What is Dip into a Book?
Volunteer leader Coral Musgrave tells us all about it
A time to unwind, sit back, relax and listen to a short story. You are welcome to bring a cuppa with you when you join us. There is no need to have read the story beforehand.
Dip into a Book is a shared reading group. Carefully chosen short stories, excerpts from novels and maybe a Poem for Pudding will be read aloud for you to listen to. A bit like a Book at Bedtime.
You may choose to close your eyes and relax, follow the text as it is read; or if you want to, read some aloud.
Stories are read slowly, with frequent pauses to reflect on immediate thoughts and responses to what you have heard. You can just listen or join in.
One person described the experience as like being introduced to people for the first time and wanting to get to know them better.
This is how we hope that everyone dipping into a book with us will feel.
The group currently meets online in accordance with Covid 19 guidelines.
Who runs the group?
Volunteers, Sarah and Coral organise the sessions with support from Renata, the Community Engagement Lead from Bearwood Community Hub.
Sarah uses drama skills professionally:- acting, directing, writing & training.
Coral developed shared reading groups with Sandwell Libraries when she was working on the Big Lottery Community Libraries Programme.
New volunteers to lead the reading and support the group would be welcomed!
What will we read?
Our aim is to share diverse and interesting stories which provoke discussion and reflection.
In the first group, Sarah read extracts from Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo. We were introduced to mother and daughter, Amma and Yazz and got a brief glimpse into their lives and their relationship with each other. It provoked some interesting discussions about living in London, fashion mistakes, embarrassing mothers, and food.
Shared reading groups have enjoyed short stories written by Joanne Harris, Frank Cotterill Boyce and Chekov. Some have read novels over a few weeks. One group read Small Island and The Secret Life of Bees then watched the films based on the books.
If you have a suggestion for books, stories, or poems for us to share, please let us know. We will be guided by what people in the group suggest and welcome recommendations.
How can I find out more?
Contact Renata by email at renata@bearwood.cc