A new book club focused on social justice is meeting each month at miXt Food Hall in Brentwood.
Created by the Mount Rainier Branch Library and the Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights, the Solidarity Stories book club is for readers who want to engage in discussions about themes such as race, disability, LGBTQ+ rights, and gender equality.
The book club, which is open to all adults aged 18 and above, meets at 6:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month from March to November at the food hall, located at 3809 Rhode Island Ave. All events are free.
The first meeting, held on March 19, featured a wide-ranging discussion on Octavia Butler’s “Parable of the Sower,” an apocalyptic science fiction novel about an America torn apart by climate change and wealth inequality.
The next meeting, slated for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, will look at “Poverty, By America,” a critically acclaimed work by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Matthew Desmond.
Other upcoming discussions will focus on “They Called Us Enemy” by George Takei (May 21), “The Deep” by Rivers Solomon (June 18), and “Six of Crows” by Leigh Bardugo (July 16), among others.
The book club chose miXt Food Hall because it features a variety of options from chef-driven local businesses, many of which are owned by people of color, plus a full bar with cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks.
“I love that the program allows us to gather with people in a vibrant and welcoming community space like miXt and share stories and experiences that help us to better understand the world around us,” said Caitlin Clark, a librarian at the Mount Rainier branch.
Along with Clark, the book club was started by Kyla Hanington with the Office of Human Rights and Audrey Lau with the Prince George’s County library system.
For more information and the full line up of books, and to RSVP (for free), visit the book club’s information page.
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