Seeds Launches A Book Club for Students & Tutors

Coffee shops filled with coworkers. A church basement with neighbors. Stay-at-home moms gathered in a living room. Book Clubs form for reasons as varied as their meeting locations. The commonality? A love of the written word and a good story.

But what if someone struggles with literacy? Would they even want to join a book club?

That question was asked and answered in February when Site Coordinator Kara Krawiec formed a Seeds East Book Club.

“I’m in a monthly book club myself,” she explained. “Making reading a social activity means we not only learn, but have fun doing so. I wanted my students to experience that.”

Encouraged by the success of a recent Reading Challenge, Krawiec asked students to participate in World Read Aloud Day. By Valentine’s Day, they were ready to read poetry to the group. It was then that she announced the formation of a Book Club.

Many smiled politely, but Krawiec persisted and her enthusiasm proved contagious.

Students and tutors received a list of short story descriptions. “One of the 5 ways to learn to love reading is to pick something you enjoy,” she explained. “So I let them pick.”

Students voted for Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” which is a story about a small village and the lottery it hosts each year. “It’s not the type of lottery we’re used to, though,” Krawiec said. “Think more along the lines of The Hunger Games.”

“The end of the story features a twist that sparked an exciting conversation about traditions in society, and why we follow them even if we don’t always know why,” she said. “The tutors in attendance used the opportunity to discuss historical context and what was happening in the world at the time it was written.”

Book Club met for the first time at the end of February. It was attended by 8 students and 3 tutors. It has grown each meeting since.

“Everyone was really engaged and seemed excited to participate. I think we’ll need a larger space to meet soon,” Krawiec said.

Book Club is open to all Seeds East students who can choose to come Wednesdays 11am until noon or Thursdays from 3pm until 4pm .

**PLEASE NOTE: Book Club will not meet March 22 – April 6 for an extended spring break.**

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KLK