This month, we have a special promotion.

The first three people to sign up and join Literaryswag Book Club will get a complimentary copy of this month’s book. Now, before Yahdon details why he chose this month’s pick, book club member Jake gives a recap on May’s meeting.

“May’s book choice was Brazilian reporter Eliane Brum’s The Collector of Leftover Souls, a collection of stories about the people who make up the many parts of Brazil. This was not only the first translated work we’ve read in the book club, but this meeting carried a different air than others with near unanimous praise. There was admiration and respect both for Brum’s virtuous use of the written language, as well as the manner in which Diane Grosklaus Whitty had seamlessly translated the work from Portuguese to English. The translation process sparked a spirited conversation with several thoughtful questions. Which parts of one language can truly be matched in another? What is the role of a reporter in translating a subject’s story without inserting their own perspective? The group gained perspective on the many different parts of Brazil, the stories of the people and new ways to appreciate how the words we read make it to the page.”

The June pick for 2021 is Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants.

“If there's anything that informs my curation for this year's Book Club picks it's the fact that I've made a concerted effort to pick books that allow us to have conversations about topics that we, as a Book Club, have never had before. While we've read works by indigenous writers, we have yet to read a book about nature. Braiding Sweetgrass is a brilliant intersection and reconciliation of indigenuous people's knowledge with nature, western science, told through the personal journey of Kimmerer's life. Though she grew up with the knowledge of the land, the violence this U.S. government and its institutions visited upon Indigenous folk with the fatal policies they created dislodged her from this knowledge, a knowledge that took her longer to relearn than it did to lose.”

This meeting takes place via Zoom, Wednesday, June 30th, 7pm [EST].

Members, be on the look out for the email with your link to access the meeting.

See you there!