Author and Speaker
We agree, to the best of our ability, that racism (and all the other phobias and isms) is still a problem in the world. We have raised awareness, taken stands, and we have composed Tweets and posts and essays about the evil of it all. There will always be a need for that. As long as racism exists, there will be a need for us to say it’s not okay for conferences and churches and schools and restaurants and neighborhoods and others to overlook or mistreat or prefer or exclude.
And, we agree about words. We love them. We write them. We read them. We memorize them. We forsake the laundry and the dishes and the lawnmower for the exquisite turns of phrase and the great expanse of wonder and imagination they invoke. We have been changed by the reading of a single book. We have changed the way we live our lives because of the words we’ve read between the covers of a book.
We also agree, when it comes to racism, we can do better. And so, we search for ways to elevate the conversation and broaden our horizons and pick up a hammer to build a bridge. There are protesters and organizers and speakers and pastors who help us find the way through the fog. And, maybe you’ve been wondering what difference you can make with your ordinary life and its regular kitchen with the windows that rattle when the weather grows windy.
So, we return to the words.
We believe words matter and conversation is powerful. We believe love is stronger than hate. We believe in disagreeing without being disagreeable. We practice those things here, in our book club. We named our book club "Forward" because we hope to move the conversation forward. We'd like to do something that doesn't sound like polarizing or othering or blaming or condemning. We'd like to learn from authors who don't like look like us. We'd like to learn from one another. You are welcome here. The best way to join Forward is to subscribe to this website (simply click the "Subscribe" tab at the top of this page) for exclusive updates and announcements as they're released.
Thanks so much for the conversation last week, everyone. If you're following along and have something you'd like to contribute to the conversation — a question, a viewpoint, an idea — but you're not feeling comfortable about sharing it, please hang in there with us. You are welcome here. I've …
Continue Reading about Forward: Between the World and Me, Part One, cont’d.
Never before have I wanted so badly to sit at a table with my readers and talk face-to-face. This book! I'm hoping I can do it justice in this space. I decided, the best thing to do is to share my reaction with you as a jumping off point for our conversations. Please don't feel as if you have to …
Continue Reading about Forward: Between the World and Me | Part One
Thank you for voting to read Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I don't know if I would have gotten to it, were it not for your votes to read this one together. I admit to reading the book through once already, in anticipation of reading it with you. I wanted to have a good sense of how …
Continue Reading about Forward: An Introduction to “Between the World and Me”
Thank you to everyone who completed the survey from our very first round of Forward: A Book Club to Help Move the Conversation...Forward. Based on your responses to the survey, we're going to go deeper and read Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Here are the details, from …
It's been more than ten years since my friend, Dia called me and said, "You've got to read this book." Of course, she was talking about the Yada Yada Prayer Group. Dia has never steered me wrong on a book recommendation, so I went right out to the bookstore and picked up a copy for myself. I was …
Continue Reading about Yada Yada Prayer Group: A Conversation with the Author
So, how was that for a plot twist? I've read this book many, many times. Every time, I cry when I read this section. These last eleven chapters are a book, in and of themselves. What are the things that truly matter in this world? When it's all said and done, what is of greatest value? Our …
Continue Reading about Yada Yada Prayer Group: Chapters Thirty through Forty-One
