Every year around back-to-school time (and is it me, or does this date gets earlier every summer?), a little voice in my head tells me this is the year I should go back to school, or at least seriously look into programs. And this fall, I’m listening to it. Well, sort of.
Erin and I signed up for Living Writers Online, a free “literary learning experience” offered through Colgate University, and it has a pretty impressive reading list.
I love the idea of this course, reading work from living, contemporary writers—it’s something that I would have eagerly signed up for when I was in college if I came across it in the course catalogue. And I’m interested to see how it will translate online, particularly the author events.
I know what you’re going to say: Ali, aren’t you terrible with online courses? Why, yes, yes I am. BUT I’m thinking of this more like a book club.
I’m a sucker for a good book club, an elusive (and sometimes exclusive) find. It’s something I’ve not secured yet in Virginia. I was in two in Denver (one great, one okay) and started one with some coworkers in Massachusetts, and it’s hard to find a well-balanced club. There should be the books, certainly, but I’m not bringing written responses to your questions or talking points—conversation should flow in and out of the book and life organically. Plus, there should be snacks. And adult beverages.
It’s kind of hard to have a book club with my coworkers now, since we all work remotely and a meet up to discuss books over brunch would be tricky. We do have a dedicated Slack channel for books in which we share things like lists of new releases, suggested vacation reads and library hold recommendations. But this semester, Erin and I are taking a bigger leap into the discussion realm, so come and join us—and bring your own snack—as we hit the books!