First and foremost, let me be clear, this is NOT your average book club. We will probably not be reading Oprah’s trendiest books, and we may not touch on the hottest novel of the year. We will, however, be reading books that challenge and expand our world-views. The books we dive into will be a combination of curated selections and community-selected reads.
We will take a multi-faceted approach including journal prompts, Zoom meetings, IG Live Chats and discussion posts to discuss and digest the books as a community. This is partly because work like this is always more fun as a group, and partly because hearing others’ perspectives is a wonderful way to broaden and challenge the things we think we know!
I’ve had a blast designing the first phases of this book club and hope it will serve as a ticket to an expanded political and social justice education, but more than that I hope it will be a safe, welcoming, and free flowing space for members to to flex our imaginations and test our capacity for growth both individually and collectively.
This club will likely morph and adjust to suit our needs as we get more established, so if you have questions or suggestions, please reach out to us on Instagram!
Like most things in 2021, The Diversify Vanlife Bookclub will rely largely on virtual mediums for our meetings and connections. Find Instagram Live, Zoom and Forum style message boards here on the Diversify Vanlife website.
by Bell Hooks
January 23 — February 28, 2021
“The word ‘love’ is most often described and a noun, yet… we would all love better if we used it as a verb” – Bell Hooks
Spend the first part of 2021 with the Diversify Vanlife Bookclub and Bell Hooks as we appreciate love and reimagine a world in which love is a verb. We will explore love’s place in revolutionary actions, society at large and our individual lives. We will begin, following the inauguration, and continue through the end of February.
Hope to see you there!
FREE PDF DOWNLOAD: https://wtf.tw/ref/hooks.pdf
Places to get books (that are NOT Amazon):
https://diversebooks.org/diverse-owned-bookstores-you-can-support-right-now
Bree’s personal fave booksellers:
Uncle Bobbie’s https://bookshop.org/shop/unclebobbies
Harriet’s Book Shop https://www.harriettsbookshop.com
Instagram Live Reflection Sessions: Jan. 28th + February 11th
Time: 8:15 PM CST / 6:15 PM PST
Book Club will meet via Zoom on: February 28, 2021
Time: TBD
The Diversify Vanlife Bookclub is intended to be an open and safe communal environment for the expansion of our political and social imaginations. We are wonderers and explorers doing the work of realizing the extent of possibility in this world, and of the human condition in general. Truly, it’s a beautiful thing.
We have a few community guidelines in place to keep it that way. These may be updated as the community grows and we find other things that work for us, but updates will be announced on Instagram as well as on our monthly Zoom call if/when that happens.
Please read through and familiarize yourself with the community guidelines and expectations as outlined below.
Overview + Goals:
The Diversify Vanlife Bookclub is intended to be an open and safe communal environment for the expansion of our political and social imaginations. We are wonderers and explorers doing the work of realizing the extent of possibility in this world, and of the human condition in general. Truly, it’s a beautiful thing.
That said, we have a few community guidelines in place to keep it that way. These may be updated as the community grows and we find other things that work for us, but updates will be announced on Instagram as well as on our monthly Zoom call if/when that happens.
For now, please read through and familiarize yourself with the community guidelines and expectations as outlined below.
Guidelines:
1. No bullying, hate speech, hostility, discrimination, harassment or trolling of any sort will be tolerated
2. This group is open to all, though voices + perspectives of marginalized people will be centered
3. Reading is NOT mandatory for membership or meeting attendance. If you find a book interesting but don’t have the time to read the entire thing (or any of it) you are still more than welcome to follow along with our prompts, reflection questions, IG Lives and Zoom meetings.
4. Don’t be an askhole- as this group intends to center voices and experiences of marginalized folks, we will probably not be covering the basics of things like white supremacy, racism, transphobia, homophobia, white privilege, etc. If you have general questions about these topics, please do your googles before utilizing group time and space for that work.
5. There are no wrong answers in Book Club (unless they violate any of the community guidelines) so please check all judgement at the door, especially self-judgement.
Expectations:
1. Come as you are.
2. Whether you’re in your PJs, dressed-to-a-T, well-read, don’t have the time to read, or whatever. If you have a desire to learn and share space with us as we dive into these reads, please do not disqualify yourself from joining us.
3. If you haven’t read the book, allow others who have to start the conversation where possible.
4. It’s fine to jump in and further the convo, but as we hope to develop our understanding of these topics using the author’s perspective and expertise as a tool, this is one way to ensure the foundation of our conversations grow from that initial basis of understanding.
5. Center the most marginalized voices in the room; ALWAYS. This doesn’t mean that marginalized people are the only ones allowed to speak; but it DOES mean:
6. When marginalized folks share their experiences + perspectives we accept and hold space for them as they have shared it before anything else. This may be as simple as a moment’s pause before engaging.
7. We understand that marginalized perspectives and lived experiences are NOT up for debater any line of questioning that may be seen as invalidating, period. Especially if you’re white.
8. We do not talk over Black people, Women, LGBTQ+ Community members, minorities or anyone who sits at the intersection(s) of any of these identities.
9. Engage in good faith. Always. While there are no wrong answers in Book Club, sometimes people will say things that may seem “wrong” to you.
10. Try asking questions to further your understanding of the other person’s perspective, and/or understand that they may have access to different information than you due to their lived experience, previous readings, etc. and engage accordingly.
11. Don’t be afraid of debate.
12. To be clear, there is a difference between debate and arguing, or harassment. The latter two will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
13. Debating opposing viewpoints/theories are a very healthy way to intimately understand things sometimes. Debating cleanly and fairly can also teach us how to deal with conflict.
14. In this group, debates will not necessarily be broken up, they will instead be moderated. If violations occur or the debate spirals out of hand, Bree reserves the right to end it immediately with no resolution.
15. Please friends, I beg of you: don’t be the reason we can’t have nice things.
16. A note to white people + men (and also white men): please make sure you are not white people-ing or mansplaining extra hard in this space. You are welcome of course, but you are expected to have equipped yourself with a sufficient working understanding of very basic terms and concepts including: whiteness, white supremacy, white privilege, white fragility, transphobia, toxic masculinity, mansplaining, racism, equality vs. equity, etc.
Messaging:
While the Diversify Vanlife Bookclub community is meant to foster connections between each of us as we read and share our thoughts and ideas, it is also a safe space for sharing and engaging in good faith conversations surrounding the book. That said, please use all messaging and chat capabilities responsibly.
Consequences:
Violating these community guidelines will result in the violator’s access to the Book Club being limited. This includes but is not limited to: 7-30 days of IG community access and forum restrictions or permanent revocation of access altogether.
Agreement:
By participating in the Diversify Vanlife Bookclub you are considered to be in agreement with these community guidelines
We’d love to hear from you!
If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions for additional community guidelines, please know they are ALWAYS welcome! Contact us via Direct Message at http://instagram.com/diversifyvanlifebookclub