Join Us Next Time On: Alumni Book Club!

Here at the UTA Libraries, we host a monthly book club as part of our social events for students, where we focus on themes instead of individual books. I founded this club just before the beginning of the pandemic, with hopes to create a safe space for students to gather and talk about what they were reading, share their ideas, and socialize. 

When the pandemic hit, we immediately shifted to a virtual environment. I created a Facebook group where students who wanted to be part of the discussion could post their thoughts on whatever books they were reading that fit the theme. When the Fall 2020 semester started, we moved to in person, masked, virtual video conference meetings. I, and two of my student workers Alyssa Ray and Audrey Ham, would share thoughts on books we were reading based on monthly themes-- including: Lessons Learned: Banned Books Edition, Roots and Culture: Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration, and Otherworldly . 

Despite the technical difficulties, camera cut-outs, and sound issues, we had a lot of fun discussing books that we felt fit into the theme. I personally would often share children’s books, since I think they are an awesome way to introduce larger, more difficult conversations in a simpler, more accessible way, and the students always came with amazing recommendations and insightful thoughts and reflections.

In November of 2020, James Hollis, Director of Alumni Relations, reached out to us on our Facebook page with hopes of collaborating. I was more than excited to set something up. We decided to create a separate book club meeting that would be streamed to the UTA Alumni page, but would follow the same format of casual discussion over a general theme. We discussed several fun themes, including Seasons of Change, New Year New You, and Heroines and Authors. We’ve had guests from both Alumni Relations and the UTA Library! And we want you to join us too!

Interested in joining our conversations? Whether you're an alumni or current student or staff member, you can absolutely join us-- either through our online virtual video call meetings that are live streamed to our social media pages, or you can send in a submission that we can read and discuss on our live streams!

Want to know what kind of discussions we have? Here’s a fun example! In our last Book Club Live Stream Meeting, our theme was “Heroines and Authors.” We focused on strong female roles or awesome female authors that inspire us, and everyone brought something different to the table. I focused on the Harry Potter season. While J.K. Rowling is now a controversial figure, it’s undeniable that her works influenced people of all ages around the world, and her character Hermione was an amazing, intelligent, witty, and complex character that lifted up Ron and Harry, and helped them remember themselves on more than one occasion. Our student guest, Audrey Ham, focused on Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and the way that Austen creates a progressive society where women are social and intellectual equivalents to their male counterparts. James Hollis, Director of Alumni Relations, discussed the new prequel to The Hunger Games released by Suzanne Collins, and how those books not only present an incredibly strong female lead, but also truly dissects what it means to be “hungry.” And finally, our guest Kerri Rssl, from Organizational Excellence in the UTA Libraries, brought The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, a World War II story about two sisters who are both doing their best to do what they think is right. 

So, join us! We meet every second Wednesday of the month, at 12 pm, on the Libraries Community Desk Facebook Page! See you there!