Witness

For 175 years, members of The Literary Club have been writing papers that fulfill the club motto, "Luciat Lux Vestra ewq Let Your Light Shine."

This volume of selected works from today's members carry on this tradition, letting their lights shine in papers written for an organization that is the oldest of its kind in America. Their labors of creativity are gleaned from a ritual that seldom varies. Each Monday evening, promptly at eight o'clock, one of the club's one hundred members mounts the podium in the historic clubhouse facing Lytle Park to read a paper he has authored on a subject of his choosing. Emblazoned on the wall behind, and above, him is a line from Shakespeare that reminds his audience, "Here Comes One with a Paper."

This collection features written pieces that underscore the many talents and interests of those who come with their papers. It's a rich menu of both fiction and non-fiction, in poetry and prose. You will read about a memorable mobster from Old Chicago and an unforgettable Sicilian immigrant named "Hatchet Face" who found a home in America. There are first-person accounts from a South Africa struggling to embrace democracy and of a Vietnam father spiriting his family in a perilous ocean escape to freedom. Local scenes from Cincinnati get their due - the riotous tale of a flock of sheep grazing in Fountain Square, a prayerful visit to a downtown chapel housing an art 5 treasure, a quiet neighborhood disrupted by gunfire. There are gripping personal tales of a battle with alcoholism, of a young man struggling for independence from a domineering father, and of an Army officer confronting the stresses of jungle warfare. And what would a book with subjects both serious and rib-tickling be without stories about animals - yes, about spying cats and mad cows and historic horses.

Finally, the editors of this book are honored to include a touching paper from our recently deceased beloved member, Professor Bill Pratt, on his personal encounter with two of the 20th Century's leading literary lights. All in all, we believe the collection speaks eloquently of a tradition that is carefully nurtured and that is uniquely Cincinnati.