Reading
Group Network
One of the primary aims
of the DEVOLVING DIASPORAS
project is to engage in detail with the reading
practices and actual, situated responses of
readers to the selected texts. To this end,
in 2007 and 2008, we recorded a range of reading
groups meeting monthly in public libraries in
Scotland discussing the same ‘diasporic’
texts. These included:
Brick Lane (Monica
Ali) (MARCH)
Small Island (Andrea Levy) (APRIL)
White Teeth ( Zadie Smith) (MAY)
The Adoption Papers (Jackie Kay) (JUNE)
For the rationale behind this selection, and details of other texts being considered, click here.
All readers participating
in the Scottish book groups were invited to attend
the Macrobert Theatre (Stirling) adaptation of Jackie Kay’s
The Adoption Papers in June 2007. They also had an opportunity
to meet Jackie at one of the book group sessions.
Simultaneously, we set
up a series of ‘transnational’ groups
in various locations around the world, who were reading the same texts, plus an additional
text of ‘local’ relevance to the
region. Our transnational groups are located
in:
Kingston, Ontario (CANADA)
Port of Spain (TRINIDAD)
New Delhi (INDIA)
Tetuan, Morocco (AFRICA)
Kingston (JAMAICA)
Wherever possible, these groups were linked via our reception
area so that readers in different locations
were able to chat online about the same texts. This was made possible by the ENCOMPASS team at
the British Council (London). Click here to see a transcript of one of the discussions - scroll down to ‘Things Fall Apart'...
Click here to read short accounts of the reading experience provided by our librarians and group coordinators in the various transnational settings.
Finally, in late 2007 and
2008 we extended and opened our network to
invited ONE OFF READING GROUPS in Nottingham, Manchester, Brent, Norfolk, Glasgow and Edinburgh. |