Contreras plans out the book club reads for the whole year ahead, so that participants can see what books are on the schedule and plan accordingly. They said picking out the books is a lengthy process in which they consider group feedback and whether the books are accessible and engage in intersectional representation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLatinidad can look like a lot of things\u2026 These authors are often touching on things that feel very intimate. We’re being seen in the books that we’re reading,\u201d said Contreras. \u201cSo, when we’re talking about that, it’s really easy to see that we’re with people who are mirroring ourselves in a way, with similar experiences or similar familial backgrounds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All of the books chosen for 2024, such as \u201cYou Sound Like a White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation\u201d by Julissa Arce and \u201cSolito\u201d by Javier Zamora, are available through the Seattle Public Library system, which was done on purpose to ensure that some book club members can find a copy for free. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the monthly book club meetings, the group often starts off with introductions and ice-breakers before they dive into the book with a few guiding questions, which often spark related conversations about topics outside of the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Contreras said one of the biggest challenges they have faced was holding the book club during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though members of the group experienced \u201cZoom fatigue\u201d and high-stress emotions, they tried to meet in person. However, Contreras said it was difficult to find places to meet that were BIPOC-owned and accommodated larger groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the club is centered around books, Seattle Latinx Book Club\u2019s slogan is \u201cCreating comunidad one book at a time,\u201d emphasizing the importance of community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group meets in different locations around Seattle. Contreras ensures that each business is comfortable with the group meeting there. Past locations include El Quetzal in Beacon Hill and Dubsea Coffee in West Seattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOriginally from El Salvador, but growing up in Colorado, I was in a very white space, and I felt like I had to hide my Latinidad,\u201d said Sandra Benitez, \u201cBut I\u2019ve been making a big effort to rediscover who I am, where I\u2019m going, and how I want the world to see me.\u201d \u201cHearing from everyone in the group has given me the courage to speak up for what I stand for in my own environments or workplace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An overarching goal for the group is to continue fostering these new connections outside of the organized book club meetings. Going forward, Contreras hopes to streamline the process for members to reach out to one another so that they can communicate together whenever they like without having to wait for the next book club meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Seattle Latinx Book Club is important for many reasons. It not only provides an opportunity to form an intentional community but also allows members to self-reflect on their culture and upbringing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI just think it\u2019s a unique space in Seattle,\u201d said Arlene Amaya. \u201cYou can\u2019t often find places where you can have these kinds of conversations, so I feel lucky that we\u2019ve found one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Cover Photo: Seattle Latinx Book Club participants, from the left, Sandra Benitez, organizer Mar\u00eda Mu\u00f1oz Contreras, and Arlene Amaya take a break during the May book club meeting at El Quetzal in Seattle on Saturday, May 19, 2024. Benitez and Amaya became friends after both moving to Seattle and the May meeting was their second time going to the book club. (Photo by Chloe Sarmiento)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chloe Sarmiento is a fourth-year Journalism and Public Interest Communication student at the University of Washington. Passionate about uplifting underrepresented voices, she hopes to use her journalism platform to serve and tell the story of marginalized communities through accurate and diligent storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Publisher\u2019s Notes: Washington Latino News and a class in the Journalism and Public Interest Communication program<\/a> at the University of Washington<\/a> <\/strong>are partners in best serving the Hispanic and Latino communities.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cSeattle is pretty famous for the \u2018Seattle Freeze\u2019 and when you add in being Latinx, trying to build comunidad, it can be really 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