Book Clubs Not Just About Reading Anymore

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Writer Jeff Martin loves books, but when he hears the term book club, one word comes to mind.

"Boring,” he said.

Still, Martin had a vision of a book club that went beyond the Oprah, middle-aged woman stereotype.

He discussed with Mary Beth Babcock how to turn Tulsa into a more literary city. They came up with three words to define what a book club should be: books, banter and beer. We figure at least people would like two out of three if not all three,” Martin said. “This is going to have more energy, be more like a party and be interactive.”

Martin and Babcock started Book Smart Tulsa as a new way of looking at the role of books in the community. Book Smart Tulsa aims to take the traditional model of book signings, book clubs and other book-related events and mix them with a modern, 21-century approach. Martin said cities like Tulsa and Austin devote time to developing a music scene. “But what if someone created a literary scene that was equally as cool and as hip,” he said. “So we decided maybe we can do something for downtown and midtown and something with books that is different than what’s been done before.”

Book Smart Tulsa is a subsidiary of the book boutique Dwelling Spaces. Babcock, owner of Dwelling Spaces, said she got involved because she liked the concept of bringing Tulsans from all walks of life together. “It’s important for people to read, it keeps the mind active,” she said. “What I admire about Jeff is that he thinks off the normal path, and this is creative.” In the past, being a book person was seen as boring and mundane, Martin said. But in recent years, Martin said, he has noticed people from the ages of 18 to 30 reading more than the previous generation. “People are having their iPhone, but also having a book in hand. I think there is something kind of comforting to that,” he said. “So for me, it was trying to figure out how to keep this interesting and cool and relevant so it might stay that way for a little longer.”

Martin said the book club isn’t geared toward any particular age group or demographic, but open to everyone. Their first BookPub event will be at James E. McNellie’s Pub in Tulsa. Martin said it will be more of an orientation-type event.

For $20, prospective members can purchase a starter kit at the event. This kit will have the first book up for discussion, a voucher for beer at McNellie’s and a card that provides discounts for future BookPub events, as well as other items. Martin said they are looking for the $20 to be a one-time membership fee. For future books, if members buy the book at Dwelling Spaces and have the membership card, they will get a 10-percent discount. Babcock’s store mainly sells books by Oklahoma authors or about Oklahoma. She said she will add books to the collection as the club gets bigger. “My job here is about how important it is for people to know about their roots and where they come from,” she said. “I plan to grow the section with more Oklahoma authors.” The group also will have BookPub crawls, so members can be reading and discussing the books as they travel to different bars in areas such as downtown and the Brady District in one night, Martin said.

Eventually, Book Smart Tulsa will sponsor book-signing parties, Martin said. He hopes they turn into big events with more than 100 people in attendance. “One thing about this program is we really want it to be an organic thing,” he said. “It will always be changing and growing.”

 

Learn more about Book Smart Tulsa at www.booksmarttulsa.com.

 

By Heather Caliendo
The Journal Record