Events

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.

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.

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.

Join
queer feminist theorist Lynne Huffer as she presents her recent book, Mad for Foucault: Rethinking the
Foundations of Queer Theory, a reappraisal of Michel Foucault as a founding
thinker of queer theory. Combining personal narrative, archival history, and
philosophical argument, Huffer tells a story about historical modes of
exclusion that produced perversions as forms of madness, ultimately calling for
new practices of transformation through a political ethic of eros. 

As part of our ongoing Faiths and
Feminisms series join us to learn Zentangle - a beautiful and relaxing art form
that anyone can create using simple materials and repeating patterns.  In
this workshop we will learn the basics of creating Zentangle as well as many
metaphors for our lives and spirits.  Joan Payton and Jeannie Mahood are Atlanta's only Certified
Zentangle Teachers.  Please bring $5 to cover materials.  www.zentangle.com

Anne Lamott, the renowned author of many bestselling books
including Traveling Mercies and Grace: Thoughts on Faith, visits
us with a tough and touching new novel, Imperfect Birds.
"Heartbreaking and delightful, moving and hopeful, the novel reminds us
how our children are connected to and independent of us, and that no matter how
difficult our struggle is with them, love underlies it all and saves us. This
novel captures the deepest, purest, most terrifying experience of parents
fearing for their children. With great insight and humor, Anne Lamott shows us
what it means these dangerous days to be a parent, what it means to be a child,
and what it means to be a family." Sponsored by the Georgia Center
for the Book.

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 in group 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. Please direct
inquiries to elizabeth@chariscircle.org.

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. April’s feature is Andi Kauth, who
began her career in Slam in 2004 under the tutelage of the founder of Poetry
Slam, Marc Kelly Smith. She is currently a member of the PolyRhythmic Arts
Collective, a committee member of the Arkansas Grand Slam and she co-founded
the Chicago Four Star Poetry Club with long time friend and teammate Billy
Tuggle. Oh, and she's only 21. Andi may only be 21 but she’s already a
professional poet.

The Akoma Book Club (of Women Healing Women) 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. April’s book is The Shift by
Wayne Dyer The Shift illustrates how and why to make the move from
ambition to meaning. Such a shift eliminates our feelings of separateness,
illuminates our spiritual connectedness, and involves moving from the
ego-directed morning into the afternoon of life where everything
is primarily influenced by purpose.

Charis favorite Connie May Fowler, author of Before Women Had Wings, is back with her provocative and transcendent new novel, How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly: the story
of a young woman who, in a twenty-four hour period, journeys through
startling moments of self-discovery that lead her to a courageous and
life-altering decision. You won't want to miss this special evening with one of the leading ladies of contemporary fiction.