This a virtual book club that meets to discuss writing from different genres written by and/or about LGBTQ+ people. This is a space book club for open discussion, literary analysis, political discourse, and chatting centering on exciting contemporary and older books. The book list is still in formation (share your book recommendations by joining), however, we will be reading literary fiction, history, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and more.
This is a Q & T program run through Word Up Community Bookshop/Librería Comunitaria and facilitated by Memphis Washington.
REGISTER HERE
We’ll send you the zoom information once you are signed up!
Schedule
When: Every last Tuesday of the Month @ 7pm
Where: Zoom (register to receive the link)
Each book is discussed once in a monthly session.
March Meeting Information:
When & Where: Tuesday, March 28th at 7pm on Zoom
Reading: Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser, illustrated by Robyn Smith
Facilitators: TJ Alexander (local author) and Memphis Washington
Discussion Questions & Topics:
- What are the ways that you take care of yourself? How do you take care of others? Who takes care of you?
- What do you think about the way the characters interact with their friends?
- What does community protection look like?
These are only meant to start the conversation. Please come up with your own questions and bookmark passages you might want to discuss! Content warnings below the “About the Author Section”
About Wash Day Diaries
From writer Jamila Rowser and artist Robyn Smith comes a captivating graphic novel love letter to the beauty and endurance of Black women, their friendships, and their hair.
Wash Day Diaries tells the story of four best friends—Kim, Tanisha, Davene, and Cookie—through five connected short story comics that follow these young women through the ups and downs of their daily lives in the Bronx.
The book takes its title from the wash day experience shared by Black women everywhere of setting aside all plans and responsibilities for a full day of washing, conditioning, and nourishing their hair. Each short story uses hair routines as a window into these four characters’ everyday lives and how they care for each other.
Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith originally kickstarted their critically acclaimed, award-winning slice of life mini comic, Wash Day, inspired by Rowser’s own wash day ritual and their shared desire to see more comics featuring the daily lived experiences of young Black women. Wash Day Diaries includes an updated, full color version of this original comic—which follows Kim, a 26-year-old woman living in the Bronx—as the book’s first chapter and expands into a graphic novel with short stories about these vibrant and relatable new characters.
In expanding the story of Kim and her friends, the authors pay tribute to Black sisterhood through portraits of shared, yet deeply personal experiences of Black hair care. From self-care to spilling the tea at an hours-long salon appointment to healing family rifts, the stories are brought to life through beautifully drawn characters and different color palettes reflecting the mood in each story.
At times touching, quiet, triumphant, and laugh out loud funny, the stories of Wash Day Diaries pay a loving tribute to Black joy and the resilience of Black women.
About the Author and Illustrator
Jamila Rowser is a Black, Puerto Rican, and Dominican award-winning writer who enjoys creating comics for Black women. She also publishes comics by and for women of color and non-binary people of color through Black Josei Press. Jamila was featured, along with Robyn Smith, in Adweek’s 2021 Creative 100 as a creator to follow. Jamila lives in Miami but reps the Bronx. You can find her detangling her hair, reading manga, and doting on her two cats Sage and Sapphire.
Robyn Smith is a Jamaican cartoonist known for illustrating DC Comics’ Nubia: Real One (written by L.L. McKinney) and her mini-comic The Saddest Angriest Black Girl in Town. She has an MFA from the Center for Cartoon Studies and has worked on comics for College Humor and The Nib. She loves cake and cats and holds onto dreams of returning home to the ocean.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please share them with Memphis at QNTCommunity@gmail.com
Content Warnings: depression, ableism, dementia, queerphobia, a stalking/abusive ex, alcohol and marijuana usage