What we’re about
This is a book club for Black women interested in reading and discussing books written by Black women (including but not limited to American, Caribbean, African, and European authors). I started this group to bring together people who love to read and who want to build a community focused on discovering, discussing, and celebrating the literature of Black women writers from across the African diaspora. We read literary fiction and nonfiction. We will meet monthly for book discussions at various locations across the city.
Upcoming events (4)
See all- Author Talk: "Liberating Abortion" Book Talk with Renee Bracey ShermanCall & Response Books, Chicago, IL
Join us at Call & Response Books in Hyde Park on the 52nd anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. Renee Bracey Sherman will be discussing her new book Liberating Abortion: Claiming Our History, Sharing Our Stories, and Building the Reproductive Future We Deserve. Register here.
The book Liberating Abortion will take you back to the basics of sex education, detailing the traditions of abortion over centuries, while examining how society makes us feel about our experiences. You'll find rigorous research, never-before-heard stories, and eye-opening interviews with over 50 people of color who have had abortions, including activists, actresses, television writers, politicians, and the two Black members of Jane, the Chicago feminist service that provided abortions before Roe.
Renee Bracey Sherman is a reproductive justice activist, abortion storyteller, and writer. She is the founder and co-executive director of We Testify, an organization dedicated to the leadership and representation of people who have abortions and share their stories at the intersection of race, class, and gender identity. She is also an executive producer of Ours to Tell, an award-winning documentary elevating the voices of people who've had abortions. In October, she and her co-author Regina Mahone released their debut book, Liberating Abortion: Claiming Our History, Sharing Our Stories, and Building the Reproductive Future We Deserve and they are also the co-hosts of The A Files: A Secret History of Abortion, a podcast from The Meteor. She lives in Washington, DC.
- #99: We Are the Culture by Arionne NettlesHall Branch, Chicago Public Library, Chicago, IL
Our first book selection of 2025 is We Are the Culture: Black Chicago's Influence on Everything by Arionne Nettles. And exciting news: Arionne has agreed to join us for a Q&A during the meeting!
About the book: During the Great Migration, more than a half million Black Americans moved from the South to Chicago, and with them, they brought the blues, amplifying what would be one of the city’s greatest musical art forms. In 1958, the iconic Johnson Publishing Company, the voice of Black America, launched the Ebony Fashion Fair show, leading to the creation of the first makeup brand for Black skin. For three decades starting in the 1970s, households across the country were transported to a stage birthed in Chicago as they moved their hips in front of TV screens airing Soul Train.
Chicago is where Oprah Winfrey, a Black woman who did not have the “traditional look” TV managers pushed on talent, premiered her talk show, which went on to break every record possible and solidify her position as the “Queen of Daytime TV.” It’s where Hall of Famer Michael Jordan led the Bulls to six championships, including two three-peats, making the NBA a must-see attraction worldwide and wearing Jordans a style symbol to this day. And it’s home to Grammy winner Chance the Rapper, whose work honors the city’s cultural institutions, from the White Sox to modern art superstar Hebru Brantley.
Pop culture expert Arionne Nettles takes us through the history of how Black Chicagoans have led pop culture in America for decades, and gives insight into the ways culture spreads and influences our lives.
Support Black Girls Read Chicago by purchasing the We Are the Culture on Bookshop.org (affiliate link).
- Author Event: A Conversation with Justice Ketanji Brown JacksonHouse of Hope Arena, Chicago, IL
Register for this event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-conversation-with-justice-ketanji-brown-jackson-the-lovely-one-memoir-tickets-1125521648549. If you would like to sit with our group, please arrive no later than 6:30 pm.
Step into a moment of living history as we welcome Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court, to the heart of Chicago. With her groundbreaking memoir, Lovely One, Justice Jackson opens the door to her extraordinary journey—one of resilience, purpose, and unparalleled impact.
Join us at the iconic House of Hope Arena for an inspiring evening that transcends the pages of her book. Experience a dynamic conversation about breaking barriers, championing justice, and the personal triumphs that shaped her legacy. This is more than an event—it's a celebration of history in the making.
This event is hosted collaboratively by Progressive Baptist Church, Salem Baptist Church of Chicago, and Trinity United Church of Christ, sponsored by The Will Group and in partnership with the University Club of Chicago.
Copies of Lovely One are provided by the event bookseller, Call & Response Books.
- #100: Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks + 100th Book Celebration!Overflow Coffee, Chicago, IL
We're turning 100! 🎉 Join us to discuss Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks, a classic novel by one of Chicago's most acclaimed writers. After the discussion, stick around for treats, giveaways, and raffle prizes to celebrate our 100th book and over 8 years together!
Event Details:
- Date: Sunday, February 23, 2025
- Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm (note the earlier start time!)
- Location: Overflow Coffee, 1449 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605
***
About the book: Maud Martha Brown is a little girl growing up on the South Side of 1940s Chicago. Amidst the crumbling taverns and overgrown yards, she dreams: of New York, romance, her future. She admires dandelions, learns to drink coffee, falls in love, decorates her kitchenette, visits the Jungly Hovel, guts a chicken, buys hats, gives birth. But her husband has dreams too: of the Foxy Cats Club, other women, war. And the 'scraps of baffled hate'—a certain word from a saleswoman; that visit to the cinema; the cruelty of a department store Santa Claus—are always there.
Written in 1953, this stunning only novel by the celebrated poet and first African-American to win a Pulitzer Prize is a poetic collage of happenings that forms an extraordinary portrait of an ordinary life: one lived with wisdom, humor, protest, rage, dignity, and joy.
-----
This book is a little hard to find and is not currently available to borrow from Chicago Public Library. Here are some places to purchase it online:- AbeBooks: https://www.abebooks.com/9780571373253/Maud-Martha-Faber-Editions-loved-0571373259/plp
- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Maud-Martha-Faber-Editions/dp/0571373259/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title
- Audible Audiobooks: https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Maud-Martha/dp/B09VLJFQ2H/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=
- Third World Press: https://thirdworldpressfoundation.org/products/maud-martha
- Thriftbooks: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/maud-martha_gwendolyn-brooks/258594/item/83302014/#edition=66229752&idiq=83302014
Please reach out to me if you have trouble finding a copy or if purchasing it will be a financial hardship. And please still attend the celebration even if you aren't able to read the book!
