Book: “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” by Ocean Vuong. You’re welcome to purchase the book yourself but it is not required since the host will read out loud in the group.

When: Every Tuesday at 7PM

Where: Zoom. If you’d like to join, just register once to receive the Zoom link, and we’ll send it automatically thereafter.

***

All are welcome!

About the book:

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity. Asking questions central to our American moment, immersed as we are in addiction, violence, and trauma, but undergirded by compassion and tenderness, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is as much about the power of telling one’s own story as it is about the obliterating silence of not being heard.

With stunning urgency and grace, Ocean Vuong writes of people caught between disparate worlds, and asks how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are. The question of how to survive, and how to make of it a kind of joy, powers the most important debut novel of many years.

*Note: Sign-up is mandatory. We will communicate any changes of plans via email or Whatsapp here.

This week, the Social Justice Club is not meeting via Zoom. Instead, we’re independently reading the book See No Stranger– A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love by Valarie Kaur and participants are welcome to discuss with one another via the WhatsApp group here. Social Justice Club will resume meeting via Zoom after the winter holidays on January 9th.

This week for our Social Justice Club we’re reading and discussing the book Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong.

“Poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong fearlessly and provocatively blends memoir, cultural criticism, and history to expose fresh truths about racialized consciousness in America. Part memoir and part cultural criticism, this collection is vulnerable, humorous, and provocative—and its relentless and riveting pursuit of vital questions around family and friendship, art and politics, identity and individuality, will change the way you think about our world.

With sly humor and a poet’s searching mind, Hong uses her own story as a portal into a deeper examination of racial consciousness in America today. This intimate and devastating book traces her relationship to the English language, to shame and depression, to poetry and female friendship. A radically honest work of art, Minor Feelings forms a portrait of one Asian American psyche—and of a writer’s search to both uncover and speak the truth.”

In all the following Social Justice Club meetings we’ll continue the book until the end. You’re welcome to purchase the book yourself but it is not required since the host will read out loud in the group.

If you’d like to join, just register once to receive the Zoom link, and we’ll send it automatically thereafter.

*Note: Sign-up is mandatory. We will communicate any changes of plans via email or Whatsapp here.

This week for our Social Justice Club we’re reading and discussing the book Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong.

“Poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong fearlessly and provocatively blends memoir, cultural criticism, and history to expose fresh truths about racialized consciousness in America. Part memoir and part cultural criticism, this collection is vulnerable, humorous, and provocative—and its relentless and riveting pursuit of vital questions around family and friendship, art and politics, identity and individuality, will change the way you think about our world.

With sly humor and a poet’s searching mind, Hong uses her own story as a portal into a deeper examination of racial consciousness in America today. This intimate and devastating book traces her relationship to the English language, to shame and depression, to poetry and female friendship. A radically honest work of art, Minor Feelings forms a portrait of one Asian American psyche—and of a writer’s search to both uncover and speak the truth.”

In all the following Social Justice Club meetings we’ll continue the book until the end. You’re welcome to purchase the book yourself but it is not required since the host will read out loud in the group.

If you’d like to join, just register once to receive the Zoom link, and we’ll send it automatically thereafter.

*Note: Sign-up is mandatory. We will communicate any changes of plans via email or Whatsapp here.

Book: “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” by Ocean Vuong. You’re welcome to purchase the book yourself but it is not required since the host will read out loud in the group.

When: Every Tuesday at 7PM

Where: Zoom. If you’d like to join, just register once to receive the Zoom link, and we’ll send it automatically thereafter.

***

All are welcome!

About the book:

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity. Asking questions central to our American moment, immersed as we are in addiction, violence, and trauma, but undergirded by compassion and tenderness, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is as much about the power of telling one’s own story as it is about the obliterating silence of not being heard.

With stunning urgency and grace, Ocean Vuong writes of people caught between disparate worlds, and asks how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are. The question of how to survive, and how to make of it a kind of joy, powers the most important debut novel of many years.

*Note: Sign-up is mandatory. We will communicate any changes of plans via email or Whatsapp here.

Join OSG and APAH at Queens Court for an afternoon of reading with our younger friends and neighbors. All are welcome!

We will meet in the lobby of Gilliam Place. Contact Donna Budway at donnab@ourstompingground.org for any questions.

*Note: Sign-up is mandatory since we need a headcount and may need to cap the number of reservations. Additionally, things may change. We’ll communicate these changes via email and our Whatsapp group here.

This month’s Stomping Zoomies event is going to be at the International Spy Museum for their first sensory friendly program designed exclusively for adults (18 years and up) and their friends and family!

What might be a mission impossible visit during normal operating hours is now mission possible! On this special night, the Museum will host a private social hour for adults with sensory differences and their friends and/or family followed by exclusive access to the exhibits. Guests are welcome to come for all or some of the event.

During social hour (5-6pm), guests will enjoy light food and refreshments, the opportunity to meet a former spy, and more! At 6pm, the event will move to the exhibits, where guests can explore the Museum with less noise, fewer people, and a designated quiet room. Guests will also have the opportunity to participate in a scavenger hunt to win various prizes!

While this Access to SPY program is geared towards autistic adults, we welcome all adults with sensory processing differences and their friends/family to attend this event (ages 18+)

This event is free of cost to attend, but participants must RSVP through the OSG Sign Up as well as the Spy Museum so we know to expect you. Please contact Claude Thomas at claudet@ourstompingground.org with any questions.

Spy Museum Registration: LINK

Join OSG and APAH at Queens Court for an afternoon of reading with our younger friends and neighbors. All are welcome!

We will meet in the lobby of Queens Court. Contact Donna Budway at donnab@ourstompingground.org for any questions.

*Note: Sign-up is mandatory. We will communicate any changes of plans via email or Whatsapp here.

We’re reading On Earth We are Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong.

The OSG Book Club meets every Tuesday at 7 PM. All are welcome! You’re welcome to purchase the book yourself but it is not required since the host will read out loud in the group.

If you’d like to join, just register once to receive the Zoom link, and we’ll send it automatically thereafter.

About the book:

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity. Asking questions central to our American moment, immersed as we are in addiction, violence, and trauma, but undergirded by compassion and tenderness, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is as much about the power of telling one’s own story as it is about the obliterating silence of not being heard.

With stunning urgency and grace, Ocean Vuong writes of people caught between disparate worlds, and asks how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are. The question of how to survive, and how to make of it a kind of joy, powers the most important debut novel of many years.

*Note: Sign-up is mandatory. We will communicate any changes via email and our Whatsapp group here.

We’re reading On Earth We are Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong.

The OSG Book Club meets every Tuesday at 7 PM. All are welcome! You’re welcome to purchase the book yourself but it is not required since the host will read out loud in the group.

If you’d like to join, just register once to receive the Zoom link, and we’ll send it automatically thereafter.

About the book:

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity. Asking questions central to our American moment, immersed as we are in addiction, violence, and trauma, but undergirded by compassion and tenderness, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is as much about the power of telling one’s own story as it is about the obliterating silence of not being heard.

With stunning urgency and grace, Ocean Vuong writes of people caught between disparate worlds, and asks how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are. The question of how to survive, and how to make of it a kind of joy, powers the most important debut novel of many years.

*Note: Sign-up is mandatory. We will communicate any changes via email and our Whatsapp group here.