This fall, book lovers at UNCW will be coming together to discuss all things bookish in Morton Hall. Last semester, President Logan Knowles came together with his friends to create a space for all things bookish. This new club is both a book club and a literary club, offering members the chance to participate in group reads or literary games — or both.

Lydia Mielke serves as the Book Club’s  Vice-President. Mielke’s excitement for the Book Club extends back to the spring semester when she and her friends first began the concept for the club, “It was our president’s idea, Logan,” said Mielke. “Me, him and the secretary were all good friends . It was just us three, but we all had a passion for books already so when the idea came we jumped on it.” The club officially began meeting halfway through spring, and before the end of the semester they had 15 members attending most meetings.

Eri Mitchell serves as the Book Club’s secretary. She has been surprised by how many unique people have stopped by to discuss books, “Our membership is the most unique thing about us. [Members] would be coming down the hallway and we’d be like ‘they’re cool’ and then they’d walk in.” Mitchell says that they appreciate all different types of readers — the cracked spines or pristine conditions alike. “I am a crazy annotation person, the book has to be marked up. Then there are people who bought [the book] and couldn’t crease the spine.”

Mitchell prioritizes accessibility for all members. “I just feel like I wanted people to have a space. Reading is becoming quite an elitist thing that can be gatekept in many instances,” said Mitchell. “That’s not to say we don’t have our own biases. We really just wanted to create something that was accessible. Sometimes in class you get on tangents about books but we wanted a place for the tangents.”

The Book Club aims to make sure that no members feel as if they cannot share their love for reading, “In what might feel like an elite setting — sometimes in certain settings UNCW does feel like an ivy league — you feel so small. And I don’t want anyone to feel like that. I don’t want reading to feel like an elitist thing.” Mitchell said. Mitchell also points at the politics of reading today. The Book Club aims to not only make conversation welcome, but to also ensure that everyone has access to books. “Books, literacy and intellect are starting to be things that only the higher up can have. If we can foster that opportunity in Wilmington — open, honest, right then-and-there — it goes against the anti-intellect,” Mitchell said.

For potential members who aren’t sure if they want to commit to reading along with the club, every other meeting is dedicated to a “bookish” activity. Mielke wants members to feel that they can choose what activities they participate in, “It is a book club and a literary club. One week we read a book and then the next week we play games. Members can come every week or just come to the Book Club.” Mitchell calls this portion of the club; “the physical BookTok.”

For members who do want to participate in the book club side of things, there will be up to two reads this upcoming semester. “We are looking at two, but we like to have the members vote on the book we do. We come up with five or six titles and they can vote on it. It comes down to how everyone is feeling about the page count,” Mielke explained.

Last semester the Book Club read “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and participated in multiple arts and crafts. Member Sophia Tate enjoyed the creative games. “We did this game where you had to redraw the cover of a book and we did ‘Moby-Dick.’ That was really fun,” she said. Other games last semester included a “Guess this Book” game where parts of the cover were slowly unveiled and group games where members split into teams.

While Mielke describes the Book Club as a “friendly happy bunch,” the Book Club has its serious moments. Mielke noticed that members had differing reactions to last semester’s read, bringing a variety of ideas into the conversation, “I got to hear other interpretations, lots of open-endedness  and theories. [The book] had emotional scenes. It is really interesting to get with a group of people and you learn more about them.” Hearing perspectives different from yours is a compelling reason why discussing a book with a group of people is important. Tate, a creative writing major, was positively surprised that the Book Club’s members covered a variety of majors. “I really love the small pocket of the community. I first expected it to be a lot of English and Creative Writing people so it was really cool to meet different people,” she said.

While the Book Club is just getting started, the founders have already noticed the club is a nice addition to UNCW. Mielke’s favorite moment so far came towards the end of the semester.

“When we wrapped the book up, we had a lot to talk about and we went like 30 minutes over being like ‘oh wait this too.’ We were drawing it out. I didn’t want it to end,” she said. “We had coffee-esque snacks because the book took place in a cafe. [The leaders] were like ‘okay people do want to be here.’ People who don’t speak much were speaking. It meant a lot to hear them come out of their shells through the book.”

As the Book Club continues to grow, they also hope to create a safe space for all readers. Mitchell highlights the importance of making sure all readers feel valid in the space they have created. “We are believers in audiobooks. You are a valid reader if you take in stories and information. You are allowed to be here no matter how you take in information and consume media. You can count that audiobook on your Goodreads goal,” said Mitchell.

If you’re wondering if the Book Club is for you, ask yourself: am I passionate about books? If the answer is yes, then Mitchell says this is the place for you.

“You’ll never be put down for something you’re passionate about. Come show us a manuscript you’re working on, or a book cover you started. If you’re reading classics you’re valid. If you’re reading Colleen Hoover, you’re valid. If you’re only reading smut you’re valid. If you’re only reading self-help, you’re valid, and here is the space to talk about it,” she said.

The Book Club is excited to welcome new members when they resume their meetings in September. Information for their interest meeting can be found on WaveLink and will be on Sept. 8 at 5pm in Morton 201. Tate recommends new members join because the club is a place unlike others on campus.

“[The Book Club is] a place to meet new people, but also it’s just a little different from other clubs. We’re not out doing a whole lot, but we’re just discussing things and sharing viewpoints; it’s almost like a Socratic seminar,” Tate said.

Mielke has many hopeful plans for the next semester. “We are hoping to do a paint your own bookmark or tote. We like to plan fun activities for people who want to be more social. Hoping to do a book swap too.”

Interested in joining the Book Club this semester?

The Book Club can be contacted via DM on Instagram or via the contact information on WaveLink. You can also find the Book Club at the Involvement Carnival on Tuesday Aug. 26.