Online book club connects students with nature

For over 15 years, students have gathered once a semester to read together 

Alice McGuire | Deputy Editor

Once a semester, the Sustainability Literacy Task Force (SLTF), a committee that runs “enrichment events” at WCC with regard to topics such as the environment and climate change, gives the campus community an opportunity to gather and read a book together. 

The book club was founded by Maryam Barrie, a professor in the English department, and Emily Thompson, faculty in the biology department and faculty lead for the Center for Sustainability and Resilience. The two will be retiring after this semester, and hope to see the meetings continue. 

Barrie explained that the two had been on the same committees together for some time before the foundation of the SLTF, which they hoped would provide them with opportunities to connect with teachers and students. 

“At first, we tried to encourage folks to include sustainability in their curriculum, and then we just started to do more and more events,” said Barrie, who went on to describe Thompson as “the main mover in all this.” 

“She comes to me every year and says, ‘Come up with books.” And, you know, reading is just about all I do. So I come up with books,” said Barrie. 

Thompson said that, of everything they had read together, the graphic novel, “The Pollinator’s Corridor” by Aaron Birk, left a strong impression on her, explaining, “We got to the end of the book, and what stuck in my mind is the students turned the page and said, ‘Wait what happens next?’ There was no part two yet, so that was super fun.”

Having originally debuted in person over 15 years ago, the book clubs shifted to Zoom meetings at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a format which they discovered improved attendance and participation, and which they have stuck with ever since. 

“I think that people are more willing to risk being readers when it’s a Zoom, whether or not they’ve chosen to be hidden or visible, because the stakes seem much lower than an event that’s face to face,” said Barrie. 

Both Barrie and Thompson said that one of the most memorable book clubs, however, was during the pre-COVID-19 era, in which the group spent the day taking turns reading the entirety of “A Sand County Almanac” by Aldo Leopold. While that particular meeting kept them on campus from morning until evening, most last about an hour. 

The most recent meeting was held on March 27 and featured Barbara J. Barton’s “Manoomin: The Story of Wild Rice in Michigan,” which was selected by Carolyn Crane, part-time English faculty. Crane explained that she picked the book to fit the theme of “soil” and that the club generally tries to make its selections locally relevant whenever possible. 

Participants read selections of the book as well as supplemental materials, such as maps and recipes, hosted on the online bulletin board service, Padlet. A highlight of the event was a series of video clips created by Crane, in which she showcased an interview that she had conducted with the author. 

With regards to the future, Barrie said, “For the last couple years, my experience was that the poetry and book club events were the most fun I had. So I hope they find whatever is exciting and fun for them. And, you know, it seems like, if the presenters are passionate, the audience will come.”

Thompson hopes to help the new leaders transition into carrying on the book club’s legacy, but added that whatever “vision” there is of the future will be theirs to craft and carry on. 

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