The NY Tri-Borough Chapter along with the Board of Directors of the Richard III Society -American Branch are very pleased to announce that the 2026 General Membership Meeting (GMM) will include distinguished speakers Dr Jessica Brantley, Dr Agnieska Rec and a very special appearance by Matt Lewis.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: MATT LEWIS 

Topic: “The Kingmaker’s Gambit”

Few families had a greater impact on the politics of late medieval England than the Neville family. The story of this old northern clan’s rise to national prominence reaches a peak with Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick and his daughters, Isabel and Anne. What was Warwick really hoping to achieve? How close did he come? What role did Isabel and Anne play in the family’s plans? Matt Lewis will consider what allowed the family to reach such heights and what might have contributed to their downfall, as well as asking whether Warwick really deserves his epithet of “the Kingmaker”.  Matt Lewis is a former Chair of the UK Richard III Society, and an author and historian of the medieval period, with a focus on the Wars of the Roses and Richard III. He has written biographies of Richard III, his father Richard, duke of York, and of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, as well as Henry III. His other books include accounts of The Anarchy, the Wars of the Roses, and The Survival of the Princes in the Tower. Matt works at History Hit, where he hosts the Echoes of History podcast, co-hosts the Gone Medieval podcast, and presents documentaries across the network.

Note: Matt’s talk will be recorded and available to anyone purchasing a GMM Zoom or In-Person Ticket. See Schedule of Events below for the date/time of this presentation.

 

GUEST SPEAKER: DR JESSICA BRANTLEY 

Topic: “Richard III’s Book of Hours”

Professor Brantley’s research examines the cultures of medieval reading as they are preserved in manuscripts, and she has a special expertise with medieval books of hours like the one owned by Richard III. Her first book, Reading in the Wilderness: Private Devotion and Public Performance in Late Medieval England (Chicago, 2007), shows that the format of a late-medieval miscellany reveals surprising connections between the private reading of a meditative lyric and the public performance of civic drama. More recently, Medieval English Manuscripts and Literary Forms (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2022) offers a method for manuscript study based inductively on a dozen case studies. She is currently working on a monograph provisionally entitled The Book of Hours in English Literary History. Professor Brantley is a specialist in Old and Middle English literature and has been Chair of the English Department at Yale since 2019, alongside her ongoing teaching and research in medieval manuscript studies. 

Note: Professor Brantley’s talk will be recorded and available to anyone purchasing a GMM Zoom or In-Person Ticket. See Schedule of Events below for the date/time of this presentation.

 

SPECIAL EXCURSION: DR AGNIESKA REC AT BEINECKE LIBRARY

We have a special treat lined up for a personal, curated tour of the medieval manuscript collections at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University, one of the world’s largest libraries devoted entirely to rare books, manuscripts, and special collections. Opened in 1963, it is renowned for its iconic, modernist building featuring translucent marble panels and a central glass tower holding over 1 million volumes. Dr Agnieska Rec will be leading us through the collection and will have several manuscripts on hand for us to peruse and discuss. Dr Rec earned her doctorate in medieval history from Yale and her B.S., also from Yale, in mathematics and humanities. She returned to Beinecke as an early materials cataloger in 2021. Rec has pursued a consciously cross-disciplinary path through cultural heritage collections exploring the scientific materials at the Chemical Heritage Foundation, the Indigenous manuscripts recovered at the Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS), and the wide-ranging scholarship published by the Medieval Academy of America and Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies. She brings broad expertise at the intersections of medieval studies, the history of science, and material history, especially in the paleography and codicology of early books and manuscripts.  

Note: Shuttle van transportation to the Beinecke Library will be provided as part of the GMM Saturday ticket at no extra cost to attendees. Guests are required to leave bags, coats, etc., at Coat Check which is accessible only by a staircase. We will have volunteers prepared to assist anyone who is unable to take the stairs or needs assistance with leaving their coats/bags in Coat Check. Sorry, we are unable to record or make this presentation available for our GMM Zoom attendees.

 

SCREENING OF “A TASTE OF LOYALTY” MOVIE AND Q&A WITH MATT LEWIS: 

After Saturday’s Banquet, attendees will be privileged to have a special, private screening of a movie-in-the-making by Matt Lewis and actor Thomas Dennis.

A “Taste of Loyalty” is an ambitious short film that will serve as a proof of concept for the full length feature film “Loyalty” – based on the novel of the same name by Matthew Lewis and adapted for the screen by Thomas Dennis. 

“Loyalty” is about King Richard III of England – retold, for the first time, exploring the humanity of his story. Whether you believe him a hero or villain, he was a real man, who shaped England’s history. Where “Gladiator” meets Richard Harris’ “Cromwell”, the team are committed to creating a new medieval epic, one to rival the greats. This project will not only be inspired by history, it will be guided by new evidence to challenge the Shakespearean narrative. The history is complex, exciting and hosts a wide array of fascinating characters.

Our short film is set on Easter Sunday, 14 April 1471. Our characters have arrived at Barnet, just north of London. England. The kingdom is in the grips of a civil war. King Edward IV, driven from his realm the previous year, has returned to reclaim his crown. His youngest brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, at 18 years of age prepares for his first taste of battle. Through the mist, he knows the mighty Earl of Warwick awaits them. Forced to decide between his brother and his mentor, Richard has made his choice. He has chosen loyalty… but at what cost?

Note: A recording of this presentation will be available to GMM and In-Person Zoom ticket holders. See Schedule of Events below for the date/time of this presentation.

 

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday October 30th:

4pm  Hotel check in starts

6pm  GMM Registration opens

7pm Welcome “pizza party” and Social Meetup

(Activity  TBA)

 

Saturday October 31st:

9-1030am Professor Jessica Brantley on “Richard III’s Book of Hours”**

10:45am-1pm GMM Business Meeting & Luncheon (boxed lunch included)

1:30-2pm Shuttle transport to Beinecke Library

2-4pm Presentation at Beinecke Library

4-4:30pm Shuttle transport back to Hotel

4-6:30pm Free Time

6:30-8pm Dinner Banquet with Awards Presentation*

8-9:30pm Screening of “Loyalty” and Q&A with Matt Lewis**

 

Sunday November 1st:

9-1030am Matt Lewis Keynote Talk on “The Kingmaker’s Gambit”**

1030-11am Raffle Prizes awarded

11am Checkout hotel

* Please submit your Saturday Banquet entree selection no later than October 25, as we must report final food counts to the hotel on October 26.

**We plan to record the Matt Lewis, Jessica Brantley, and “Loyalty” presentations and make links to the recordings available to holders of GMM Zoom and In-Person tickets.

Breakfast is not included in our program. For an extra $10 per night, you can add breakfast as an option when you book your guest room at the OMNI.

Information about “What to See and Do” in the New Haven area will be provided at a later date. 

 

VENUE & GROUP DISCOUNT ON GUEST ROOMS

Unless otherwise stated, all GMM events will take place at the Omni Hotel at Yale, 155 Temple Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06510. This is on the edge of the Yale campus and is 0.5 miles from the Beinecke Library.

We have reserved a block of discounted guestrooms at the Omni, offered to our members at $189 (single/double), $209 (triple), and $229 (quad) per night. Additional nights before and after the GMM can be secured using this discount. The last day to secure a discounted rate is September 29, subject to availability. We recommend booking your room as soon as possible.

To secure the room discount, telephone the Omni at 1-800-THE-OMNI and tell them the name of our group and event (Richard III Society/General Membership Meeting). Or, click on this link to make your reservations online:

https://bookings.omnihotels.com/event/new-haven-yale/general-membership-meeting

The hotel offers a breakfast package for $10 per night, which we recommend you consider should you wish to eat on-site. Breakfast is not included with GMM tickets.

Parking at the Omni Hotel at Yale is primarily available via on-site valet ($30 per night) or the attached Chapel Square Garage (155 Temple St) for $25 per night. The garage offers covered self-parking with 24/7 access, while valet provides unlimited in/out privileges. Charging stations are available for electric cars.

To Register, use this form and forward to our GMM registrar Maria Elena Torres at ejbronte@gmail.com: 2026 GMM REGISTRATION FORM

To Register online using a Credit Card or Paypal, go to the 2026 GMM Eventbrite ticket site at: https://www-tinyurl.com/c0bc2018