Bards and Books a very friendly and sociable LGBTQ+ book group which meets on the first Monday of each month (apart from when this falls on a Bank Holiday in which case it moves to the second Monday). We meet from 11am to 1pm in a venue centrally located in Birmingham. There is the option to continue on to a group lunch after the meeting.
After managing, by using monthly Zooms, to keep Bards and Books going throughout the pandemic, we are now trying to return to face-to-face meetings. Some members still feel unable to meet in person and several have got new jobs. Therefore we are in the position of being able to offer new membership to anyone who would like to join us.
The group overall is in the 50+ age group although we do have younger members. There are more men than women and we would particularly welcome more women and people of colour.
Each meeting discusses a different book before broadening out to discuss wider issues of LGBTQ+ interest. Books chosen are by LGBTQ+ writers and/or contain LGBTQ+ themes. They cover a wide range of genres. The book choices are made by majority consensus from regularly updated lists compiled by members. A copy of our ongoing book choices since the group started in 2013 is available on request.
You are welcome to attend one of our meetings to see if Bards and Books is what you are looking for. Some of us have been members for nearly nine years and therefore have discussed around 100 books and are still coming back for more!
We also have a Podcasting project, and we’re looking for volunteers to assist with developing our website, so we can host our podcasts. You can hear some of our previous podcasts if you join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/686567058989271.
Please contact Mary Dunne at bardsandbooks@gmail.com if you are interested and would like further details.
