Our things literary.
People often say that they would read if they only had the time. Not so for a local book group whose name reflects this particular challenge. These ladies are busy, but they commit to reading just the same. The "Too Much on My Plate Book Club” has been meeting for 15 years. The original members… Continue reading ★ Too much on their plates? It doesn’t stop these readers
The region is rich in talented writers quietly and tenaciously pursuing an avocation. For playwright Dwayne Yancey, that dedication results in staged productions and performances in professional theaters, communities, and schools around the country. Having published a dozen plays, Yancey is prolific—and that output is in addition to his 1,000 words each day on the… Continue reading ★ Dwayne Yancey’s other gig: On getting his plays into the world
With the joy and risk that come with engaging diverse perspectives, public book groups spark important community conversations while enriching the reading experience. Certainly that was the case for the dozen or so people gathered at the Salem Public Library recently for a well organized review of The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey… Continue reading ★ The risk and reward of the public book discussion: On the Salem Library Book Group
On a recent Sunday afternoon a group of seven people gathered at Sweet Donkey to discuss Johnathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion (Pantheon, 2012). Roanoke artist Katherine Devine put the call out for anyone interested in discussing the book after a conversation with Delegate Sam Rasoul. "He said… Continue reading ★ Building the hive: Book group discusses The Righteous Mind
A pleasant risk of inventorying the region's book clubs is getting pulled into them. It's hard to say no. Reading is connection. The 'solitary' act is really a partnership with the author. For a while, you're almost in one mind together. So it's natural then to want to expand that connection to others with others… Continue reading ★ Let’s talk about it. Why we discuss books together.
Reverend Joe Cobb recently stepped down as the pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of the Blue Ridge after nearly eight years with the congregation. This month he’ll legally marry his partner James. He’s co-written a memoir, Our Family Outing: A Memoir of Coming Out and Coming Through, with his former spouse, Reverend Leigh Anne Taylor. And he says another… Continue reading ★ Rev. Joe Cobb writes the next chapter
Head to Tanglewood Mall this weekend for the semi-annual book sale benefitting the scholarship fund of the Roanoke Valley Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). Sending young women to college is a good cause, and you'll leave with a new stack of affordable books for your bedside table. The quantity and selection… Continue reading ★ AAUW book sale this weekend
The June theme: City Lights and Nights Sign up to read. Mark your calendar to attend. This edition of Words3 will take place at the RSO Green Room on Campbell Avenue. (Look for the musical crosswalk.) If you’re interested in reading, use the form below to contact organizer Cara Ellen Modisett. Some details…no more than 6 […]
Katherine Devine is interested in getting some folks together to discuss The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion by Johnathan Haidt. The book has shaped a great deal of conversation about how we work together through our differences. From Rebecca Litchfield’s review in the London School of Economics Review of Books: “Audacious… what […]
Frances Curtis Barnhart's The Beauty of Impermanence: A Woman's Memoir is not a memoir for women only. "Men like it, too," she says. "It applies to all of us in this time of uncertainty and stormy transition. So the time felt right to tell a story of personal transformation. "My journey has been wild with… Continue reading ★ The Beauty of Impermanence: Barnhart memoir nominated
BOOK CITY ★ Roanoke 