AFRICANA STUDIES VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB
Africana Studies Virtual Book Club is a FREE gathering co-led by awarding-winning educator and author Ekuwah Mends Moses and her father Mr. Albion Mends III, Religion and Africana Studies Instructor Emeritus.
The mission of the Club is to expose, educate, and elevate through a wide-reading of Black and African literary works and dialogue. The Black experience is not monolithic and miseducation abounds. Our vision is to use the virtual platform to engage a mixed group of participants in text-based conversation and reflective/transformative questioning.
2023
BOOK SELECTIONS
We would like to invite you to gather with us! Our goal is to create a text-centered space of interactive, informational, and inspiring gatherings that are open to all ages of readers. We aim to leave each Club session with more energy than we arrived with, and to use the essence of inspiration we gain from our gatherings to create positive change in our lives and in the world around us.
Once you register, the Zoom links and calendar invites will be sent to you. Please forward this invitation to other readers!
OUR INSPIRATION
Why do we choose a mixture of adult books and youth/children's books for our monthly book club selections?
Listen to the late and great Nigerian author Chinua Achebe explain the importance for all ages of readers to explore a wide variety of African literature. He describes the role of stories in raising his own daughter and his inspiration for writing children's books. (Start the video at 3:28)
PREVIOUS BOOK CLUB
SELECTIONS, RESOURCES, & TESTIMONIALS
Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond
"One of my most gratifying book club experiences. The Africana Studies Virtual Book Club is led by the award-winning educator and author Ekuwah Mends-Moses (My Name is an Address, Mama’s Portraits and Me) and her dad Mr. Albion Mends III, Religion and Africana Studies instructor emeritus. Together, they have convened a community of book lovers who gave RELATIONS one of the deepest and closest reads I’ve had the privilege to sit in on. If you’re looking for a good new book to read with impassioned bookworms, join this virtual book club."
A.M.
"It was my first experience in a book club and beyond anything I could have imagined! The book itself was an amazing pick and every chapter made me more intrigued than the last. It was great hearing varying perspectives from so many different backgrounds as I left with a fuller picture of how multifaceted the “black experience” has been/is. I would encourage everyone to join a book club!"
V.S.
"Thank you for a great morning! I am brand new to African Studies with very little prior knowledge. I was quite intimidated at first but you were a great facilitator and made me feel at ease. Thank you! I look forward to meeting with you all next week."
J.K.
"This book club has been incredible and I'm so grateful. The conversations we are having are so important and I love that you all have created a space for these conversations to flourish."
A.S.
"Overall, it was a great experience... and I found it to have depth and breadth.. that I did not expect! Thank you Mr. Albion Mends III and Mrs. Ekuwah Moses for your extensive work! And a shout out to the family members and participants who made this such a rewarding experience!"
P.L.
"Enjoyed the group with the diversity of life experience and age range."