Reading is usually considered a solitary endeavour, but book groups transform it into a community-focused activity. When I first joined a book group at Avid Reader in Brisbane\u2019s West End, I was hoping to make new friends and broaden my reading horizons, but I got so much more than that. I became part of a diverse and thriving community and understood the benefits of reading.<\/p>\n
Creating community<\/strong><\/p>\n Marlo Spikin, facilitator of the Queer Literature Book Club at Avid, spoke to me about creating a space of inclusivity, not exclusivity. \u201cI had always wanted to join a book club,\u201d Marlo told me. \u201cI felt this keenly when, in my 20s, some friends participated in an invite-only book club that I wasn\u2019t invited to. I think this exclusivity created a template of what I wanted to rebel against when I was approached to take over facilitating an already-established book club.\u201d Marlo fosters this book group community by giving all members a chance to vote on future books and by actively listening to everyone\u2019s perspectives. \u201cEveryone is encouraged to be exactly who they want to be,\u201d says Marlo.<\/p>\n Not everyone has the same opinion on the books they read and sharing different perspectives and insights is an important part of the reading process. Marlo encourages everyone to have a voice and speak from their heart when it comes to discussing what we\u2019ve read. \u201cFor me, as facilitator, enabling a space of belonging, where every self, idea and perspective is valid is incredibly beneficial and essential,\u201d she says. \u201cWe share insights and parts of ourselves; sometimes there\u2019s harmony and sometimes there\u2019s a rich diversity of opinions that expand my mind. And I am forever grateful for that.\u201d<\/p>\n Meeting new people<\/strong><\/p>\n Engaging with a love of literature in a nurturing, community environment is one of the many benefits of joining a book club; meeting new people is another. Enthusiastic reader, Kiri Greenhill, says her book club has evolved from a group of strangers discussing books to a community of connected people. \u201cIt has become a family,\u201d says Kiri. \u201cOur book club has members of different ages, identities and backgrounds. It has people with vastly different careers and interests, yet when we all come together, everyone has a place.\u201d No matter your age, background, identity or opinion of the book, a book club can be the perfect place to carve a space for yourself and feel included.<\/p>\n Queer Book Club member, Anabelle Cooper, tells me they joined a book club to meet new people who had a shared interest. \u201cI gravitated towards a queer book club as a shared genre interest, but mainly because I wanted to meet more queer people,\u201d they say. \u201cBeing among other queer people gives a sense of safety, which lets me get even more out of our book discussions.\u201d<\/p>\n Sharing the joy of reading<\/strong><\/p>\n There is much to be said for the benefits of reading alongside other people: the shared joy of reading, hearing differing opinions, increased critical thinking and more. \u201cI love how book clubs are all about sharing the joy of reading,\u201d says Anabelle when we spoke about the structured environment of book groups that so often leads to fruitful discussions. \u201cI love hearing other people\u2019s thoughts about books.\u201d<\/p>\n Reading is so often thought of as something we do on our own and isn\u2019t considered a shared activity. \u201cPeople often think of reading as a solitary activity,\u201d Anabelle tells me. \u201cBut the act of sharing and discussing books is very communal.\u201d<\/p>\n Thankfully, this act of sharing doesn\u2019t need to include a strict deadline or a well-written essay \u2014 book group isn\u2019t like high school. \u201cI love that some people come and have a lot to share,\u201d Kiri tells me. \u201cSome prefer to listen, sometimes people haven\u2019t yet finished the book and occasionally we get someone who hasn\u2019t even read it yet, but they feel comfortable enough to come along to hear what the group thought anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n Book clubs give you a reading deadline, which you have the option to adhere to or not, because let\u2019s face it, sometimes life gets in the way! \u201cThere is no judgement or expectations,\u201d says Kiri. \u201cEveryone is welcome just exactly as they are.\u201d<\/p>\n Expanding your reading<\/strong><\/p>\n Not everyone reads the same type of books and expanding my reading horizons has been one of my favourite things about joining a book group. As an avid fan of poetry and young adult fiction, book group has broadened my appetite for thrillers, short story collections and memoirs. \u201cSome books I wouldn\u2019t have read by myself,\u201d agrees Anabelle. \u201cAnd hearing about what value other people got out of them, even if I didn\u2019t like the book, makes the experience all the more valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n Seeing the different ways in which my fellow book group members read and experience books has been another step in expanding my reading habits. \u201cI have come to realise we all experience books differently and what we take away from it can be very diverse,\u201d says Kiri. \u201cThere have been times where I haven\u2019t loved the book while reading it, but after hearing the group\u2019s perspectives, I\u2019ve come away with a lot more appreciation for the book.\u201d<\/p>\n This increased appreciation comes back to community and the diversity of books, people and opinions that so many book groups have to offer. \u201cSometimes the best discussions occur when members have drastically varied opinions of the book,\u201d agrees Kiri. \u201cOther times people highlight things I may have missed or things they connected with due to their life experiences that are different to mine. I absolutely love enhancing my understanding and experience of that book through other people\u2019s eyes and hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n Book clubs can be so much more than their stereotypes of wine and neighbourhood gossip. They are a transformative experience where you can read along with others and find your place in a community. \u201cBooks may be the conduit,\u201d says Marlo. \u201cBut really it\u2019s our own stories that bring us together to sit in a circle, illuminating us and inspiring us onwards.\u201d<\/p>\n Rae White is a non-binary transgender writer and the editor of #EnbyLife, a journal for non-binary and gender-diverse creatives. Their poetry collection, Milk Teeth, (UQP 2018) won the 2017 Arts Queensland Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize and was shortlisted for the 2019 Victorian Premier\u2019s Literary Awards. Rae\u2019s second poetry collection, Exactly As I Am, is out now through UQP.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reading is usually considered a solitary endeavour, but book groups transform it into a community-focused activity. 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