The first Books and Coffee lecture, arranged by students of the Purdue Student Union Board and faculty members within the Department of English, was held in 1951. This year, the wintertime lecture and discussion series that draws hundreds of literary enthusiasts celebrates its 50th anniversary. In 1996 and '97, attendance had waned and was close to 200 or 150. It's come back up, though, and last winter we had 350 people for one discussion. Ciapetta says that's because students and faculty who plan the sessions have been working hard to choose books that students already are interested in.
Organizers plan to celebrate the program's half-century mark with a first.
They have invited an author to lead the discussion. Organizers are expecting a crowd of 500 for the milestone event that will feature the standard fare of free coffee and cookies.