The London Feminist Book Club welcomes women from all walks of life to meet monthly and discuss all things feminist literature.
Rebecca James founded the club in 2022 and said she wanted to share her love of reading while ‘addressing social isolation for the people who might find it difficult to make new friends or who have just moved to a new area’.
The first book club was set up in south London but now there are groups in north London, west London, Guildford, Bristol and Sheffield.
With an emphasis on intersectional feminism, Rebecca spoke about how the monthly reads are picked.
Rebecca said: “We take into consideration if there is an awareness month happening, is it Pride? Is it Black History Month? Is it World Mental Health Day?
“We usually pick between four to six [books] and then put the vote in our WhatsApp groups and on social media.”
We asked Rebecca about whether the rise of e-books and audiobooks has made an impact on the growth of reading and book clubs.
She responded: “I think it has benefitted 100%.
“I think it’s really lovely when you’re in a room and you’ve got a really nice mix of people buying and having the physical copy then people who listen on audio.
“If it keeps people reading, engaged and consuming literature in whatever, I’m all for audio and Kindle.”
Making sure the events are accessible for all women is a priority.
Rebecca makes sure that not all the books read are brand new as those can be quite expensive.
Attending one event costs around £13. The book club also gives out free tickets to those that cannot afford it.
Rebecca said: “Moving forward we want to do a sliding scale so that if people are struggling more with their finances, they pay less but also with people who are economically advantaged may be able to buy forward.”
The book club has reached new audiences after recent community events and collaborations with Penguin Random House and Hovis Bread.
With aspirations for ‘every major city in the UK to have a book club’, Rebecca believes this is only the beginning of The London Feminist Book Club journey.
You can find out more about The London Feminist Book Club here.
Photo by Robert Anasch on Unsplash
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