This interview is with Sharon Haynes from the "Sisters Sippin' Tea Literary Group" of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Read on to learn more about this group.


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

A: The name of our group is Sisters Sippin' Tea (SST) Literary Group, Tulsa Chapter. Our first meeting was held in April 2002. Our founding chapter was established in 1992 in Houston, Texas. There are SST chapters all over the country, including one in Cairo, Egypt.

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

A: We currently have 11 very diverse WONDERFUL ladies. Our membership caps at 12. The age ranges from 29 - 50's.

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

A: We meet the third Saturday of each month. Meetings are normally held in a member's home; however, it is up to the hostess to choose the locale. Each member is responsible for hosting a monthly SIP. December is dedicated to our Christmas Gala and January is the month we hold our annual business meeting. This meeting is conducted in a local library or a venue that will provide a business atmosphere conducive to the discussion.

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

A: Absolutely, the cuisine is always wonderful; we've never been disappointed. The hostess provides refreshments of her choice; nothing is too elaborate or too simple.

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

A: The hostess leads the discussion. We have a sassy group of ladies and our opinions and attitudes can get quite bold. Recently we've incorporated a facilitator to assist the hostess in moving the discussion along. In situations that are near and dear to our hearts, we've been known to belabor a point or two. We utilize reading group guides from all sources when available. Along with our own questions, comments and book interpretations, the discussions are awesome.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: We read all genres and have covered a wide range of authors.

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 monthly hostess will suggest at least three titles, providing a brief synopsis of each book. Our hostess schedule is established for the year at the January Business meeting; therefore, each lady knows ahead of time that she is responsible for providing this information. The group will vote on the monthly selections made available. We will select titles in advance to cover a three-month time span.

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

A: We have not had a bad discussion, but the book that generated the most emotions was The Warmest December by Bernice McFadden. The Warmest December provided a lot of intimacy for the group as we shared our backgrounds --- both the pleasure and the pain of our relationships with men in our lives. The men ranged from fathers and brothers, to significant others, or just friends that we knew that were in, or had been in, relationships with men that had impacted their lives for the worse. It helped us see more deeply into our other sisters' personalities. Plus, we explored the important social issues of domestic violence, child abuse and alcoholism. We even had an action item that challenged us to gather valid information from professional organizations or the Internet that we would share with each other at our next meeting. We would use this information to empower ourselves with knowledge that would assist us in providing valuable information to help someone get out of an abusive situation.

The other big hitter was Uncle Tom's Cabinby Harriet Beecher Stowe. One of our members brought the silent movie version of Uncle Tom's Cabin that played during our discussion --- it was great. The hostess even provided gifts for everyone at the end of the meeting that included 5X7 prints and collective candy tins that depicted scenes from Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: First of all, we agree to respectfully disagree. In our by-laws, one of the stipulations that is a strict requirement for all members is to always eat, drink, be merry and, above all, have fun and enjoy the fellowship of those around you. We also celebrate and support each other's accomplishments and birthdays.

At our first Christmas Gala we included our spouses. We had a blast. There was lots of good food and we did the white elephant gift exchange. We even selected a book that was read and discussed by our spouses! The book, Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, generated a lively discussion. We took pictures and our local newspaper even wrote about the event.

The Tulsa chapter is celebrating our one-year anniversary at a lakeside B&B for the weekend to foster a feeling of sisterly closeness. Additionally, all of the chapters gather together for our annual SIP, which will be hosted by the Dallas Chapter this year.

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

A: Strive for longevity. Keep your groups manageable and don't let tension fester. We have by-laws that provide structure and a balance to our group. Screening new members closely helps to ensure the cohesiveness of the group. Decisions that affect SST are voted on. Make sure that everyone makes a good faith effort to read the book in its entirety prior to the meeting. The success of the club will depend on in-depth discussions.

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

A: We were all pretty amused by the character Sugar in Bernice McFadden's book Sugar. Sugar had a "don't take no mess attitude" and her walk demonstrated her feelings. The walk was so descriptive that a couple of our members developed what they thought depicted Sugar's walk. This became so popular that, when the author came to town, the ladies were requested to strut the Sugar walk!

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

A: Our group is very community service oriented and we are involved in various activities. We are ambassadors for the Rudsill Library African American Resource Center, where we assist in coordinating and facilitating author presentations and book events. For the 2003 school year we adopted the Hamilton Middle School 6th grade class. By the end of the school term, we plan on providing each student with a book to take home during the summer to promote leisurely reading. We are planning on incorporating an "SST Miss" into our fold by 2004.

One of our members published her first book of poetry, which received honorable mention in the self published African American Awards poetry category; she has also completed her first novel. Another member has enjoyed over 20 years in the theater as an actor and artistic director. And another member is opening a bookstore that will feature titles by and for African Americans: Emerging Minds, Books & More, the only specialty bookstore of its kind in Oklahoma.

Book List:
April 2002 - The Future Has a Past - J. California Cooper
May 2002 - Far from the Tree -Virginia DeBerry & Donna Grant
June 2002 - 10 Minutes Past Too Late - Anika Malone
July 2002 - Fire in Beulah - Rilla Askew
August 2002 - Sugar - Bernice McFadden
August 2002 - This Biter Earth - Bernice McFadden
September 2002 - The Coldest Winter Ever - Sister Souljah
October 2002 - The Hearts of Men - Travis Hunter
November 2002 - White Butterfly - Walter Mosley
December 2002 - Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus - John Gray, Ph.D.

January 2003 - SST 2003 Business Meeting
February 2003 - P.G. County - Connie Briscoe
March 2003 - The Warmest December - Bernice McFadden
April 2003 - Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe
May 2003 - Child of God - Lolita Files

Q: Occasionally we get requests from the press or book groups who would like to contact the group. Is there anyone who can handle this for your group?

A: Sharon Haynes, Coordinator; Slh2412@sbcglobal.net

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