FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ron Kavanaugh
ron@literaryfreedom.org • 917-539-6965
https://onebookonebronx.com/media

BRONX BOOK CLUB BUILDS A COMMUNITY OF READERS AND PRESENTS A SPACE TO DISCUSS SOCIAL ISSUES

February 3, 2020 - One Book One Bronx is a community-centered book club that hosts weekly restorative conversations related to gentrification, social justice, women’s empowerment, and criminal justice. Launched in October 2018, reading selections reflect the racial, economic, and gender demographics of the Bronx and build bridges to engagement while (re)sparking a love of literature. We’re currently reading Jamel Brinkley’s A Lucky Man, which is partly set in the Bronx.  

• DATES: Tuesdays, 6:30pm to 8:00pm Feb 18, 25, Mar 3, 10, & 17, 2020
  LOCATION: BronxArtSpace, 305 E 140th St., Bronx, NY
  www.OneBookOneBronx.com

In nine powerful stories, Jamel Brinkley (who was raised in the Bronx) explores the charged, complex ties between men whose mistakes threaten their relationships with friends, lovers, and family members. An imaginative young boy from the Bronx goes swimming with his day camp group at a backyard pool in the suburbs, and faces the effects of power and privilege in ways he can barely grasp. A pair of college boys on the prowl follow two girls home from a party and have to own the uncomfortable truth of their desires. And at a capoeira conference, two brothers grapple with how to tell the story of their family, caught in the dance of their painful, fractured history.

The first 25 book club attendees receive a free copy of the reading selection. Since its beginning, the book club has distributed over 300 free books. One Book One Bronx has met in numerous locations throughout the Bronx (Bronx Native, Bronx Library Center, and BronxArtSpace). In addition to our current location, BronxArtSpace, the book club also meets at the Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education, 928 Simpson Ave. Our goal is to build a network of book clubs that will grow readers. All books are purchased through The Lit Bar, the Bronx’s only bookstores.

One Book One Bronx seeks to resuscitate the beauty of reading, restore the intimacy of books and culture, and create a space that mines the cultural narratives of Bronx neighborhoods. Participants come together to discuss that week’s assigned chapters, and a paid facilitator leads the discussions. However, we encourage anyone in the club to take the lead, generate tangential conversations, and build new bridges that may take us away from the reading material and connect to current events and other socially relevant text.  

One Book One Bronx is presented by the Literary Freedom Project. LFP believes that cultural identity is a fundamental cornerstone in the development of smart, creative, and engaged communities. These qualities, on which cultures are sustained and strengthened, are honed, in part, through a mix of immersive reading –academic, vocational, and pleasure. OB is a public discussion group that recenters literature as a way to build community conversations related to gentrification, social justice, women’s empowerment, criminal justice, and racial inequality. 

Upcoming Schedule
BRONXARTSPACE
Feb 18, 25, Mar 3, 10, & 17, 2020
A Lucky Man by Jamel Brinkley*

Mar 24, 31, Apr 7, 14, & 21, 2020
Song of the Water Saints by Nelly Rosario

May 5, 12, 19, 26, & June 2, 2020
Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

June 9, 16, 23, & 30, 2020
Corregidora by Gayl Jones

CASITA MARIA CENTER FOR ARTS & EDUCATION
March 25, April 1, 8, 15, & 22, 2020  
Citizen Illegal by José Olivarez*

June 3, 10, 17, 24, & July 1, 2020
Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera*

July 15, 22, 29, Aug 5, & 12, 2020
Locked Gray / Linked Blue: Stories by Kem Joy Ukwu*

*writers from the Bronx, NY

The Literary Freedom Project presents One Book One Bronx, develops literature-based lesson plans & workshops, hosts the Mosaic Literary Conference and publishes Mosaic. LFP is supported, in part, by public funds from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, donations, and Citizens Committee of New York City.