📅 Dates: 9th March, 13th April
🕡 Time: 19:30 - 21:00
📍 Location: Common Press, 118 Bethnal Grn Rd, London E2 6DG
The Love Tank's official Book Club is back, bigger, and in a brand new venue! Join us for our monthly meetings at the Common Press Bookshop for some in-depth readings and discussions on authors of African, Carribbean, SWANA, Asian, and Latine descent, led by esteemed writer and journalist Elias Jahshan.
📕 March's Book 📕
"Martyr!" by Kaveh Akbar
A newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, guided by the voices of artists, poets, and kings, embarks on a remarkable search for a family secret that leads him to a terminally ill painter living out her final days in the Brooklyn Museum. Electrifying, funny, and wholly original, Martyr! heralds the arrival of an essential new voice in contemporary fiction.
Cyrus Shams is a young man grappling with an inheritance of violence and loss: his mother’s plane was shot down over the skies of the Persian Gulf in a senseless accident; and his father’s life in America was circumscribed by his work killing chickens at a factory farm in the Midwest. Cyrus is a drunk, an addict, and a poet, whose obsession with martyrs leads him to examine the mysteries of his past—toward an uncle who rode through Iranian battlefields dressed as the angel of death to inspire and comfort the dying, and toward his mother, through a painting discovered in a Brooklyn art gallery that suggests she may not have been who or what she seemed.
Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr! is a paean to how we spend our lives seeking meaning—in faith, art, ourselves, others.
How it works:
Once you sign up, we ask you to get yourself a copy of this month's book, and to have as much of a read through it as you can ahead of the group meeting. It's up to you if you'd like to get a paper copy, an e-book, or an audiobook (if available).
Please let us know if you need help in covering the cost of a book - we do not want this to be a barrier to being involved!
Come as you are and join us for an enriching literary experience filled with warmth, inclusivity, and celebration of queer narratives. Reserve your free ticket now! 🌈📕
📅 Upcoming Dates
9th March
13th April
Stay Connected:
Follow us on Instagram @thelovetankcic for updates on this event and other exciting free projects and events you can be a part of!
Accessibility Information:
🏠 Accessible Venue: The event takes place at the Common Press bookshop, which is wheelchair accessible and has an accessible toilet onsite.
About our FREE events
We like to keep the events free so they are easily accessible to our communities! If you want to donate please use this link.
Spaces at our events are limited, and there is a cost implication for every event we produce or take you along to. To ensure fair access, if you can no longer attend, please let us know so we can offer your spot to someone on the waiting list. Repeated no-shows without prior cancellation may result in being unable to attend future events.
To ensure a smooth and respectful experience for everyone, please arrive on time. Our events are not drop-in sessions, meaning attendees must arrive at the start time and stay for the duration. We allow a 10-minute grace period for late arrivals - after that, entry will not be permitted as it can be disruptive to the group. Additionally, the entrance is not monitored after the grace period, so there will be no one available to let latecomers in. The event hours are clearly stated in the description, so please plan accordingly. Thank you for understanding and helping us create a welcoming space for all!
Alongside this, we appreciate it if you could respond to any communication by the given response deadline so we can make the necessary arrangements for the event.
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