SPL LIVING
The Need to Read Virtual book clubs are on the rise – is it any wonder? BY MARCIA BIGGS Has television news turned you into a TV zombie? Time to turn it off and return to the pleasure of the written word. With many libraries closed, book clubs are more popular than ever this summer. Tombolo Books offers a variety of book clubs for those who feel the need to read and discuss. Meetings are facilitated by experts in the subject and held virtually for the time being.
In August, Tombolo will debut Reading the Mind, a mental health and wellness book club. Facilitator Lindsey Epperson is a licensed clinical social worker and practitioner at Sunshine City Counseling. Books will range from memoir to narrative non-fiction, taking readers “through dark valleys, uplifting stories and new strategies for understanding our minds.”
Tombolo co-owner Alsace Walentine has seen a huge demand for book clubs since the COVID pandemic began, keeping people housebound and looking for social interaction and insight into modern day dilemmas. “So many people are reading now,” she says, “and looking for a way to experience community in a safe space.” Tombolo staffer Claire McNeill is the book club guru, helping to organize and coordinate a continually growing number of clubs as the demand rises for timely themes such as social and political justice, Florida history and trailblazers. Clubs are kept small, perhaps 25 or 50 at the most, in order to have thoughtful conversation. Sometimes the book’s author is present. A new Social Justice Book Club meets the first Tuesday of each month virtually for now. Thought-provoking book discussions are moderated by facilitators active in the community on issues of justice, equity and acting locally while thinking globally. The July book, “Beyond Survival: Strategies and Stories from the Transformative Justice Movement,” focuses on local strategies for change. An Anti-Racism bi-monthly book club is so popular that it filled almost immediately, says Walentine. Books related to race, racism and antiracism encourage discussion of current events. “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo is the first read.
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Book clubs have been around for a while at the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts and The Body Electric. MFA discussions are centered on topical issues such as empowerment, artistic and creative excellence, and the push for equality for all. July’s selection is “Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency” by Olivia Laing. Body Electric club members are reading “Untamed” by Glennon Doyle, an activist speaker and author of several books regarding trusting the voice deep within us. And finally, a new Tombolo Book Club will study literary fiction and non-fiction. The kick-off read is “The Nickel Boys,” Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel that looks at a tragic boys reform school in the Jim Crow era of Florida (sound familiar?). Gulfport even has its own book club. The Gabber Book Club aims to celebrate Florida authors and great books set in our state. First off the shelf: “Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls” by T Kira Madden. Facilitator will be Cathy Salustri, a Gulfport-based writer who owns the Gabber Newspaper. Every month will feature a different facilitator from the Gulfport community. To check out the various book clubs sponsored by Tombolo Books go to tombolobooks.com/ and click on Events or call (727) 7559456 or email bookclubs@tombolobooks.com
