About The Wolfe Pack

The Wolfe Pack Literary Society

Who We Are and What We Do

The Wolfe Pack is a forum to discuss, explore, and enjoy the 72 Nero Wolfe books and short stories. The organization promotes fellowship and extends friendship to those who enjoy these great literary works of mystery through a series of events, book discussions, and a journal devoted to study of the genius detective, Nero Wolfe, and his intrepid assistant, Archie Goodwin.

We hold a variety of activities and programs throughout the year.

The Black Orchid Banquet
Named for Wolfe's prized black orchids, its 30th anniversary is December 1, 2007

This annual event is held each December in New York City. The Assembly sessions discuss and explore the Corpus. Speakers have included a New York City coroner, president of an orchid society, a nutritionist, and natives of Montenegro, where Wolfe spent his formative years and, quite possibly, was born. The assembly is followed by the oldest and most important event, the annual Black Orchid Banquet. Each year Wolfe Pack members and their guests gather for a meal prepared using recipes from the French Banquet in Too Many Cooks.

Keynote speakers have included Michael Jaffe, Executive Producer of the A&E Nero Wolfe series, Robin Winks, mystery book reviewer for the Boston Globe and professor at Yale, a private detective, the Press Secretary to the Lt. Governor of NY, a Police Inspector, a New Yorker named Archie Goodwin, Polly Whitney, a mystery writer who built a model of the brownstone, and Ellen Krieger, founder of the Wolfe Pack.

Read Otto Penzler's article in The New York Sun about The Wolfe Pack and the Thirtieth Black Orchid Banquet. The Wolfe Pack portion starts near the bottom of Page 2 in the Archives for November 21, 2007.

The Gazette

The Wolfe Pack publishes a journal, The Gazette twice a year. Members contribute articles on topics related to the Corpus, i.e., Wolfe's mysterious past, how he views doctors, lawyers, and secretaries, and an appraisal of his art collection. The journal also includes pastiches featuring Wolfe and Archie. Regular columns include Wolfe Whistles, mentions of Nero Wolfe in the media, and WWWolfe, Internet addresses for sites of interest to members. Click here for a peek at some back issues.

The Plaque at 454 West 35th Street
Although the books give addresses that place Nero Wolfe's brownstone in the Hudson River, the Wolfe Pack located the probable residence. In 1996, a plaque was affixed to 454 West 35th Street and dedicated by Commissioner Henry Stern, Department of Parks and Recreation, New York City. Click on the sidebar to visit the Wolfe Pack's scrapbook of newspaper coverage, photos, and the plaque at 454 W. 35th Street [About Us/454 W. 35th St.].

The Literary Awards

The Nero Award

At the annual Black Orchid Banquet, the Wolfe Pack presents the annual Nero Wolfe Award to an author for literary excellence in the mystery genre. Past winners of the award include Martha Grimes, Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman, and Sharyn McCrumb, all of whom attended the banquet. For more information, visit The Nero Award page. Click the image of the award to enlarge it.

The Archie Goodwin Award — A Lifetime Achievement Award

The bi-annual Archie Award is presented at the Black Orchid Assembly. Authors are nominated by the Wolfe Pack members and the top nominees are then voted upon by Wolfe Pack members. Nominees, living or dead, must have originally written or published their works in English. For further information regarding procedures and past winners, use the "Literary Awards" menu to the left.

The Black Orchid Novella Award

To celebrate the novella format, an important part of the corpus of Rex Stout, the Wolfe Pack and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine have partnered to sponsor the Black Orchid Novella Award. Jane Cleland, long-term Wolfe Pack member, is the chair of the event. "At every mystery conference and event I attend, people are excited about the opportunity to write a novella—and they're excited about the great prize—$1,000 from Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine—plus, of course, publication in the magazine!"

For further information regarding procedures, submission directions and other information, use the "Literary Awards" menu to the left.

Varied Other Activities

Wolfe loves shad roe and, to Archie's dismay, can eat it three times a day during shad season. A recurring Spring event finds members enjoying a Shad Roe dinner (or "The Archie" alternative) and writing songs and limericks to celebrate Wolfe, Archie, and Rex Stout.

Bi-monthly Book Discussions are held in mid-town Manhattan. A discussion leader summarizes the selected book, provides background information, and introduces various topics for discussion.

A favorite Fall event is a Brunch Hunt. The group embarks on a detective mission using a series of directions, based on the Corpus, to locate the previously undisclosed restaurant. The hunt ends in a brunch where members and their guests enjoy Wolfean conversation.

Brunch Hunt, December 2002

Special events have included a trip to The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, which served as Stout's model for Kanawah Spa in Too Many Cooks. The Stout family invited members to picnic on the grounds of the family home designed and built by Stout. The Pack screened two 1930's films based on Nero Wolfe, Meet Nero Wolfe and The League of Frightened Men. A special destination was the Wolfe Pack trip to Toronto, to the set of the A&E T. V. Series. The Pack members met and mingled with the cast, crew, and set. Other recent events included a Halloween Party, a racetrack outing, and an interactive mystery game. Feel free to take a look at The Wolfe Pack Album for more information and pictures of events from the last few years.

Here, a member wrestles down a clue (Hickory Caesar Grindon, of course) at the 2002 Black Orchid Weekend Brunch Hunt in Lower Manhattan.

William Farley Collection of
Wolfe Pack Memorabilia

For a really comprehensive overview of what we've been doing for 30 years take a look at Mr. Farley's Wolfe Memorabilia listing.

Mr. Farley's extensive Wolfe/Stout Collection is also provided. (Please note that many items have been sold.)

If you are interested, please call or write the Seattle Mystery Bookstore:

SEATTLE MYSTERY BOOKSHOP
117 Cherry St
Seattle, WA 98104
206-587-5737
staff@seattlemystery.com

This listing is provided for collectors to expand their knowledge of the extent of Wolfe material available.

From a proud adoptive parent
of Bearowance:

Bearowance

I had to finish off a roll of film, so what better subject?
Here's Bearowance. He normally sits
on my couch but this is a formal sitting,
hence the whitish background.

For information on building
a web site or for graphic
and content design.

Thanks to Steve Grande for donating www.nerowolfe.com
to The Wolfe Pack.
Please be sure to visit Steve's site!