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All our events are free, and everyone is welcome. During our monthly meetings, we discuss a book during the first hour and have a group activity for the second hour. No pressure to read or finish the book. Come for the community!
October Meeting
October Meeting
Saturday, October 17, 9:30 - 11:30am
Saturday, October 17, 9:30 - 11:30am
Beverly Main Library, Sohier Room
Beverly Main Library, Sohier Room
Book
Book
Discussion runs 9:30 - 10:30 AM
Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America by Ari Berman (384 pages, 2016)
Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America by Ari Berman (384 pages, 2016)
From the publisher:
"The VRA [Voting Rights Act] is widely regarded as the crowning achievement of the civil rights movement, and yet—more than fifty years later—the battles over race, representation, and political power continue, as lawmakers devise new strategies to keep minorities out of the voting booth, while the Supreme Court has declared a key part of the Voting Rights Act unconstitutional."
Why Aya chose this book:
With mid-term elections this year and the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Louisiana v. Callais that further dismantled the VRA, I figured now would be a good time to read this narrative history of the VRA, so we can better understand the ongoing efforts to disenfranchise voters and how we can combat that.
Activity
Activity
Workshop runs 10:30 - 11:30 AM
No Kings DayWe'll lead a workshop on how to give public comment in front of City Council. You will:
Learn how to sign up and what the general rules are
Review examples from our recent Defend DEI effort at the 9/21/26 City Council meeting
Discuss and stategize what makes powerful and impactful public comment
Brainstorm public comment stategy for the 11/23/26 City Council meeting, where we'll urge the Council to amend their Rules and Orders to add a land acknowledgment
Also, immediately after book club...
Also, immediately after book club...
🗳️ Oct 17 is the first day of early voting at our temporary City Hall (175 Cabot Street, right next to the original City Hall). One of our members said she "was planning to go vote right after the meeting since I'll already be downtown. If other people want to walk to the temporary City Hall together to vote, that could be another great on-theme activity!"
🪧 Oct 17 is also No Kings Day. Some folks may head to the Hands Off Beverly protest by the Post Office, which starts at 11am.
November Meeting
November Meeting
Saturday, November 21, 9:30 - 11:30am
Saturday, November 21, 9:30 - 11:30am
Beverly Main Library, Sohier Room
Beverly Main Library, Sohier Room
Book
Book
Discussion runs 9:30 - 10:30 AM
As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (320 pages, 2020)
As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (320 pages, 2020)
Why we chose this book:
To honor Native American Heritage Month.
Walking option:
We'll split into two groups, your choice: one stays at the library for discussion, the other goes on a walk while discussing. This walking book club was suggested by one of our members, "I feel like that is a nice way to honor ancestral lands (by just admiring them, being a part of them)."
From the publisher:
"Indigenous resistance is a radical rejection of contemporary colonialism focused around the refusal of the dispossession of both Indigenous bodies and land. Simpson makes clear that its goal can no longer be cultural resurgence as a mechanism for inclusion in a multicultural mosaic. Instead, she calls for unapologetic, place-based Indigenous alternatives to the destructive logics of the settler colonial state, including heteropatriarchy, white supremacy, and capitalist exploitation."
Activity
Activity
Runs 10:30 - 11:30 AM
Building off our public comment workshop in October, we'll prep for our Land Acknowledgement action at the City Council meeting on Mon, Nov 23. Come make signs with us, help finesse our public comments, write an email to your City Councilor, and more as we urge the council to acknowledge stolen land.
December Meeting
December Meeting
Saturday, December 19, 9:30 - 11:30am
Saturday, December 19, 9:30 - 11:30am
Beverly Main Library, Sohier Room
Beverly Main Library, Sohier Room
Book
Book
Discussion runs 9:30 - 10:30 AM
The Future is Peace: A Shared Journey Across the Holy Land by Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon (240 pages, 2026)
The Future is Peace: A Shared Journey Across the Holy Land by Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon (240 pages, 2026)
From the publisher:
"Palestinian Aziz Abu Sarah and Israeli Maoz Inon forged a bond of brotherhood when the world expected them to be enemies. Both have lost family to the conflict. Both have known the bitterness of righteous anger. Yet, they chose a different path.
In The Future Is Peace, Sarah and Inon take readers on a transformative weeklong journey across a sacred and bloodstained land. Facing competing narratives, they explore how compassion and unity can pull humanity back from the precipice of blind hatred. Throughout their travels, they have been constantly asked: In the face of so much loss, how can we ever find hope? Their answer is always the same. One cannot find hope. We must create it."
Watch interviews with the authors:
Watch interviews with the authors:
Activity
Activity
Runs 10:30 - 11:30 AM
Our group activity is still in the works. Some options include:
starting a divestment effort (similar to the current effort by Cambridge for Palestine)
having an interfaith dialogue
planning our actions for 2027
More Meetings
More Meetings
Jan 2027
Jan 2027
The New Year
The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader by Melissa Murray (352 pages, 2026)
Feb 2027
Feb 2027
Black History Month
Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum by Antonia Hylton (368 pages, 2024)
Mar 2027
Mar 2027
Women's History Month
Nonfiction option: For the Sun After Long Nights: The Story of Iran's Women-Led Uprising by Fatemeh Jamalpour and Nilo Tabrizy (336 pages, 2025)
Fiction option: Children of the Jacaranda Tree by Sahar Delijani (304 pages, 2014)
Apr 2027
Apr 2027
Earth Month
Book option: Clearing the Air: A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change in 50 Questions and Answers by Hannah Ritchie (296 pages, 2026)
Video option: Climate change: Oh, it's real (playlist of TED talks)
May 2027
May 2027
AANHPI Heritage Month
Kuleana: A Story of Land and Legacy in Old Hawai'i by Sara Kehaulani Goo (368 pages, 2025)
Jun 2027
Jun 2027
Juneteenth and Pride
Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde (192 pages)
Jul 2027
Jul 2027
On the tails of July 4th
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein (368 pages, 2018)
Aug 2027
Aug 2027
Theme TBD
Book TBD
Sept 2027
Sept 2027
Latine Heritage Month
Inventing Latinos: A New Story of American Racism by Laura E. Gómez (288 pages, 2022)
Oct 2027
Oct 2027
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
The Revolution Starts at Home: Confronting Intimate Violence Within Activist Communities edited by Ching-In Chen, Jai Dulani, and Leah Lakshmi Piepza-Samarasinha (368 pages, 2016)
Nov 2027
Nov 2027
Theme TBD
Book TBD
Dec 2027
Dec 2027
Theme TBD
Book TBD
Past Events
Past Events
2026 Books & Activities
2026 Books & Activities
September 2026
September 2026
Book: Nasty Work: Resist Systems, Explore Desire, and Liberate Yourself by Ericka Hart (304 pages, 2026)
Activity: HealthQ led a workshop called Allyship and the Transgender/Gender Diverse Community. We had the chance to learn about more about nuances of gender identity and pracitce using a variety of pronouns.
Donations: We collected shampoo and conditioner in support of MomBall's donation drive for Beverly Bootstraps. Our book club Hannah is participating in MomBall for the first time this year.
Couldn't attend but want to help? Donate to HealthQ and/or donate to Beverly Bootstraps.
August 2026
August 2026
Books:
Nonfiction option: "Prisons Make Us Safer" and 20 Other Myths about Mass Incarceration by Victoria Law.
Poetry option: My Blue Days Sound Like Blue Jays by Amos Don, who was born and raised in Boston to Haitian immigrant parents and who is currently incarcerated. Read his bio.
Activity: We wrote 31 birthday cards to incarcerated people, for the Abolitionist Mail Project. We also collected Forever stamps, for AMP's stamp drive.
Couldn't attend but want to help? Support AMP's stamp drive. Or shop the Prison Book Program's wishlists.
July 2026
July 2026
Media: The 1619 Project. Pick your preferred format:
interactive website (10 essays originally published in the magazine)
magazine PDF (100 pages, 10 essays)
book (624 pages, 18 essays + poems and fiction)
podcast (4 hours)
Hulu TV series (6 hours)
See also: Education Materials Collection from The Pulitzer Center
Activity: Field trip to Historic Beverly's Cabot House to see the exhibit Set at Liberty: Stories of the Enslaved People in a New England Town.
Collection: Diana collected batteries to give to Ben of the Beverly Waste Reduction Committee, so he could bring them to this battery take-back event in Boston.
June 2026
June 2026
Book: The Stonewall Reader edited by the New York Public Library. The full text is freely available on the Internet Archive, courtesy of NYPL; download the PDF and other formats.
Guest Speaker: Kathryn Henderson from Voter Choice Massachusetts joined us for a discussion about bringing ranked choice voting to Beverly. Watch this 2-minute video for an overview of RCV.
Activity: We held a donation drive for NAGLY, the North Shore Alliance for LGBTQ+ Youth. We collected snacks and drinks, cleaning supplies, books, clothing, and shoes. Check out their wishlists, and also their boutique's needs.
Community Event: Several book club members participating in the annual Reading Frederick Douglass Together, hosted by Historic Beverly.
May 2026
May 2026
Book: Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life in an Unjust Society by Arline T. Geronimus.
Guest Speaker: City Councilor Keith Sonia soft launched the Beverly Engagement Project with us.
April 2026
April 2026
Book: All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson.
Activity: We upcycled cardboard into postcards and wrote to our state legislators (Rep. Hannah Bowen and Senator Joan Lovely) about bills we care about:
Oppose HR.2289 - American Broadband Deployment Act of 2025 (learn more)
Support H.3755 - An Act Establishing Driver Privacy Protections (read this one-pager from the ACLU of MA)
See also: Progressive Mass legislaive agenda and endorsed legislation for 2025-2026
March 2026
March 2026
Books:
Nonfiction option: Another World Is Possible: Lessons for America from Around the Globe by Natasha Hakimi Zapata
Fiction option: Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements edited by adrienne maree brown and Walidah Imarisha
Activity: Period supplies
Collected donations of period supplies for Beverly Bootstraps
Packed 60 grab-and-go period kits for River House
Folded zines: Tips to Fight Menstrual Stigma, from this NPR story
Learn more about period poverty and menstrual equity from the Alliance of Period Supplies and PERIOD.
February 2026
February 2026
Book: All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks.
Activity: We wrote 25 birthday and Eid cards to incarcerated people, for the Abolitionist Mail Project.
January 2026
January 2026
Book: Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde by Alexis Pauline Gumbs
Activity: Pack 50 kids' snack bags for Beverly Bootstraps
Community Event: Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Breakfast, where 5 members of the book club read the land and labor acknowledgments at the start of the program, at the invitation of the city's DEI Director.
2025 Books
2025 Books
December 2025
December 2025
No book this month - action planning instead!
November 2025
November 2025
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
October 2025
October 2025
Dreaming of Home: How We Turn Fear into Pride, Power, and Real Change by Cristina Jiménez
September 2025
September 2025
We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance by Kellie Carter Jackson
August 2025
August 2025
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
July 2025
July 2025
Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire edited by Alice Wong
June 2025
June 2025
A Land With a People: Palestinians and Jews Confront Zionism edited by Esther Farmer, Rosalind Pollack Petchesky, and Sarah Sills
May 2025
May 2025
What It Takes to Heal: How Transforming Ourselves Can Change the World by Prentis Hemphill
April 2025
April 2025
Loving Corrections by adrienne maree brown
2025 Candidate Forum
2025 Candidate Forum
Social Justice Candidate Forum
Social Justice Candidate Forum
Sunday, October 26, 2025 | 1:30 - 3:00 PM
Ahead of Beverly's municipal elections on November 4, 2025, we hosted a candidate forum at the Beverly Public Library. We asked candidates questions that were submitted in advance by community members.
Topics we covered:
Immigration & ICE
LGBTQIA+
Diversity & Representation
Access & Affordability
Mayoral candidates who attended in person:
Mike Cahill
Brendan Sweeney
City Councilor at Large candidates who attended in person:
Kenann McKenzie-DeFranza
Keith Sonia
Euplio "Rick" Marciano
Kyle Stanley Retallack
City Councilor at Large candidates who submitted video entries:
Julie Flowers
John Mullady
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