A space for your community to come together to read, share, connect and heal

1. Choose a book

Start with one of the powerful titles we’ve already read together.

• Joy Is My Justice by Dr. Tanmeet Sethi: A guide to joy as a healing practice, even in an unjust world
• Horse Barbie by Geena Rocero: A memoir of identity, radical resilience, and reclaiming power
• Know My Name by Chanel Miller: A courageous account of reclaiming voice, agency and identity to tell a profound story of trauma, survival and courage
• The Tell by Amy Griffin: A story of secrets, silence, the journey toward justice and the freedom and healing that come with breaking one’s silence
• Opinions by Roxane Gay: 10 years of fierce and fearless essays on politics, culture and the fight for equity

2. Invite Your Group

Your group can be as intimate or expansive as feels right to you. It can be a gathering of friends over coffee, a team at work, an open community event or a group built through invitations by friends and friends of friends. Share what inspired you to host and what kind of space you’re hoping to co-create — one of reflection, courage, curiosity, collective care or whatever suits you and the group’s goals and needs.

3. Set the Tone

Before you begin, take a moment to acknowledge and agree on the values of the space, such as respect, confidentiality, listening without judgment and honoring different lived experiences. Joyful Heart’s work is rooted in survivor-centered support. Your gathering should strive to create that, too.

4. Use Our Discussion Guides

We’ve created reading prompts and discussion questions to help you explore each book’s themes, including healing, justice, identity, resistance and joy. You can use these to shape your conversation, or you can create your own questions that resonate with your group.

Please refer to each book’s page for discussion guides and questions.

5. Make it Yours

Your book club can be a one-time gathering or an ongoing gathering place. Consider ways you might want to deepen the impact or make it relevant to your specific community.

• Share responses through writing or art in addition to conversation.
• Open or close with a grounding exercise or moment of collective joy.
• Make it a potluck, or invite group members to bring snacks.
• Invite group members to share related talents, reflections or stories to help set the tone for the night’s discussion.

6. Stay Connected

Let us know you’re hosting! Tag us on social media or email us to share how it went, or how it’s going. We’d love to celebrate your gathering, and learn from it.