Brown’s literary societies depart from their humanities origins, centering community and reinventing tradition

In his second semester at Brown, David Chanin ’27 picked up a flyer from under the door of his room to find a rush schedule for Alpha Delta Phi, one of Brown’s two literary societies. 

The societies, which function similarly to Greek houses, host events both related and unrelated to the humanities and the arts, according to members of ADPhi and King House, Brown’s second literary society. “Literary is broadly defined!” reads King House’s website, which alternatively defines the word as any topic that “stirs passion and conversation.”

“I wasn’t really planning on joining any fraternities or any houses, but the events looked kind of fun,” said Chanin, who is now treasurer and house manager of ADPhi. “I went to a few events, and really feel like I fell in love with the community of people there.”

That same spring, Alex Anaya ’27, now a rush chair for ADPhi, walked into Goddard House after noticing a flyer on the door that read “Plants & Poetry.” Finding himself at one of ADPhi’s rush events for prospective members — a night of writing poetry and decorating potted plants — he felt “immediately attached.” 

Students looking to join a literary society can also elect to join King House, which “aims to cultivate an inclusive and passionate community devoted to the creation and appreciation of the arts,” according to the Office of Residential Life’s website.

But for King House Treasurer Nadia Bishop ’26, the journey to joining King House began long before she set foot on campus. Her father, Lars Bishop ’94, was a first-year student at Brown when he joined King House, which currently serves as Brown’s chapter of St. Anthony Hall, a national literary society.

The beginnings of King House and ADPhi at Brown

Lars Bishop joined King House less than a decade after its reopening at Brown in 1983. 

Following the chapter’s refounding, 11 sophomores held its first rush and brought their numbers to 22, The Herald previously reported. 

Lars Bishop remembers the society hosting poetry readings, movie nights and themed parties. 

Although Lars Bishop was the only computer science concentrator in the house at the time, he noted that there was not a significant emphasis on the humanities. “There was an electrical engineer … and probably three or four” students in the Program in Liberal Medical Education, he said. 

“It really is more just about the individuals and the little moments that happen in the lounge, those late night conversations that happen when you're basically a family,” he added.

The Brown chapter of ADPhi dates back to 1836, making it “the oldest on-campus Greek organization,” The Herald previously reported. Originally an all-male fraternity, the chapter opened membership to women in 1973 — and five women pledged that spring, according to ADPhi’s website. 

“It’s a home away from home,” said Jennifer Bishop ’94, an ADPhi alumni and the wife of Lars Bishop. “Having the connection to ADPhi has been really, really nice for me over the years.”

Decades later, community remains at the heart

Over three decades after her father graduated, Nadia Bishop finds that King House still feels “like a home and not a dorm.” 

Owen Shipley-Dean ’27, the president of King House, said that the word “literary holds many definitions.” 

“I’m a literary arts concentrator, so that’s more direct,” he said. “But in general, I spend more time with music than with writing. I care about bringing (both) to the house.” 

One member is working on modern adaptations of the 1790 tragic play “Faust,” while another is writing an experimental horror piece, Shipley-Dean added.

Though the two houses are both considered “literary societies,” some traditions have nothing to do with celebrating the humanities. 

“People cook a lot,” Nadia Bishop said, noting that the chapter prepares pancake breakfasts every Sunday — a tradition that she said “has been with us since our founding.” On select weekends, the breakfast is open to the wider campus.

Chanin, a computer science and business economics concentrator, noted that he is “not literary, point blank,” but nevertheless finds community in ADPhi.

“It’s the fact that you get your food from Jo’s and you want to go back to the lounge. You want people to be there … who really care about you and stand by you,” Chanin said.

Rushing, bidding and pledging

Last Friday night, ADPhi members hosted one of their most popular rush events — an interactive murder mystery play that takes prospective members on a detective journey throughout the house. “It’s a fun way to show off our weirdness,” Anaya said. 

After a lull in membership during the COVID-19 pandemic, ADPhi has been “able to really recuperate” in size, with growth continuing this recruitment season, according to ADPhi President Alexander Bautista ’25. 

“Last year, 34 bids were given out,” Bautista said. “This year, we’re on track for 34 again,” 

Other rush events are more individualistic than the murder mystery play. In one of King House’s staple events, prospective and current members are given 10 minutes to present a PowerPoint on any topic of their choice. 

While ADPhi admits students in a range of concentrations, members continue to discuss how closely ADPhi should maintain its identity as a traditional literary society when selecting new members, according to Anaya. “Some people want that specific vibe,” he said.

A timeless home, at and beyond Brown

Years after graduation, ADPhi alumni frequently return during Family Weekend and host a banquet off-campus. For new members, it serves as an “initiation into the society,” allowing them to connect with alumni, Bautista said.

ADPhi’s library is filled with books left by alumni as part of a tradition where every graduating member leaves behind a momento. Members have found messages of encouragement and “little notes in the books about things they found important,” Chanin said.

For King House, decades of community-building culminate on Thanksgiving, when current members and alumni gather for a shared meal. “Alumni like to come back to the house because things change, but they also stay the same,” Nadia Bishop said. “It's nice to flop on the same couch that you did as a college sophomore.”

“When I got reconnected to the alumni at King House … I realized how much I wished I had kept up better through all of those years,” Lars Bishop said.