Discourse in a Digital Age discussion

Hi everyone,

I'm Zach Fletcher, the new Adult Services Provider at Schlafly. As many of you probably know already, the Library and some of the core members of the Discourse group have decided to merge Discourse with a new book group I'm starting in January, called the Genre Blender Book Club.

True to the name, we'll be focusing on books that mix, play with, or otherwise disrupt their genres in unique and interesting ways. The twelve titles I've picked out for 2019 are all fiction, though we could certainly branch into nonfiction, drama, poetry, etc. as time goes on. Since the Discourse group has always made room for different themes and styles, it shouldn't feel too different from what you're doing already. Actually, you've already read several of the books I originally planned to discuss in the new group.

Unfortunately I had to submit all my selections for 2019 before I had a chance to consult your group, but I made sure to choose titles you haven't discussed before and which I think will cover a wide range of subjects and author backgrounds. Here's the list I submitted a couple weeks ago:

January: "Kindred" by Octavia Butler
February: "The Intuitionist" by Colson Whitehead
March: "Her Body and Other Parties" by Carmen Maria Machado
April: "Future Home of the Living God" by Louise Erdrich
May: "American War" by Omar El Akkad
June: "Orlando" by Virginia Woolf
July: "Tenth of December" by George Saunders
August: "The Devil's Detective" by Simon Kurt Unsworth
September: "All The Names They Used for God" by Anjali Sachdeva
October: "Frankenstein in Baghdad" by Ahmed Saadawi
November: "Moonglow" by Michael Chabon
December: "Laurus" by Evgenij Vodolazkin

Next year the book selection will be a more democratic process.

The Genre Blender Book Club will meet on the third Wednesday of each month at 7 pm, here at Schlafly. Our first session will be January 16, to discuss "Kindred." I look forward to meeting some of you in person!

(P.S. Would you rather we stick to this Goodreads group and just change the name, or should I create a new GR group specifically for the Genre Blender?)

Thanks, Zach!

I’m excited! I’m fine leaving the Goodreads discussion here or starting a new one—makes no difference to me.

We still have “Girl Waits with Gun” on November 11/8 as well as December so hope to see everyone on those dates.

I have read the January selection (Kindred by Octavia Butler). Well worth reading. I have met Butler (on a trip in Peru, where she was doing field research on an environment that looks something like what she wrote about in her Xenogenesis books). Amazing how a seemingly carefree person could write books with this depth.

My 'review' of Kindred:

Octavia Butler is best known for her SF writing: so much so that I was expecting Kindred to be SF. It is a cleverly structured book that uses 'time travel' to reveal the lives of slaves on a plantation in Maryland c. 1820. The black protagonist(Dana) is 'called back' to help a plantation child/owner(Rufus) whenever he is at risk of dying (how this happens is not mentioned, & wouldn't help the story if it were). She manages to patch him back together each time, and in each incident understands more about the lives of everyone (especially the black slaves).You get insight into what it means to be 'property', and how they coped with constant uncertainty (would they or their children be sold away from them tomorrow; who would be beaten next, & for what). The incidents in the book are reconstructions from extensive research Butler did on the period, as well as stories she heard from her ancestors about what it was like living as a slave
This was a much more understandable read for me (white) than Beloved (Toni Morrison) because I have no way of understanding why/how a situation such as Beloved's could ever arise in life.

Not 11/8! 11/14 is our next meeting!

Zach, Anne and all - it makes sense to leave the Discourse. .. group active until we've finished the rest of this year's bks. But also desirable to get a new Genre Blender group up and running.
Hey all you out there - we need to hear everyone's voices. Hope to see you at our 11/14 discussion.

Anne, do you have a complete list of Discoursers email addresses? Not sure I do, but we should copy Zach's message about the new group and send it via email to Elaine, David and any others who might become active again.

Zach,

I'm not concerned with whether you keep the current group name, etc. -- only that it still be on Goodreads.
I live in Los Angeles, & try to get a variety of opinions & reading interests through participating in the group.
Jeff Nutting (Geoffrey)

Lucy wrote: "Zach, Anne and all - it makes sense to leave the Discourse. .. group active until we've finished the rest of this year's bks. But also desirable to get a new Genre Blender group up and running.
He..."

I agree with Lucy. It'll be easier to attract new members.

Welcome aboard, Zach! That looks like a fantastic list. I just read The Intuitionist for a book club here - it would definitely fit in among the books we have read for Discourse. Sorry I already stole all the good titles.

I would prefer to keep this group as it is and mark it inactive when the time comes. I like the record it creates of what this group did together, and the Genre-Blending is a great new idea that deserves its own group.

Zach, Travis should know where to find the complete list of book club contacts, if you don't have it already. I would bet David, Elaine, Sylvester, and others would come back if they are available.

Thanks all for the responses so far! I'm happy that everyone seems to be on board with the new format and book selections, and I think we're going to have some fantastic conversations once we get going. I'll go ahead and start a new GR group for the Genre Blender, and will try to reach out to whatever past members I can get contact info for. I'll let you know when the new group is up and running!

I will not be able to attend on the third Wednesday as I have a prior commitment. Unfortunately, I made that so I could attend on the second Wednesday. I may read the books anyway. We will see.

Hi Zach,

Where is the best place to post my 'review' of a book that is up for discussion?
That's the main way I participate. I don't want to post my review in the middle of an unrelated thread.

Teresa wrote: "I will not be able to attend on the third Wednesday as I have a prior commitment. Unfortunately, I made that so I could attend on the second Wednesday. I may read the books anyway. We will see."

Teresa,

I'm sorry to hear that the third Wednesday will be an issue for you. If I'd have known the date would be a problem I'd have tried to stick to the original schedule. At this point my plans have already been submitted, so I probably won't be able to change the date till the next cycle. I'll certainly still welcome your input on the GR group, though, and maybe we can work out a better arrangement in the future!

Geoffrey wrote: "Hi Zach,

Where is the best place to post my 'review' of a book that is up for discussion?
That's the main way I participate. I don't want to post my review in the middle of an unrelated thread."

Geoffrey,

Once the new group is up and running, I'll post monthly discussion threads for the books we're reading. You're welcome to include your review in the monthly thread, or maybe we could set up a separate discussion within the group if it seems necessary.

Thanks, Zach. Whatever works best for you/everyone else is fine by me.