In addition to the books I read for this blog, I’m also in a fantastic book club here in Washington, DC. Comprised primarily of people my roommate and I knew from our colleges (Spelman and Morehouse Colleges), it’s a great excuse to drink obscene 
amounts of wine in the name of scholarship. It’s also an opportunity for us to discuss novels much in the way we did in classes at out historically black colleges (HBCUs).
We treat it as a casual dinner party of sorts. Hosts rotate monthly, allowing everyone to try out new recipes (or call in a few pizzas). The host provides food while other attendees bring either desserts or their beverage of choice. People trickle in after work, for a discussion that oftentimes leads us deep into the night.
Since the club’s creation in August 2015, the group has about 10 core members between the ages of 23 and 29. There are others that dip in from time to time, unable to commit fully because of work or family obligations. Those people are still active in our group chat, where we post additional thoughts on books, drop links to interesting internet articles, and propose books for future months. Unfortunately, about half of the group is comprised of lawyers, but we dilute them with people from all other professional specialties (religious studies, military, communications, etc). Their jobs are unimportant– what matters is that even though the group is mostly Black, it’s still a rather diverse group in terms of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, gender and religion.
Perhaps you’re interested in forming a book club yourself, or just want to know what ours has been up to. Regardless, see below for some information on Brown Books & Red Wine: The Book Club. If you have any questions about how our book club functions, feel free to drop me a line!
Book Review: Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler
brown books | green tea 