Matthew Ring of Winnipeg, Manitoba and his fellow book club members follow a unique ritual after which their group is named: anyone who has not completed the book to be discussed is given a dirty glass to hold throughout the meeting --- hence, The Dirty Glass Book Club. Read on to learn more about this quirky and interesting group that keeps things light with a little wine and some '80s tunes.

Q: Does your group have a name and/or a theme? How long has your group been in existence?

A: We're called The Dirty Glass Book Club (DGBC), named after the glass given to a member who does not complete the book to be discussed for the evening. Through the course of the discussion, the drinker feels a mix of shame and pride as they cradle The Dirty Glass. Our first meeting was February 28, 2003.

Q: How many members do you have? How many men, how many women? What age are most of your members?

A: The current membership stands at seven members; four women and three men. The average age of the group is 32.

Q: How often do you meet? Where do you meet?

A: We meet whenever it is convenient for all the members, which is approximately every month and a half. Every meeting so far has been held at the organizer's house.

Q: Do you eat at your meetings? What do you eat? Who brings the food?

A: At each meeting, wine is served along with cheese and crackers. Like the book selection, these items are brought by members on a rotational basis. We try to connect them somehow with the book being discussed.

Q: Who leads the discussion? Do you use reading group guides?

A: The organizer of the DGBC leads discussion, but on a "need be" basis only.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: Any work of fiction.

Q: How do you choose your books? Do you choose one new book at each meeting, or do you choose the books for a number of meetings ahead of time?

A: The books are selected in turn by each member. Following the discussion at each meeting, the new book is "revealed" to the members.

Q: What were some of the best discussions or favorite books the group read?

A: Two discussions that come to mind were for 1984 and The Virility Factor. Other favourites include The Catcher in the Rye, The Edible Woman and I Served the King of England

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: The wine and port helps! We also have contests or giveaways sponsored by the person whose book is being discussed. When the next book selection is being announced, we ham it up and play "Eye of the Tiger" in the background as well.

Q: What advice would you give to other reading groups?

A: Keep your numbers manageable. With a smaller group, everyone has ample opportunity to share their thoughts on the book.

Q: Do you have any horror stories, amusing anecdotes, or other special tales to tell?

A: Word has spread about our book club and we have people trying to join. In order to keep the numbers as they are, we unfortunately have to turn these other book readers away.

Q: Is there anything else unique or noteworthy about your group that you would like to share?

A: We have our own website. The link is:
http://members.shaw.ca/imring/bcindex.html

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