Hamilton Public Library hosts book club celebrating award-winning Hamilton author, Anuja Varghese
By: Erica Boyle, Arts and Culture Contributor
The Hamilton Public Library celebrated the end of last year’s Hamilton Reads program on Nov. 14, 2024, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Valley Park Branch. This year, Hamilton Reads featured Chrysalis, Anuja Varghese’s debut book.
Chrysalis was published in 2023 and won both the Governor-General award and the Writers Trust Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2+ Emerging Writers in 2023. Additionally, Chrysalis was awarded the Fiction Award at the 31st Annual Hamilton Literary Awards which took place at the HPL’s Central Branch on Dec. 12, 2024.
Hamilton Reads is an annual book club that celebrates reading and shines a spotlight on a recommended book each year. Readers can pick up the book and give their thoughts at the event. This is a great opportunity for the community to come together and bond over a shared love of reading.
“Doing Hamilton Reads over the past year has been so cool for me . . . I’ve got to spend time with a whole bunch of different book clubs, I didn’t even realize there were that many book clubs that the library runs. I got to do a writing workshop. So just so many cool things throughout the year that have both helped promote the book but also just allowed me to connect with different kinds of readers in Hamilton and that’s been really neat,” said Varghese.
[Hamilton Reads] allowed me to connect with different kinds of readers in Hamilton and that’s been really neat.
Anuja Varghese, Author of Chrysalis
The event included Varghese reading from Chrysalis and being interviewed by Sanaa Humayun, a Hamilton artist and artistic director at Hamilton Artists Inc., a local non-profit run by artists. The event was a great opportunity for readers to gather and have some fun. There were complimentary snacks and students from the Abhinaya Performing Arts Centre performed a traditional Bharatanatyam dance.
Varghese lives in Hamilton with her partner, two kids and two cats. She works for the YMCA in Hamilton in addition to being an author.
Varghese discussed what she hopes readers will take away from her book in an interview with The Silhouette. “I hope that anyone that picks up the book sees something of themselves somewhere in these stories. The stories all really focus on women and girls in moments of transformation. They focus on women of colour and queer folks and just the ways that we’re kind of robbed of power in different ways in our lives, and the ways that we can then pull some of that power back,” said Varghese.
I hope that anyone that picks up the book sees something of themselves somewhere in these stories. The stories all really focus on women and girls in moments of transformation.
Anuja Varghese, Author of Chrysalis
Varghese then mentioned her hope that McMaster students will discover an interest in short stories. “Short story collections are not something that a lot of people sort of naturally pick up. So, I hope that if it’s not something you would normally pick up, I hope it encourages people to give short stories a try,” said Varghese.
Currently, Varghese is working on a fantasy series set in medieval India. Readers interested should check out her website or social media for more information. More news about that will soon be released, so stay tuned! For the readers out there who want to get involved with the library, Hamilton Reads is the perfect program for you.
Dearest gentle readers ... it appears a Jane Austen and Bridgerton medley graced McMaster with a fantastic evening of dress up, mystery and enjoyment
The McMaster Book Club hosted a Jane Austen and Bridgerton themed mystery tea party. On Nov. 12, 2024, students gathered in their finest regency-inspired attire from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m for a mystery game night at Bridges.
McMaster's book club is dedicated to creating community through books. Mehreen Javed is the club's vice-president of administration. Isabella Paton is the vice-president of outreach for the McMaster Book Club.
"We typically choose two books a month and we really emphasize having club members vote on what those books are to let them have a say on that. So we'll have two meetings each month where we just talk about the books themselves. Additionally to that, we also do some socials and fun stuff like the Jane Austen event," said Paton.
Paton initially came up with the idea for this event over this past summer. "Everyone was hyping up Bridgerton so hard and I said, "I need this content right now." I was reading Pride and Prejudice at the time and we had been planning over the summer what kind of events we were going to run," said Paton.
"I think even when you look at Bridgerton, you could definitely tell that Bridgerton itself is definitely pulling inspiration from Jane Austen," said Paton when asked about the decision to do a combination theme of Jane Austen and Bridgerton.
The mystery tea party was an extremely detailed game and very well received by McMaster Book Club's community. "There was this kit online that came with a list of characters, character guides and fun little audio files we could play for them," said Javed.
"The audio files were so fun . . . it was so over the top, in the most fun way because I remember everyone got so into it . . . Once we actually started playing the game we were breaking people off into smaller groups. The whole point was to spread gossip and it was so funny because people just got so into it from there. And by the end of it, it was just constant laughing, over the top gasping and people were completely improvising. It was fun to see people come out of their shells," said Paton.
By the end of it, it was just constant laughing, over the top gasping and people were completely improvising. It was fun to see people come out of their shells.
Isabella Paton, Vice-President of Outreach
McMaster Book Club
"In these groups they [participants] also have lines and rumours that they can spread [which] are listed in their character guides. So that way, the drama is stirred, the tea is filled. Everyone gets suspicious of everybody else because they don't know if that person is plotting," said Javed.
The book club executives had assigned all attendees a letter before their arrival to the event. They chose one of the letters to be Lady Whistlewind, a character's hidden identity people try to discover in the game. "What makes it fun is you can play the game multiple times . . . in theory, every time it [Lady Whistlewind] could be a different character," said Paton.
Participants were strongly encouraged to wear costumes to further immerse themselves in the game. "We sent everyone a list of all the characters before the actual day of and got them to tell us their top three characters. After that, we told everyone what their character was . . . people were fully dressed up in their gowns. Even the men were in their riding boots, it was so funny," said Paton.
The book club executives used decorations, refreshments and props for attendees to have a real Jane Austen and Bridgerton tea party experience.
"We had small brownies, we had little mini cupcakes and we also had tea, because you can't have it without tea," said Javed. "Bridges has these nice fairy lights that they have strung up there. So we turned those on . . . I also had my speaker as well and we were playing Bridgerton music in the background."
The evening had other props such as teacups, fans and the overall Bridges scenery for students to take photos among. "What's really nice about Bridges is you don't necessarily have to do too much just because it's a really nice venue," said Paton.
"I think events like these . . . just give book lovers an opportunity to actually come together, get to know each other, come out of their shell a lot of the times," said Paton. "It was so nice to emphasize community and emphasize that book club can be a source of community for people."
It was so nice to emphasize community and emphasize that book club can be a source of community for people.
Isabella Paton, Vice-President of Outreach
McMaster Book Club
So for now gentle readers, have a say in the next McMaster Book Club's book of choice and stay tuned for more engaging socials on their Instagram.
C/O Jessica Yang
The Art Gallery of Burlington is creating a more inclusive world one book club discussion at a time
By: Emma Shemko, contributor
Hosted and facilitated by Jasmine Mander, the Art Gallery of Burlington’s new Echo Black, Indigenous and People of Colour book club works to create a safe, inclusive and accessible space for marginalized folks. The club prioritizes the lived experiences of BIPOC folks through reading and discussion of critical texts written by BIPOC authors.
Currently the curatorial assistant at the AGB, Mander has worked at a number of art organizations over the years, including Hamilton Artists Inc., where she coordinated Incoming!, an initiative to address and support the needs of newcomer, immigrant and refugee artists.
Mander is passionate about uplifting BIPOC voices and she wanted to create such a safe space for BIPOC folks to talk about their experiences and ideas, where they felt they could bring down their walls and share openly without fear of being judged.
"[The book club] is an opportunity to come together, discuss as a group and unpack ideas. It's like learning together . . . Maybe you see somebody who looks like you and there's this sense of guard that's just dropped. And then, the more you get to know the people in the group, the more times people voice their opinions or their stories and really express themselves, you just grow more and are confident in being able to discuss your ideas," explained Mander.
Echo’s reading list consists mainly of memoirs and personal accounts of BIPOC authors. Mander hopes book club attendees can see their experiences represented and feel seen and heard when reading these stories.
The book club is geared towards youth aged 16-25, with the idea of facilitating the sharing of knowledge between generations and encouraging conversation around how BIPOC communities move forward with these histories.
“A lot of the work and the knowledge that I've gained, I feel is super important to pass on to this next chapter in this next generation. You're passing on the knowledge. All the work that you've done is not lost, but you're investing in the youth so that you're providing them with spaces, mentorship and support," said Mander.
At its heart, Echo is about creating safe spaces and part of that is ensuring the club itself is as accessible as possible. The monthly sessions are held online, eliminating the need for a commute. The online environment also allows participants to leave their cameras off and participate as much or as little as they wish.
Mander also wanted to move away from the constraints of the average book club, encouraging readers of all levels and experiences to join and removing the usual obligation to finish the book before attending. Echo is about the quality of discussion over the quantity of books read, so participants are welcome to join monthly discussions even if they've only read a few pages.
"I try to think about myself as a participant, I try to think if I was entering this conversation, how would I navigate it? . . . Part of that, for me, is encouraging people to be able to come and go in space as needed, based on their energy levels," said Mander.
Additionally, Mander recognized the increasing cost of books might pose a barrier to some and to ensure Echo does not become a financial burden, a free physical copy of each month's book will be mailed to registered participants a month in advance. Participants are encouraged to sign up as early as possible as space is limited.
The Echo book club is meant to be an inclusive space for all BIPOC community members and allies, offering the opportunity for them to learn and grow with these stories and to feel part of a community.
"One of my key phrases and one that I always like to repeat in my mind over and over again is this: I want BIPOC folks to feel like they can go from a place of just surviving to thriving. I want to see that happen. And so this [book club] is my way of contributing a space to my community," said Mander.
Echo will be launching April 25 at 6:30 p.m. with the discussion of Eternity Martis’ They Said This Would be Fun: Race, Campus Life and Growing Up.
