What we’re about
Hello hello hello literary fiction lovers of the greater Austin Area! Are you a sexy bookish type that loves to keep up with The New Yorker's short story of the week? Interested in meeting up with others to exchange thoughts on the vicissitudes of life, love, and contemporary short fiction? Miss reading and having friends who read, but don't have the time to linger over a 300-page novel?
Welcome: We have been searching for y'all and would be pleased to co-create a fun lil literary community together! Come join our group weekly for a lively, thoughtful in-person discussion of the latest and greatest work of short fiction from The New Yorker. We always read the latest story posted in the online version of the magazine, which is a week ahead of the print edition.
Whether you're a longtime lover of literature or just curious to see what all the fuss is about when it comes to Murakami and pals, you're welcome all the same :-) Reading is more fun when you have people with whom to share in the delight of glorious aesthetic experiences!
Please note that this is an inclusive community space, welcoming of LGBTQIA+, queer, transgender, and nonbinary people. Event attendees will be asked to share their preferred pronouns and to respect the preferred pronouns shared by other discussion participants. If that makes you uncomfortable, please don't attend, as tbh, the group vibes are just pretty fruity overall.
People of color seeking a diverse community and reading selection are also especially encouraged to attend. Not that they're perfect (or that we are, for that matter), but part of the reason why we read The New Yorker's short stories is that the editorial staff has done a fairly good job in recent years of publishing writers of color and promoting, more generally, a varied array of American & international literary voices. Our reading group is also fairly diverse in terms of ethnic and cultural background, although like most social communities in Austin, there's more that we could be doing in terms of community outreach and I (Rachel) would be happy to take suggestions in this regard, if y'all have any.
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Cover illustrations by Diobelle Cerna and Tabitha Brown
