KC Girlfriends Book Club, Kansas City, MO
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Q: What is the full name of your book club? Where are you located? Have an official book club website?
A: KC Girlfriends Book Club. We are located in Kansas City, MO. Our official website is www.kcgirlfriendsbookclub.com
Q: How long has your club been in existence?
A: We have been in existence since 2002
Q: How many members do you have? Is your book club co-ed? If yes, how many men do you have in your group?
A: 25 active members We do not discourage men from joining but at this time we do not have men…probably the name of the book club works against us! lol
Q: How often does your book club meet and where are your meetings held? How long are your book discussion meetings?
A: Book club meetings are held on the 3rd Sunday of each month at 4pm in various restaurants throughout the Kansas City area. We meet for 2 1/2 hrs.
Q: How are members selected? Is there open enrollment year-round, or are there specific times of the year new members are allowed to join your club?
A: We always have open enrollment. Members should be able to attend meetings on a regular basis. Each member is active for one year after paying their annual dues regardless how often they come to meetings.
Q: Who facilitates your book discussions? Are reading guides important and used by your club?
A: Any of our members can facilitate meetings. Whoever suggests the book of the month will facilitate the meeting. Reading guides are normally used by the newer members but not so much by most of the members that have been in the book club for awhile.
Q: How are books chosen? What types of books do your club enjoy reading? Are there books that your club will not read?
A: Members generally choose books that they find of interest and think that the book club would like to read. Our book club read fiction books written by African American authors. We mostly read books by new authors because our book club believe that it is essential to support new authors. We do not read books that have demeaning names for women as titles or books that had no business being published….I think they know who they are!
Q: What are some of the best discussions or favorite books read by your club?
A: Taken for Granted by Earl Sewell, Game by E. Lemont Goode Jr, Mama’s Lies-Daddy’s Pain by Brian W. Smith, The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips and the Great Pretender by Millenia Black
Q: How does your club keep activities and club meetings fresh and enjoyable for all?
A: Many of our members are involved with different organizations throughout the community so we try to support each other by attending various functions together. We also attend the National Book Club Conference. Our book club is such a lively group that I think if we met in a room with just four plain walls we could make it entertaining!
Q: Is food apart of your club meetings? If yes, who is responsible for the refreshments or meal?
A: We meet in different restaurants each month so food is a huge part of our meetings. Eating in restaurants is actually what attracts most of our new members.
Q: Is there anything unique or noteworthy about your book club that you would like to share?
A: I think what makes our book club unique is that we are very passionate about supporting new authors. We realize that if we as a book club do not support new authors they may not get the respect due to them as a wonderful author. We invite at least 4 new authors each year to come discuss their books with us and give them honest feedback. We also help with their expenses by paying for their meal and pay for their hotel room when needed.
Q: What advice would you like to give other book clubs, or those considering joining or starting up new club?
A: For those starting a new book club…be patient. As long as you have 2 people you have a book club. If you start small the more organized you will become. Utilize any local AA community website that is available and you will probably get more people interested in joining. Most of the time it’s actually better to have a book club with people that only have the love for reading in common than to start a book club with friends and coworkers. Book clubs with friends and coworkers generally lose their focus and the integrity and purpose of the book club will be compromised in the end. A book club with new people is a wonderful way to network and can also be very resourceful. Have good guidelines to keep your book club on the straight and narrow and be willing to take suggestions from all your members. Remember it is not just your book club but everyone that’s involved, you just happened to be the one that organized it. Figure out a platform or purpose for your book club. Do you want to be a book club that wants to give back to the community in some way? Do you want to help others network by supporting events? Do you want to support a particular type of author or group? Remember your book club is what you make of it and in the end you’ll find that it can be rewarding in more ways that you can every imagine. Most importantly…have fun!!!! Happy Reading!
If you are looking to join a book club be sure that you have time to read and to meet most of the time. If you do not have time to read or meet on a regular basis consider an online book club. Be sure that you go to a meeting prior to joining a book club to see if you feel comfortable around the other members. Do not hesitate to consider other book clubs or if you can handle it join more than one book club. Think about what you’re looking for in a book club before making your decision. Ask many questions.
The above information is being provided by: TaNisha Webb, KC Girlfriends Book Club President
