Charis Books & More - Events Feed

"We Were Dancing on a Volcano" with Joe Gatins

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:17:10 -0500

Start: Thu, 03/11/2010 - 7:30pm

End: Thu, 03/11/2010 - 9:00pm

Join us for a very special evening with author Joe Gatins who chronicles his family's remarkable history, including his great-grandfather who built and operated Atlanta's famous Georgian Terrace Hotel and his French heiress grandmother, Egle Gatins, whose description of her own life between the wars in Paris gives the book its evocative title: "We Were Dancing On a Volcano." In honor of women's history month, Egle's story will be the focus of Joe's talk. Don't miss this compelling discussion of the cross-currents of history and its effects on one Atlanta family.

An Evening With Alix Dobkin

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:18:22 -0500

Start: Sat, 03/13/2010 - 7:00pm

End: Sat, 03/13/2010 - 8:30pm

Universally recognized as a tireless, unapologetic advocate for women, Alix Dobkin has been instrumental in developing global lesbian cultural networks.For the last 25 years as a professional folksinger, her songs, albums, concerts, lectures and presentations have focused on women in general & lesbians in particular, frequently inspiring the thought-provoking controversy. Producer of the groundbreaking 1973 "Lavender Jane Loves Women," Alix has six additional albums and a songbook to her credit. Alix will join us to read from her memoir, MY RED BLOOD: A Memoir of Growing Up Communist, Coming Onto the Greenwich Village Folk Scene, and Coming Out in the Feminist Movement. You won't want to miss a moment of this rare and intimate evening with a living legend!

Cliterati Open No Mic Featuring David Keali'i

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:15:51 -0500

Start: Thu, 03/18/2010 - 7:30pm

End: Thu, 03/18/2010 - 9:00pm

Charis & Cliterati pair up to present an inviting and fierce open mic & reading series on the 3rd Thursday of every month. Hosted by the anarchic spoken wordteam of Karen G and Theresa Davis, members of the Art Amok Slam Team, this series cultivates the voices of authors, novices and an assortment of poets, songstresses and storytellers. In March we welcome David Keali'i. David has co-hosted the Worcester Poet's Asylum for about 2 years and was recently a member of the 2009 Worcester Slam Team. David has also had peoms published in Bread Crumb Scabs, 'Oiwi:' A Native Hawaiian Journal and Full of Crow.

Akoma Book Club

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:08:19 -0500

Start: Sat, 03/20/2010 - 10:30am

End: Sat, 03/20/2010 - 12:00pm

The Akoma Book Club (of Women Healing Women) meets on the third Saturday of each month. This book club is open
to any woman seeking camaraderie with like-minded women for fun,
self-empowerment and growth. Even if you haven't read the book, but are
willing to talk about the principles in the book, you can join us for a
lively discussion. March's book pick is The 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse: A Breakthrough Program for Connecting with Your Soul's Deepest Purpose by Debbie Ford. The 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse is an invitation to dedicate 21 days to building a profound and
intimate relationship with your highest self. Within each us there
lives a hungry ghost that is always craving more, whether it′s money,
fame, attention or material possessions. Our decisions and behaviors
are too often guided by this ego-driven force that clogs our hearts and
dominates our minds. If unchecked, it grows stronger and starts
influencing all aspects of our lives. We get stuck in the past, avoid
the present, and feel discouraged about our future.

Writing With Intent

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:39:32 -0500

Start: Mon, 03/22/2010 - 6:30pm

End: Mon, 03/22/2010 - 8:30pm

This facilitated group is open to all writers of fiction and creative non-fiction who want a
serious group to provide constructive criticism, motivational
exercises, and interpersonal accountability to keep their writing on
track. We do monthly exercises and critiques with an eye towards
individual improvement and the eventual goal of publication. Writers
are encouraged to bring copies of their work to share for critique. The
group meets the second & fourth Monday of each month from
6:30-8:30pm. Please direct inquiries to elizabeth@chariscircle.org.

Queer Literary Fiction Book Group: Spinning Tropics

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:30:23 -0500

Start: Wed, 03/24/2010 - 7:00pm

End: Wed, 03/24/2010 - 8:30pm

This facilitated group discusses books which feature queer
characters/storylines as well as a strong attention to literary craft
and style. March's book is Spinning Tropics by Aska Mochizuki. Spinning Tropics is a lush and evocative story of an intoxicating love affair. Meet Hiro. She's tall, lanky and awkward—a twenty-something Japanese
woman who has decamped to Vietnam from Tokyo to work as a language
teacher. Meet Dung. She's shy, beautiful, and tough—a young
Vietnamese woman studying Japanese, determined to create a better life
for herself and her family. When Dung becomes one of Hiro's
students, they are instantly drawn to each other. For both of them, it
is their first time in love with another woman. But when Konno, an
older Japanese businessman, befriends Hiro, Dung begins to grow
unbearably jealous. What unfolds is a love triangle with very
complicated, ultimately devastating, results. Set against the backdrop
of a Vietnam on the economic rise, debut novelist Aska Mochizuki
vividly brings to life the buzz of motorcycles and the tastes of
Vietnamese coffee and spicy papaya salads; the confines of the
Vietnamese family; the lingering effects of long wars; the rich who
ride the economic wave and the poor who are left behind.

Not your Mama's Matzah: a Seder for the New Millennium

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:31:12 -0500

Start: Thu, 03/25/2010 - 7:30pm

End: Thu, 03/25/2010 - 9:00pm

Join us for a discussion with Debra Mazer & Cantor Shira Leba Batalion, as they read from their new book, Open-Eyed Heart-Wide Haggadah,
a ritual guide for the Passover Seder. Debra and Shira will talk about
ways to transform your same-old Seder to include new songs and stories,
new feminist, queer, and diverse perspectives, and some yummy vegan and
raw Passover delights. This is about reclaiming ritual, &
celebrating this newly published work of two longtime local members of
the Charis community.

"Aging Outrageously" with Nancy Poling author of Out of the Pumpkin Shell

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 19:17:50 -0500

Start: Fri, 03/26/2010 - 8:00pm

End: Fri, 03/26/2010 - 9:30pm

Integrating the themes of friendship, mother-daughter relationships, and aging, Out of the Pumpkin Shell tells the story of best friends Hat and
Elise who are determined not to take aging in stride. Fortifying their usual outrageous
behavior with a hefty dose of courage, they delve into the past, where they
discover truths about Elise's mother, gain a wider sisterhood, and new possibilities. Author Nancy Poling will read from her novel and engage us in a humorous and fun conversation about finding oneself and rediscovering friendship after fifty.