COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION TO BE HELD FEBRUARY 18
FEATURING LOCAL WRITER QUARTEZ HARRIS READING FROM HIS AWARD-WINNING POETRY COLLECTION, “WE MADE IT TO SCHOOL ALIVE” WITH DEBBIE ALLEN, COFOUNDER OF POETS AGAINST RACISM & HATE USA
[CLEVELAND, OH] — In honor of Black History Month, local Cleveland writer Quartez Harris joins Rebel Readers Book Club to read and discuss poems from his award-winning poetry collection WE MADE IT TO SCHOOL ALIVE, based on his experience as a teacher with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. The event will be held at Loganberry Books in Shaker Heights on Sunday, February 18, starting at 3:00 pm. Free and open to the public. For more information visit www.rebelreadersCLE.com or www.loganberrybooks.com.
Cofounded by Dahlia Fisher and Felicia Haney, two women from different backgrounds with shared values, Rebel Readers Cleveland lifts voices of diverse authors and explores stories of intersecting identities to build bridges between cultures and communities.
Fisher and Haney’s friendship was rooted in their mutual interest in cross-cultural experiences, and they spoke openly about the differences and similarities between them. Fisher is a white Jewish woman and Haney is a Black Muslim woman. They had an idea to open their conversations to people of all faiths and backgrounds who wanted to get to know each other better but whose paths might not otherwise cross. So, they decided to invite anyone interested, searching beyond their own social circles, to rebel against silencing voices and narrowing perspectives and join them in lifting voices and exploring identity through reading and discussing books.
As author Joyce Carol Oates said, “Reading is the sole means by which we slip involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.”
Monthly book club selections include poetry, fiction, memoir, and more. Each month, special guests join the conversation to provide deeper insight into the books, and help readers unpack the stories being told.
Rebel Readers Book Club kicks off the 2024 season at Loganberry Books (13015 Larchmere in Shaker Heights, Ohio; www.loganberrybooks.com), on Sunday, February 18, at 3 pm. Honoring Black History Month with a stunning poetry collection originally published in 2020 called WE MADE IT TO SCHOOL ALIVE, by Cleveland writer and teacher Quartez Harris, who was subsequently named 2021 Poet of the Year by Ohio Poetry Association.
Teaching Cleveland said of the original collection, “You leave this collection a different person than when you entered, transformed, forever changed.”
Now, this transformational book is being re-released with new poems to be heard for the first time here! The discussion includes Poets Against Racism & Hate USA cofounder Debbie Allen on the role of poetry in communicating and connecting. Loganberry Books is offering 10% off an exclusive limited supply. Free and open to the public. For more information or to register visit www.rebelreadersCLE.com.
REBEL READERS BOOK CLUB SPRING SCHEDULE HELD AT LOGANBERRY BOOKS:
· BLACK HISTORY MONTH AUTHOR EVENT ON FEB 18 AT 3PM
WE MADE IT TO SCHOOL ALIVE, POETRY BY QUARTEZ HARRIS
· WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH BOOK TALK ON MAR 17 AT 3PM
The Queen of Sugar Hill BY RESHONDA TATE
· ARAB HERITAGE MONTH BOOK TALK ON APR 21 AT 3PM
YOU EXIST TOO MUCH, A NOVEL BY ZAINA ARAFAT
· JEWISH HERITAGE MONTH BOOK TALK ON MAY 19 AT 3PM
Betty Friedan: Magnificent Disrupter BY RACHEL SHTEIR
We are grateful for the community partnership of the following organizations:
ADL-Cleveland, Loganberry Books, ND Miller Publishing, Poets Against Racism & Hate USA, ReKindle Fellowship, and The Sparrows Fortune
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Cofounded by Dahlia Fisher and Felicia Haney, two women from different backgrounds with shared values, Rebel Readers Cleveland lifts voices of diverse authors and explores stories of intersecting identities to build bridges between cultures and communities. Follow Rebel Readers Cleveland on Facebook and Instagram @rebelreadersCLE and stay up to date with classes and events by subscribing to their email list online: www.rebelreadersCLE.com
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