The Libellum Society Literary Café

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Café

Since 2013, The Libellum Society has hosted an annual Literary Café in the Annie Mackay Room, bringing some of our favourite books and literary settings to life. This year Libellum took the café to a new level: it wasn’t like Wonderland, it was more brilliant than the Three Broomsticks, and it was newer and fresher than Narnia. It wasn’t actually new because Libellum took Girls Grammar back in time to the 1940s, to the world of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. This delightful fiction novel by Mary Ann Shaffer tells the story of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—a secret book club that met on the English Guernsey Island during the Nazi Occupation.  Books became the members’ refuge and a way for them to stay together as friends. At Club meetings, the members would read from their favourite books (which were stolen from the boarded-up library on the island), drink tea, eat cake or, when there was none, eat potato peel pie.

At the cafe, the Libellum members dressed for the vintage event and served homemade, book-themed treats: Turkish delight from Narnia and some shortbread Lembas from Lord of the Rings, as well as delectable sweets from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. There were also delicious drinks, including most notably, Libellum’s favourite—tea, hot or cold and in teacups. Books were also on sale from the Libellum second-hand book stock.

Visitors to the café enjoyed tea, cake, and jazz music in the ambience of the vintage décor and listened to club members reading excerpts from their favourite books at the ‘Open Mic’. We were grateful for a visit from Ms Euler as well.

The café raised $400 for The Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

We look forward to future events: a visiting author in July, and Book Week in October.

Camille Cahill (11G) and Dorothy Rae (9G)
Libellum Captains