Peoria Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
Friday, October 2nd, 2026 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Peoria Women's Club, 301 NE Madison Ave., Peoria

In collaboration with Bradley University's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), the PWC invites you to join the Peoria Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, recognized as the oldest continuous book club in the United States. Lynette Steger, a professional educator and Peoria Women's Club board member, is the moderator.

Registration will be available through the OLLI website under Winter Semester: https://www.bradley.edu/academic/continue/olli/. A small fee includes membership in the national Chautauqua Institution, contributions toward CLSC graduation, and access to discussions, snacks, and coffee.

What we are reading and discussing:

Bog Queen: A Novel

By Anna North 

When a body is found in a bog in northwest England, Agnes, an American forensic anthropologist, is called to investigate. But this body is not like any she's ever seen. Though its bones prove it was buried more than two thousand years ago, it is almost completely preserved.

Soon, Agnes is drawn into a mystery from the distant past, called to understand and avenge the death of an Iron Age woman more like her than she knows. Along the way, she must contend with peat-cutters who want to profit from the bog and activists who demand that the land be left undisturbed. Then there's the moss itself: a complex repository of artifacts and remains, with its own dark stories to tell.

Questions? 

Contact Peoria CLSC Instructor Lynette Steger at (309) 642-2688 or stegerlynette@gmail.com.

Location: Peoria Women’s Club, 301 NE Madison Ave., Peoria, IL 61603