THINK TANK

Herbie Hancock's Head Hunters plays in the Rosenbach Museum and Library's meeting room where 30 or so thirtysomethings mingle as if gathered for cocktails. But this ain't no disco — not when the conversation turns to Oscar Wilde's Portrait of Mr. W.H. , anyway. "We were thinking of starting a gay and lesbian group," says Bill Adair, education director for the Rosenbach, "but thought it would be too limiting." Adair and company chose instead Lives & Letters, a love, gender and sexuality discussion group. The monthly readings are drawn from the Rosenbach archives and include everything from Dickinson's personal letters to Hemingway manuscripts. "We decided to start with Wilde because [Mr. W.H. ] is an important part of our collection," says Adair. An hour into the meet, the original manuscript was even trotted out, complete with Wilde's handwritten corrections. The group is free and open to the public. Next week's discussion will focus on Whitman's Calamus poems from Leaves of Grass, the work of John Addington Symonds and Edward Carpenter's Iolaus: Anthology on Friendship and Intermediate Sex.

Lives & Letters discussion group, Wed., Oct. 26, 5:30 p.m. meet and greet, 6 p.m. discussion, free, The Rosenbach Museum and Library, 2008-2010 Delancey Place, 215-732-1600, ext. 113, www.rosenbach.org.