Friday, August 22, 11:49 a.m. ET

LIRR Long Beach Train Station, Long Beach

WMG members only; each guest is responsible for their own train fare, beach entry ($15), and any food or drink purchases

Let's enjoy the sunshine, books, and each other’s company this summer with a beach day at Long Beach, Long Island! Attendees will join WMG Co-President Jodi Brockington and Membership Co-Chair Jodie Cohen just a short train ride from the city for a day of tanning, swimming, and ice cream at Marvel on the boardwalk. We recommend you bring a towel, sunscreen, picnic lunch, and your favorite summer book.

Getting There from Manhattan: The Long Island Rail Road offers a 10:54 a.m. departure direct trip from Penn Station to Long Beach. You can also catch the 10:45 a.m. from Grand Central that includes a transfer at Jamaica. The cost is $21.50 roundtrip.

Getting There from Brooklyn: There is a 10:17 a.m. train from Atlantic Terminal with a transfer at Jamaica. The cost is $21.50 roundtrip.

WMG’s Small Group Socials are a long-standing tradition and remain one of our most popular program series. This is a wonderful way to facilitate meaningful connections among members. If you have any specific questions, please reach out to the host directly. All member contact information can be found in the Member Directory.

Wednesday, September 10, 12:00 p.m. ET

Barbetta Restaurant, 321 W. 46th St., New York (an iconic woman-owned restaurant on Restaurant Row)

$65 for members; $75 for non-members; $35 for active Scholars

Lunch included

Join WMG for a very special luncheon featuring outspoken journalist, political commentator, columnist, and podcaster Molly Jong-Fast. Jong-Fast returns to WMG to discuss her New York Times bestselling book, How To Lose Your Mother: A Daughter’s Memoir. Usually taking the role of asking questions, this time Jong-Fast turns her journalistic inquisitiveness inward.

The only child of the groundbreaking feminist writer Erica Jong, whose influential 1973 novel, The Fear of Flying, influenced the founders of WMG, Jong-Fast examines her childhood of privilege set against the backdrop of an erratic mother who was often inaccessible and focused primarily on herself. When her mother slips into dementia, Jong-Fast struggles with “the bereft, broken feeling of something ending before it ever got the chance to start,” while looking for ways for mother and daughter to reclaim a bit of each other.

The talk will be moderated by Katherine Rosman, an award-winning journalist, whose own book, If You Knew Suzy: A Mother, a Daughter, a Reporter’s Notebook, also examines her relationship with her mother. As a reporter for The New York Times, Rosman covers newsmakers, power players and individuals making an imprint on New York City.

This unique in-person event continues WMG’s tradition of dining at Barbetta, where you’ll enjoy a three-course lunch and have time for networking before Jong-Fast's author talk.

About the speaker:

Molly Jong-Fast is a New York Times bestselling author, political commentator, and cultural critic known for her fearless honesty, sharp wit, and unfiltered take on the world around us. As a contributing writer for Vanity Fair and the host of the podcast Fast Politics, she brings clarity, urgency, and humor to some of the most complex issues in American life today. Her latest memoir, How to Lose Your Mother, is a candid, moving, and often funny reflection on caregiving, grief, and the tangled relationships between mothers and daughters—striking a chord with readers across generations. Molly’s writing has appeared in The Forward, The Bulwark, Playboy, and Glamour, and she is a regular contributor on MSNBC, where she offers sharp, on-the-ground political analysis. Whether she's unpacking national news or reflecting on the messiness of modern life, Molly creates space for honesty, connection, and courage. She reminds us that storytelling isn’t just a tool—it’s a lifeline.

About the moderator:

Katherine Rosman is an award-winning journalist and author who has written for some of the nation’s most influential publications. She began her career in New York City as an assistant at Elle magazine before joining The Wall Street Journal as a staff reporter in 2004. In 2014, she moved to The New York Times, where she has covered culture, media, and society, contributing stories across the Style and Metro desks. Rosman is the author of the memoir If You Knew Suzy (HarperCollins, 2010), and has been recognized for her reporting as a Gerald Loeb Award Finalist and with the Society of American Business Editors’ Best in Business Award. Her features have drawn wide attention, from her reporting on the Vanity Fair Oscars party to her work on “sugar dating,” which was adapted into the 2019 documentary Secrets of Sugar Baby Dating. In 2024, Rosman wrote The New York Times’ most engaged article of the year—also ranked fourth globally—cementing her reputation as a writer whose narratives resonate deeply with readers. She continues to publish widely, chronicling the complexities of people, relationships, and contemporary life in New York and beyond.

Refunds available up to 24 hours before the event. No refunds for cancellations made within 24 hours of the event.