Overview

The Women's Project has a book club facilitated by our local branch of the New York Public Library. Every quarter, we buy books for our community members who are incarcerated and, at times, for women in the community if copies are unavailable at NYPL.

We select titles primarily written by women of color and provide copies to community members (if the titles are not available at the NYPL). The NYPL then meets with us to discuss our thoughts and community members share written responses which we publish in our monthly newsletter. We also provide books to our community members who are incarcerated. These women lead discussion groups in prisons/jails with the questions we send and share their thoughts with us in letters or other correspondence.

Presently, we need $700 to buy 20 copies of two titles (Winter and Spring book club selections) to distribute to women so that they can participate in our program. Our current quarter's selection is "Wild Seed" by Octavia Butler. The more money we raise, the more incarcerated women we can include in our book club.

Meeting this need will further strengthen the healing work of our community and enhance our collective dedication to intellectual wellness (one of the 8 interrelated dimensions of wellness). For incarcerated women, the books and discussion questions are also a lifeline that keeps them connected to positive community. Our book club provides an opportunity for the women in our community to build their networks, as we have been joined in the past by outside readers, interested professionals and friends.

Validated

Validated by Valentina from The Women's Project (What does this mean?)

About Valentina

I created and direct The Women's Project, an innovative program that marries advocacy and service provision. The Women's Project community serves as an alternative to the pretrial detention that results when women cannot afford to pay their bail. Our work also serves as an alternative to… Read more