president@jonathanbayliss.org.

You're welcome to join this friendly group whenever time permits. Once you register, you'll receive a reminder ahead of each session with the Zoom link.

Gloucesterbook (15 Dec 2026)

Tue, 15 Dec 2026 21:00:00 GMT

JB Reading Group on Zoom

GLOUCESTERBOOK

3rd Tuesday of each month, 4:00-5:00 pm Eastern

All are welcome!

The format is usually a brief summary of the chapter by a volunteer followed by several participants reading assigned passages aloud. You don't need to read the chapter in advance.

If you'd like to read aloud at one of the sessions, please email Catherine at president@jonathanbayliss.org.

You're welcome to join this friendly group whenever time permits. Once you register, you'll receive a reminder ahead of each session with the Zoom link.

Gloucesterbook (19 Jan 2027)

Tue, 19 Jan 2027 21:00:00 GMT

JB Reading Group on Zoom

GLOUCESTERBOOK

3rd Tuesday of each month, 4:00-5:00 pm Eastern

All are welcome!

The format is usually a brief summary of the chapter by a volunteer followed by several participants reading assigned passages aloud. You don't need to read the chapter in advance.

If you'd like to read aloud at one of the sessions, please email Catherine at president@jonathanbayliss.org.

You're welcome to join this friendly group whenever time permits. Once you register, you'll receive a reminder ahead of each session with the Zoom link.

Gloucesterbook (16 Feb 2027)

Tue, 16 Feb 2027 21:00:00 GMT

JB Reading Group on Zoom

GLOUCESTERBOOK

3rd Tuesday of each month, 4:00-5:00 pm Eastern

All are welcome!

The format is usually a brief summary of the chapter by a volunteer followed by several participants reading assigned passages aloud. You don't need to read the chapter in advance.

If you'd like to read aloud at one of the sessions, please email Catherine at president@jonathanbayliss.org.

You're welcome to join this friendly group whenever time permits. Once you register, you'll receive a reminder ahead of each session with the Zoom link.

Gloucesterbook (16 Mar 2027)

Tue, 16 Mar 2027 20:00:00 GMT

JB Reading Group on Zoom

GLOUCESTERBOOK

3rd Tuesday of each month, 4:00-5:00 pm Eastern

All are welcome!

The format is usually a brief summary of the chapter by a volunteer followed by several participants reading assigned passages aloud. You don't need to read the chapter in advance.

If you'd like to read aloud at one of the sessions, please email Catherine at president@jonathanbayliss.org.

You're welcome to join this friendly group whenever time permits. Once you register, you'll receive a reminder ahead of each session with the Zoom link.

Gloucesterbook (20 Apr 2027)

Tue, 20 Apr 2027 20:00:00 GMT

JB Reading Group on Zoom

GLOUCESTERBOOK

3rd Tuesday of each month, 4:00-5:00 pm Eastern

All are welcome!

The format is usually a brief summary of the chapter by a volunteer followed by several participants reading assigned passages aloud. You don't need to read the chapter in advance.

If you'd like to read aloud at one of the sessions, please email Catherine at president@jonathanbayliss.org.

You're welcome to join this friendly group whenever time permits. Once you register, you'll receive a reminder ahead of each session with the Zoom link.

Gloucesterbook (18 May 2027)

Tue, 18 May 2027 20:00:00 GMT

JB Reading Group on Zoom

GLOUCESTERBOOK

3rd Tuesday of each month, 4:00-5:00 pm Eastern

All are welcome!

The format is usually a brief summary of the chapter by a volunteer followed by several participants reading assigned passages aloud. You don't need to read the chapter in advance.

If you'd like to read aloud at one of the sessions, please email Catherine at president@jonathanbayliss.org.

You're welcome to join this friendly group whenever time permits. Once you register, you'll receive a reminder ahead of each session with the Zoom link.