Hamnet (2025)
About the event
[(FOOD SIGN-UP FORM)](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vvhjCrwjPUe8M31gYBp7yXHF_W9BITDxjK9H-lgvGvM/edit?usp=sharing)
Join us as we dive into Maggie O’Farrell’s acclaimed novel *Hamnet* (2020) and its powerful film adaptation directed by Chloé Zhao (2025).
The book combines meticulous historical detail with lyrical, emotionally rich prose to imagine the lives of William Shakespeare’s family, especially his wife Agnes/Anne and their son, Hamnet. It turns a distant biographical footnote into an intimate exploration of love, grief, art, and the cost of genius.
Zhao’s film transforms that story into a visually stunning, deeply felt period drama, using color, sound, and performance to immerse us in the world of the Shakespeares and to meditate on how private loss can echo through public art.
We’ll read the book separately and watch the movie together—and then discuss each medium and the adaptation process. This is a potluck/BYOFood, so if you can bring something to share, [please sign up here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vvhjCrwjPUe8M31gYBp7yXHF_W9BITDxjK9H-lgvGvM/edit?usp=sharing).
