Reader gazes down at a selected Manga. (Photo: Terrell Amos)
On Sat., April 18, folks gathered in the Coleman Library for the first-ever Black Imagination Book Club. Facilitated by Germantown poet, LindoYes, the club allows participants to read and think freely together.
“We can’t just allow things to be in theory, but to see how they are in practice, just like imagining a better future that we can expect for ourselves,” LindoYes explained to GIH.
The Black Imagination Book Club offers an intentional space for learning, reading, and sharing. “Adulthood” personas are let go for the time as participants slip into the joys of childhood.
Participants could come with a book of their own or find one in the library. The session started with an independent reading that was about 20 minutes. The last 35–40 minutes included a talk-back where everyone shared what they had read, in the space or at home.
The table had diverse reading selections from a text on African Philosophy to a review of a Manga Magazine to a graphic novel about an American adult who gains superpowers when wearing different super suits.
The conversation was vibrant and allowed space to recognize the importance of oral traditions and communal reading.
“I think most people think, ‘Oh, I gotta go to the library and get a textbook,’ and it’s boring, and it’s very inaccessible. But we are people who come from oral traditions and storytelling. This is how we learn, and these are our collective communal epistemologies,” said Chloe Murphy, a library staffer.
LindoYes added to Murphy’s sentiment, saying, “I don’t think reading is supposed to happen in isolation… we can talk about what I read and that kind of carries on oral tradition.”
For one couple, Jabari and Molly, who stumbled upon the Book Club, they felt easily welcomed into the space.
“I feel related. I feel like the next time that I’m more prepared, I have a lot to get off my chest… and I’m happy about the recommendations that I got because of it,” said Jabari. The book club is a jump-off for the upcoming Poetry, Blerds, and Jams (PB&J) event, which is set to be Philadelphia’s first-ever Black-led Poetry Comic Con.
What does “Blerd” mean?
Blerd: Affectionate term meaning “Black Nerds.”
Organized by Enoch the Poet, Khalisah Hameed, & LindoYes, PB&J will host an all-day Comic Con at The Braid Mill (441 High St.) that pushes forward the conversation of Black Imagination through live art, panels, discussions, music, and workshops.
The event seeks to bring together lovers of comics, animation, literature, and everyone in between. “We decided to do free events, where we talk about Black Imagination and how it appears for us,” Lindo said, connecting the book club to the wider event.
PB&J’s decision to base the event in Germantown was not by chance. The hope is that this event helps spread the word of Germantown’s budding cultural activities and festival landscape. For Lindo, having the Poetry Comic Con in this neighborhood is an ode to Blerds he has met in his lifetime.
“Every Black nerd that I’ve run into can trace it back to Germantown. When I think about the Black Tribes and their podcasts — what they were doing for years — a lot of them were rooted in Germantown,” Lindo said.
“When I first met the founder of Black Sci-Fi, he was only six blocks away from me. So when I think about all those moments, I think about Germantown.”
PB&J also provided true $15 food stipends and swag bags as a thank you for showing up — an offering connected to its grassroots mission of accessibility and community organizing.
“We want to make sure that we are making people leave with something that feels materially different from another experience, otherwise,” LindoYes said.
He said that in the midst of this work, it’s equally important to have aspects of mutual aid, as well.
Outreach Coordinator for PB&J, Khalisah Hameed, believes that the Book Club is something that can exist beyond the planned September Comic Con after seeing the “love and care people felt” in the space.
“If you have 10 [or] 20 minutes out of your Saturday, come talk about a book. Talk about an anime. Talk about a graphic novel. We can just share that time,” said Hameed.
The next book club dates are set for May 16 and June 20 to be held back at the Coleman Library (68 W. Chelten Ave.) from 12–2 p.m. There is no registration necessary; just show up. To learn more and stay up to date, check out poetryblerdsandjams on Instagram.
Shanayah Wyche is a Philly-born educator and community organizer. She primarily reports on stories surrounding art, culture, and civic politics.