Bibliofeast 2021

The WNBA-Charlotte Chapter
presents

BIBLIOFEAST 2021

book fork

A virtual feast with Great Group Reads authors: Anjali Enjeti, Heather Frese, and Jason Mott.

Wednesday, Nov. 3rd, 7:00-8:30pm
Online sponsored on ZOOM
Moderated by Susan Walker

RSVP Here 

* Author Readings and Q&A *Book Raffle for Attendees 


Featured authors:

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Anjali Enjeti 
 has appeared in USA Today, Harper’s BAZAAR, Publishers Weekly, and ZORA. In 2019, she co-founded the GA chapter of They See Blue, an organization for South Asian Democrats. Follow her on Instagram @angali.enjeti

The Parted Earth (Hub City Press). August 1947 New Delhi, there is unrest leading up to the birth of the Muslim majority nation of Pakistan, and the Hindu majority nation of India. 16 year-old Deepa navigates the changing politics of her home, finding solace in messages of intricate origami from her secret boyfriend Amir. Soon Amir flees to Pakistan and a tragedy forces Deepa to leave the subcontinent forever. Spanning more than half a century and cities from New Delhi to Atlanta, Anjali Enjeti’s debut is a heartfelt and human portrait of the long shadow of the Partition of India on the lives of three generations of women.

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Heather Frese has published short stories, essays, poetry. Her work has appeared in Los Angeles Review, Front Porch, the Barely South Review, Switchback, and elsewhere, earning notable mention in the Pushcart Prize Anthology and Best American Essays.  Follow her on Instagram @HeatherKFrese

The Baddest Girl on The Planet (Blair). Evie Austin has not lived her life in a straight line. There have been several detours—career snafus, bad romantic choices, a loved but unplanned child—plus her ill-advised lifelong obsession with boxer Mike Tyson. This is the story of what the baddest girl on the planet must find in herself when a bag of pastries, a new lover, or quick trip to Vegas won’t fix anything, when she must learn from her relationships but also look within to navigate the decisions and turning points in redefining a new notion of herself.

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Jason Mott is a novelist and poet. He received an BFA in Fiction and an MFA in Poetry, both from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize award and Entertainment Weekly listed him as one of their 10 “New Hollywood: Next Wave” people to watch.ion of herself. Follow him on Twitter @jasonmott

Hell of a Book: A Novel (Dutton). An African-American author sets out on a cross-country book tour to promote his bestselling novel. That’s the book’s storyline and, the scaffolding of something much larger and more urgent. The novel also tells the story of Soot, a young Black boy living in a rural town in the recent past, and The Kid, a possibly imaginary child who appears to the author on his tour. A 2021 National Book Award Longlist Selection.

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RSVP Here 

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Great Group Reads is WNBA National iniative of an annual collection of books ideal for reading groups. Hundreds of books are submitted to the GGR committee from publishers nationwide, in the categories of fiction, short stories, and memoirs. 

View the 2021 GGR full list and summaries

Download the 2021 GGR Flyer

QUESTIONS?  Please contact Susan Walker, National Reading Group Month Events Manager, susan.walker.books@gmail.com

Join us on Oct 12th at Mugs Charlotte

Chapter Members, join us LIVE for our
GREAT GROUP READS BOOKCLUB MEETUP

Tuesday, October 12th, 7:00pm
Mugs Coffee, 5126 Park Rd, Charlotte

 

Please rsvp if you wish to attend or vote on books.

RSVP HERE

Join us in picking our book club choices for December 2021 to September 2022. GGR Chair Kristen Knox will give an informative run-down of the newest Great Group reads list, which will be the basis of all titles for the calendar. We’ll decide what books to read and when.

 

WHAT IS GREAT GROUP READS?
Great Group Reads (GGR) is an initiative started by WNBA National in 2009. Books chosen are a resource for book clubs, reading groups, bookstores and libraries.

Titles for GGR are selected on the basis of their appeal to reading groups for whom they are certain to open up lively conversations about an array of timely and provocative topics. The GGR Selection Committee focuses attention on under-represented books from independent presses and mid- list releases from larger houses. 


WHEN DOES THE CHARLOTTE CHAPTER BOOKCLUB MEET?

After books are selected and assigned, the WNBA-Charlotte’s Bookclub will meet the first Tuesday of every month, from November to September. Meetups will be from 7-8:30pm at Mugs Coffee Shop. Should there be a need to, for social distancing purposes, meet ups will be virtual on Zoom and chapter members will know in advance. Titles are picked and scheduled at the October 12th meetup. The list and schedule distributed to members asap.

 

WHAT ARE THE 2021 TITLES?
There were 20 titles selected, in the genres of fiction, short stories and memoir (we will choose to read to).

After Francesco by Brian Malloy (John Scognamiglio Books, HC) LGBT, Contemporary Fiction, Own Voices, AIDS Epidemic

All Sorrows Can Be Borne by Autumn Stephens (Rare Bird Books, HC) Saga, Coming-of-Age, Family Life

All the Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks (Grove Press, TP) Memoir, LGBT, Aids Epidemic, Personal Activism

The Baddest Girl on the Planet by Heather Frese (Blair, HC) Southern Fiction, Small Town/Rural Fiction

A Girl is a Body of Water by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi (Tin House Books, TP) Coming-of-Age, Japanese History, Historical Fiction

Hell of a Book by Jason Mott (Dutton, HC) African-American Literary Fiction, Southern U.S.

Mona at Sea by Elizabeth Gonzalez James (Santa Fe Writer’s Project, TP) Coming of Age, Latinx

The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai (Algonquin, TP) Coming of Age,Vietnamese, Cultural Heritage

No Hiding in Boise by Kim Hooper (Keylight Books, TP) Literary, Psychological

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot: A Novel by Marianne Cronin (Harper Perennial, TP) Friendship, Women’s Fiction

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslian Charles (Atria, HC) Historical [WWII] Fiction, Women’s Fiction

The Parted Earth by Anjali Enjeti (Hub City Press, HC) Literary, Asian-American, Cultural Heritage

The Portrait: A Novel by Ilaria Bernardini (Pegasus Books, HC) Women’s Fiction, Family Life

The Prince of Mournful Thoughts and Other Stories by Caroline Kim (U. Of Pittsburgh Press, HC) Asian-American, Short Story Collection

A Recipe for Daphne by Nektaria Anastasiadou (Hoopoe, TP) Cultural Heritage, Women’s Fiction

The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson (Milkweed Editions, TP) Native American History, Aboriginal History, Nature & the Environment

The Son of the House by Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia (Dundurn Group, TP) Literary, Women’s Fiction, Cultural Heritage

The Third Mrs. Galway by Deirdre Sinnott (Kaylie Jones Books, HC) Hist. Fiction, Civil War Era, Women’s Fiction

When the Apricots Bloom by Gina Wilkinson (Kensington, TP) Biographical Fiction, Middle Eastern

Why Birds Sing by Nina Berkhout (ECW Press, TP) Family Life, Women’s Fiction

 

I LOVE READING! HOW DO I FIND OUT ABOUT JOINING THE COMMITTEE? Contact GGR Chair Kristen Knox, at KKnox.NatlReadingGrpMonth@gmail.com  *Note, you must be a full-paid up Member to serve.

2021 Fall Kick-Off & Networking Party

Members and Friends,

Please join us at our

Annual Fall Kick-Off & Networking Party

Monday, September 27, 2021
6:30 – 8:30 PM
BURTONS GRILL & BAR, 1601 E. Woodlawn Rd. (Park Road Shopping Center), Charlotte

RSVP

Join us for great conversation over good wine at our annual fall get together! Rendezvous with your fellow WNBA Charlotte members over drinks and appetizers. If you’re a new or potential member, come and meet everyone!

Find out what’s ahead for 2021-22, and how to get more involved!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, WELCOME 2021

Please view our array books, written by Chapter Members!

 

Authors: Nicole Ayers; Sandy Altschuler, Carolina Aponte, Sarah Archer, Sarah Blanchard, Carla A. Carlisle, Shawn Keller-Cooper, Patt Fero, KC Freeman, Judy Goldberg, Maureen Ryan Griffin, Nancy Howie

 

Authors: Holly Hughes, Juanita Jackson, Renee Johnson, Lisa Kinkleman, Bridgett Langson, MJ. Maddox, Paula Martinac, Vickie Morrow, Shamyra Parker

 

Authors: Emily Pearce, Janet Perkins, Linda Vigen Phillips, Nancy Werking Poling, Fabi Preslar, Lucy Sams, Maureen Sherbondy, Tyrra Turner, Laura Valtora, Sarah Thompson, Nancy White

 

Join us at Mugs on October 28th


Chapter Members, join us LIVE for our
GREAT GROUP READS BOOKCLUB MEETUP

Wednesday, October 28th, 7:00pm
Mugs Coffee, 5126 Park Rd, Charlotte

 

Please rsvp if you wish to attend.

RSVP HERE

Great Group Reads List 

 

Our first live event since March, we are getting together to pick the book club choices for December 2020 to September 2021. GGR Chair Kristen Knox will give an informative run-down of the newest Great Group reads list, which will be the basis of all titles for the calendar. We’ll decide what books to read and when.

 

WHAT IS GREAT GROUP READS?
Great Group Reads (GGR) is an initiative started by WNBA National in 2009. Books chosen are a resource for book clubs, reading groups, bookstores and libraries.

Titles for GGR are selected on the basis of their appeal to reading groups for whom they are certain to open up lively conversations about an array of timely and provocative topics. The Selection Committee focuses attention on under-represented books from independent presses and mid- list releases from larger houses. Titles were submitted by over 100 publishers–20 books were chosen.


WHAT ARE THE 2020 TITLES?

There were 20 titles selected, in the genres of fiction, short stories and memoir. The following is the exact list, to see descriptions, go to the 2020 GGR PAGE on the national website, or the WNBA Bookshop page  

 

Anna Eva Mimi Adam by Marina Antropow Cramer
The Beauty of Her Face by Sahar Mustafah
The Bitch
by Pilar Quintana, Lisa Dillman (Translator)
Continental Divide by Alex Myers
The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline
Godshot by Chelsea Bieker
Goshen Road by Bonnie Proudfoot
The Hierarchies by Ros Anderson
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
In Our Midst
by Nancy Jensen
Invented Lives by Andrea Goldsmith
The Last Goldfish by Anita Lahey
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
The Prettiest Star 
by Carter Sickels
The Road to Urbino by Roma Tearne
The Royal Abduls by Ramiza Shamoun Koya
Tea By the Sea by Donna Hemans
Tell Me Your Names and I Will Testify by Carolyn Holbrook
The Wanting Life by Mark Rader
Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur

 

I LOVE READING! HOW DO I FIND OUT ABOUT JOINING THE COMMITTEE? Contact GGR Chair Kristen Knox, at KKnox.NatlReadingGrpMonth@gmail.com  *Note, you must be a full-paid up Member to serve.

To attend the October 28th meetup, or give your picks, click here.

BIBLIOFEAST 2020

Join us as well celebrate National Reading Group Month and the newest Great Group reads collection!

 

Monday, October 19th, 7:00-8:30pm

Online Via Zoom

* Book Giveaways for Attendees *

* Author Readings and Q&A *

*Recorded for Facebook & More*

Our Annual Bibliofeast book & author event is a virtual format this year! Enjoy a panel discussion featuring four outstanding authors, and their 2020 Great Group Reads-chosen titles!

  • Donna Hemans, author of Tea by the Sea (Red Hen Press, TP)

    Summary: When Plum’s daughter is kidnapped at birth, by the baby’s father, she spends the next 17 years searching for her  With travels that extend from Jamaica to Brooklyn, this novel examines issues of parenthood, tragedy, identity, redemption, and betrayal.

     

  • Nancy Jensen author of In Our Midst (Dzanc Books, HC)

    Summary: In 1940s Indiana, community fear and suspicion has grown about German immigrants. Nina and Otto Aust and their sons are first separated by the FBI, then interrogated, and ultimately sent to an internment camp in this WWII-set historical fiction.

     

  • Christina Baker Kline author of The Exiles (Custom House, HC)

    Summary: Set in the early days of Australia, this is a story of three women: Two English convicts, and a young Aboriginal girl who’s taken from her people to be raised as a sort of pet by the governor and his wife. This novel takes on colonization, native peoples, and the determination that enabled them to persevere in the face of exile.

     

  • Sahar Mustafah author of The Beauty of Your Face (W.W. Norton, HC)

    Summary: High School principal Afaf Rahman hides as a shooter guns down students at a Muslim girls school in Chicago. The novel alternates between Afaf’s live account of the attack and flashbacks to childhood incidents, including the relationship with her mother, her sister’s disappearance, and her own discovery of the comfort of Islam. 

VIEW THE FULL 2020 GREAT GROUP LIST HERE 

Book Club Meetup, Tuesday, February 4th

E43301A3-1323-474B-BC4E-336EBA2E21E9Come and discuss Southernmost by Silas House (Algonquin, TP) 
Tuesday, February 4, 7:00pm
AMELIE’S BAKERY (updated!) 4321 Park Road., Charlotte, NC.

Synopsis: An evangelical minister in Tennessee reexamining his beliefs and teachings finds himself at odds with his congregation and his wife over the issue of homosexuality in this soul-searching novel about tolerance, family, right versus wrong, and forgiveness.

All are welcome to attend, to give your input or learn about a new book to read!

? ? All titles for our bookclub are selected from WNBA’s Great Group Reads List.
Interested in knowing more about that committee? Contact Kristen Knox, KKnox.NatlReadingGrpMonth@gmail.com

Book Club Meetup: Tuesday, January 7th

C2638D58-0314-4BCD-A8EB-38DBFD093096Come and discuss Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner (Atria) 
Tuesday, January 7th, 7:00pm
Panera Bread, 5940 Fairview Rd., Charlotte, NC.

Synopsis: Growing up in 1950s Detroit, they live in a perfect “Dick and Jane” house, where their roles in the family are clearly defined. Jo is the tomboy, the bookish rebel with a passion to make the world more fair; Bethie is the pretty, feminine good girl, a would-be star who enjoys the power her beauty confers and dreams of a traditional life. But the truth ends up looking different from what the girls imagined. Jo and Bethie survive traumas and tragedies, and neither sister inhabit the world she dreams of, or a life that feels authentic or joyful. Is it too late for the women to finally stake a claim on happily ever after?

All are welcome to attend, to give your input or learn about a new book to read!

 

? ? All titles for our bookclub are selected from WNBA’s Great Group Reads List.
Interested in knowing more about that committee? Contact Kristen Knox, KKnox.NatlReadingGrpMonth@gmail.com

Book Club Meetup: Tuesday, December 3rd

laurentian divideCome and discuss Laurentian Divide by Sarah Stonich (Univ. of Minnesota Press, TP) 
Tuesday, December 3rd, 7:00pm
Panera Bread, 5940 Fairview Rd., Charlotte, NC

Synopsis: A small, northern Minnesota community waits for semi-hermit Rauri Paar to reappear in their midst, signaling the end of winter. As the residents wait, their own lives move forward even without Rauri. This is a warm, wise, and wonderful look at the inhabitants of a small town, at connection, and support in good times and bad.

Please come, whether you’ve read / liked the book or not!

All titles for our bookclub are selected from WNBA’s Great Group Reads List. Interested in knowing more about that committee? Contact Kristen Knox, KKnox.NatlReadingGrpMonth@gmail.com

Book Club Meetup: Tuesday, November 5th

Tomorrow'sBread MayhewCome and discuss Tomorrow’s Bread by Anna Jean Mayhew (Kensington Books)
Tuesday, November 5th, 7:00pm
Panera Bread, 5940 Fairview Rd., Charlotte, NC

ABOUT CHARLOTTE HISTORY, Y’ALL!
In 1961 Charlotte, North Carolina, the predominantly black neighborhood of Brooklyn is a bustling city within a city. Self-contained and vibrant, it has its own restaurants, schools, theaters, churches, and night clubs. There are shotgun shacks and poverty, along with well-maintained houses like the one Loraylee Hawkins shares with her young son, Hawk, her Uncle Ray, and her grandmother, Bibi. Loraylee’s love for Archibald Griffin, Hawk’s white father and manager of the cafeteria where she works, must be kept secret in the segregated South.

Loraylee has heard rumors that the city plans to bulldoze her neighborhood, claiming it’s dilapidated and dangerous. The government promises to provide new housing and relocate businesses. But locals like Pastor Ebenezer Polk, who’s facing the demolition of his church, know the value of Brooklyn does not lie in bricks and mortar.

 Please come, whether you’ve read / liked the book or not!

All titles for our bookclub are selected from WNBA’s Great Group Reads List. Interested in knowing more about that committee? Contact Kristen Knox, KKnox.NatlReadingGrpMonth@gmail.com