Intimate
Conversation with Soul Sistahs Book Club, TN
Soul Sistahs Book Club was founded in 2011 by Kenya Ervin of Chattanooga, TN. Initially comprised of coworkers, membership has been extended to close family and friends that share a passion for books. Soul Sistahs Book Club's mission is to promote literacy and encourage sisterhood among women of all ages and backgrounds through the love of reading and lively conversations.
BPM: Introduce us to your group. What was the first book you read as a group?
SSBC: Soul Sistahs Book club was founded in September 2011 by Kenya Ervin. Currently, we do not have officers assigned, but everyone comes together to get things done. We are located in Chattanooga, TN and we have seven active members. The first book that we read was G-Spot by Noire. It was a very lively and interesting discussion.
BPM: Why was your organization created? Do you write and post book reviews? Do you host events?
SSBC: Initially, our organization was created because I loved to read and I wanted to discuss what I read with an interested party. Most people that I talked to did not share the same passion that I had for reading. I asked a few coworkers if they would be interested and it took off from there. Now we are a group of sisters that not only share a love of reading, but we share things about our personal lives as well. The members that write book reviews are Kenya Ervin, Shannon Pasley, and Treneka Jackson. Our club anniversary is usually a festive occasion. We have author visits (Tameka Newhouse and Electa Rome Parks), food, entertainment and lots of dancing. We have also hosted other authors during the year. In 2014, I hope that we can have a greater presence in the community.
BPM: What are some of your pet peeves when it comes to book promotions?
SSBC: Flooding our newsfeed and email with their books and flyers. It's ok to post one or two. Anything more than that can become annoying.
BPM: Do you prefer to only read books written by authors of color? Do you support self-published authors?
SSBC: We try to support all authors but we do prefer authors of color. I think it's easier to identify with the subject matter that's presented by authors of color based on life experiences. We also support self-published authors.
BPM: Would you ever stop buying printed books? Do you think digital books will ever replace printed books?
SSBC: I love printed books! I don't believe I will ever stop buying printed books. Although digital books have become very popular, I don't believe they will ever replace printed books. I have several book club members that love digital books and I am slowly embracing them. I love that it allows you to get a book faster than regular mail.
BPM: Does the price of a digital book play a big part in your purchase?
SSBC: I think the price of a digital book plays a part in my purchase. If the digital copy is the same price as a printed book, I would purchase the printed book instead. I think the free ebooks are a double-edged sword. It's great that the price makes it easier to get books in the hands of more readers but the quality of the material in the books have decreased somewhat.
BPM: Does social media influence your reading selections at all? Would a online radio interview, video chat or Twitter chat influence you enough to purchase a book?
SSBC: Social media is a huge influence on our reading selections. I have chosen several of our book of the month selections based on online radio interviews and Facebook chats. It allows the reader to get up close and personal with an author to see how passionate they are about their work. An author's passion, dedication and great attitude makes us want to support them as much as we can.
President: Kenya Ervin
Facebook: www.facebook.com/soulsistahs.bookclub
