Good Strong Words

seeking a community of readers

I like good strong words that mean something. Louisa May Alcott

Dear friend,

I hope you’re keeping your head above water. Whatever that means these days. It’s a short one from me this week, written in the middle of the night while the plane quietly makes its way to London.

I have launched a book club. The idea came to me when I was taking a break from social media and kept coming back to the simple realization that the thing I missed most was the sense of community it gave me, whether or not it was “real community.” And what is better than a small community of readers?

We’ll have none of the usual book club annoyances that have kept me from joining or staying long.

So, welcome to Good Strong Words:

• We will read one book a month, prioritizing queer, non-white, and female authors.

• Each month, a member will share a poll with three options, and whatever book wins the poll is the one we’ll read. This way, everyone will get a chance to choose a book.

• We will meet on Discord once a month, though attendance is extremely optional.

• The server will be available for chatting with folks or just sharing reflections about the reading. Or whatever else you may want to share (within reason).

There’s no cost to join and there’s no expectation of participation. If all you want is a monthly reading list and to lurk on the Discord once in a while, that’s fine with me.

I think that’s all the details. Please understand that I loathe managing the behaviors and activities of others so I will be mostly hands-off. My only goal is to facilitate more reading I believe that books can save us.

Here’s an invitation to the server. If you join, the first thing I’ll ask you to do is go to the “hello-hello” channel and provide a brief intro. This is the only required action.

I’ll make an announcement there with the poll for our first book sometime this week.

Take care,

Lidiya