In this series we will hear directly from some very inspiring clubs using Bookclubz in order to get to know their stories and learn how they are using our platform to build uplifting and meaningful communities!
Get to know The Literary Queers, and how they have used the lockdown to create a space for members to share meaningful conversations about queer literature from all around the world.
How did your book club start?
The Literary Queers was born out of lockdown - I've always wanted to find a queer bookclub, but it can be hard to find a group of like minded people in the same area all hoping for the same thing. Lockdown provided a unique opportunity to take advantage of people's willingness to engage virtually in ways they might not have otherwise, and The Literary Queers felt like a really great way to bring people together and build new relationships despite social restrictions. We have members from the US, UK, Ireland, Germany, and India right now - it's been a fantastic way to make new connections!
What was the first book your club read? Who selected it, and what was the response like?
Honestly, our first book was a dud. Finding good queer literature can be a challenge. It's not uncommon for a "queer" or "lgtbq" label to be applied to a book that skirts around the edges of queer characters or concepts because the overall supply of queer content is relatively low. We've gotten better at choosing books though, and I think it says a lot that everybody that joined for that first meeting came back again!
How does your club stay connected when you're not reading? (i.e. meals/dinner parties, trips or outings, etc.)
Since we're all over the world, we can't meet up in person. Instead we use Slack to stay connected! It's been a great addition - each book gets its own channel, so there are no spoilers or distractions if you're not reading the current month's book, and we use it for book recommendations, sharing details about other queer events or content, and random chatter. Since most of us won't be able to do in-person Pride activities this year, we're going to try out our first virtual social event to celebrate Pride - it'll be a great way to get to know each other on a different level!
How has your relationship to reading changed since you started/joined a book club? (This is one that a few members can answer individually, or you can have a collective answer.)
For most of our members, joining TLQ has either re-sparked an interest in reading, or helped members find new books they wouldn't have come across otherwise.
"I read a lot and have never been a member of a book club before. I'm finding it very stimulating and it has highlighted books and authors I might not have found on my own. I'm a fairly critical reader and it is great to know that there will be a discussion where any unclear points, doubts, or questions of style can be openly discussed and debated. I'd say it makes my reading more fun!"
"I've been trying to get back into reading as I haven't picked up a book in years - joining The Literary Queers is helping to spark my interest in reading again."
If your club started before lockdown: how has it changed the way you read/meet/discuss? If after: how has a book club helped you stay connected?
The Literary Queers started several months after we all went into lockdown, and many of our members live in places that are still in some level of lockdown. For some, it's been good to have accountability to first pick up and then finish a book, and to formalize their thoughts, for others, it's been a way to stay connected and meet new people.
"I don't usually join clubs or groups but I feel very welcomed in this book club. I find it fascinating to hear opinions about topics based on queer literature from people in the community. I think I socialize more (albeit virtual) during lockdown through taking part in clubs that in my days pre-COVID; I kinda dig it."
"The project of reading the book with the promise of conversation at the end is a great way to make the time mean something!" and "I've been able to meet so many new people from around the world through The Literary Queers! Because it's virtual, we have members in the UK, the EU, and the US who all join regularly. It's fantastic to meet people I never would have met otherwise."
How do you select what book your club is reading?
The polls feature on the Bookclubz app is the best tool for book selection - it's one of the things that really sold me on using Bookclubz to first set up The Literary Queers when I was searching for the right platform. Each month we vote on a selection of five books that come from member recommendations and runners-up from previous polls. The book with the most votes gets the slot, but we also keep a list of all of the books we've voted on, and a lot of others we think might be worth checking out, in the Books We Want To Read section.
What was the most memorable book your club has read?
When I asked the club this question, I was expecting answers to be all over the place, but surprisingly there were two clear winners: The Well of Loneliness, by Radclyffe Hall, and the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers. We actually only formally read the first book of the Wayfarer series, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, but so many of us loved the first one that we held an impromptu meeting one month to talk about the second one in the series, and several of us carried on to read all four books.
How has reading together has affected your relationships with one another? Has it brought you together in a new way, provided opportunities for conversations you may not have had, etc.?
For me personally, it's been rewarding to know that what I've built has resonated with others. I've brought a few friends along into the group, but most of our members are people who have no ties to each other and there's something really special about that. I hope we can continue to build on the community that we've started.
"The books and themes are not something I would really discuss with my friends outside of the book club, so it provides a completely different outlet for me. It's really interesting to hear other people's opinions, and it often changes the way I view the material."
"2020 blew apart a lot of social circles, but engaging with queer literature and a queer community through this book club has lifted my spirits!"