{"id":22331,"date":"2024-08-09T03:25:12","date_gmt":"2024-08-09T07:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/multi.nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/?p=22331"},"modified":"2025-02-13T09:40:27","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T14:40:27","slug":"book-club-promotes-the-right-to-read-varied-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/book-club-promotes-the-right-to-read-varied-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Club Promotes The Right to Read Varied Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Brianna Robles<\/a><\/p>\n

When was the last time you picked up a good book for pleasure? And one that helped you understand a different culture, people or way of thought?<\/p>\n

If it\u2019s been a while, join the\u00a0book club<\/a>\u00a0organized by the\u00a0Center for Black Literature<\/a>\u00a0(CBL), part of Medgar Evers College at the City University of New York. The\u00a0 group\u00a0meets every last Wednesday of the month via Zoom and holds discussions on books by diverse authors that bring up critical issues like culture and race.<\/p>\n

Recent books the club has read include\u00a0The Door of No Return<\/em><\/a>\u00a0by Kwame Alexander and\u00a0Up Home: One Girl’s Journey<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/b>by Ruth J. Simmons.<\/p>\n

Dr. Brenda Greene<\/a>, CBL’s founder and executive director, started the book club in 2020, hoping that readers and writers would continue to be supported during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mission for the Center for Black Literature is to support writers, and one of the ways you do that is by buying their books, by reading their literature,\u201d said Dr. Greene.\u00a0\u201cArtists really bear witness to what’s going on in society. They issue calls to action. They raise issues. They remind us of the past and the importance of legacy.”<\/p>\n

The book club is open to everyone and garners about 12-15 participants a month from all over the country. Members are inter-generational and from different educational, racial and economic backgrounds, explained Greene.<\/p>\n

\"cbl_bookclub_ig\"<\/p>\n

Books are picked collectively by the group and chosen about three\u00a0months in advance \u2014 which gives readers the space to read the book leisurely. Genres range from poetry, and memoirs, to fiction and other nonfiction pieces. Previous meetings have held discussions on texts authored by Brooklyn writers like\u00a0James McBride<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Kevin Powell<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The U.S. is currently going though another age of\u00a0book bans<\/a>, according to the nonprofit PEN America. Some communities have taken books written by Black, queer and female authors out of schools.\u00a0In addition, some have argued that books that tackle\u00a0racism, sexuality, gender and history should not be read by children.<\/p>\n

For this reason, reading is that much more important, said Luvon Roberson, a book club member.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why CBL book club is so important because it keeps us informed about the book written by Black and brown people but it also helps us remain diligent\u2026 that we have to keep championing our right to read and to have the freedom to read,\u201d Roberson said.<\/p>\n

The monthly book club attracts book lovers and non-book lovers alike. In fact, Grey Jones, who joined the club at\u00a0its inception, said he wasn’t a huge fan of reading.<\/p>\n

However, he loves all the knowledge and perspective he has gained through text.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe book club particularly does this great job of giving us access to varying perspectives and the diversity of Black thought,\u201d explained Jones.\u00a0\u201cI think that\u2019s something that’s very important right now that we make sure that we have room and a space for protecting diverse perspectives for America.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Greene prides herself on creating a safe space for members\u00a0to share their opinions, which includes the opportunity where one must agree to disagree, she said.<\/p>\n

Creating a culture of diverse perspectives helps add to the conversation and creates a nurturing environment for all to add their opinions, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that’s also important that everyone feels included, and we want voices to be heard,\u201d said Greene.<\/p>\n

To find out more information or to join the Center for Black Literature\u2019s monthly book club, you can email info@centerforblackliterature.org.<\/p>\n

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By: Brianna Robles When was the last time you picked up a good book for pleasure? And one that helped you understand a different culture, people or way of thought? If it\u2019s been a while, join the\u00a0book club\u00a0organized by the\u00a0Center for Black Literature\u00a0(CBL), part of Medgar Evers College at the City University of New York. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5904,"featured_media":22332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,524,31,3461,2870],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-brooklyn-events","category-whats-buzzin","category-development","category-education"],"yoast_head":"\nBook Club Promotes The Right to Read Varied Stories - Brooklyn News and Events<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/book-club-promotes-the-right-to-read-varied-stories\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Book Club Promotes The Right to Read Varied Stories\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By: Brianna Robles When was the last time you picked up a good book for pleasure? 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