Dr. Sandra Spencer of Denton, TX talks about her book club, The Bluestockings Book Club. This diverse group enjoys a large cross-section of literature and keeps meetings fun by having the occasional phone chat with authors. Read on to learn more about this group that appreciates the historical significance of book clubs and has a knack for dealing with difficult members.

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

A: The Bluestockings Book Club, named after The Blue Stocking Circle, which "was a group of educated, intellectual women and men which met and flourished in London in the latter part of the 18th century. One of the members, a Mr. Stillingfleet, was too poor to afford evening wear and wore his everyday blue stockings." --- from The Bloomsbury Guide to Women's Literature.

Our group has been together since September 2003. We will be celebrating our 1-year anniversary at this month's meeting.

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

A: We currently have 55 members, all women, whose ages range from early 20s to late 70s.

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

A: We meet once a month, the third Thursday of the month, at Barnes & Noble Bookstore in town.

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

A: Yes, we sometimes have coffee and cookies donated by the bookstore. Most often we try to stay away from having food at the meetings; it seems to distract from the meeting itself.

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

A: A person from the group chooses a book from the reading list for which they would like to be the discussion leader. We do not use reading group guides.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: We have an even mix of fiction and nonfiction, "women prominent" books; the main characteristic is that the books foreground women's experiences.

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: A mixed committee chooses the books. The book club meets for an academic year (August through May) with summers off. The book list is made up before the start of a new book club year.

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

A: Our best discussions/favorite books have been Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich and Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: I sent this question to one of our Bluestocking members and this was her response: "I think we started out with fun meetings by having the author phone chat with Donna Woolfolk Cross. That initial kickoff really set the tone for further meetings by showing that the books and discussions are taken both in a serious and fun manner. We got many laughs and thoughtful provocative statements from the author that really enhanced the book experience. Because we draw from such a varied population by having announcements in the local paper, signs at Barnes and Noble, campus publicity, etc., we get a good cross section of different people for questions, comments, and reactions. This is something that is special about Bluestockings --- that it is open to all (including men) and we get the range of ages and experiences to discuss the books. It seems like the mix of people is different each time for each book. We have had small meetings and large meetings and the different atmospheres for both keep it fresh."

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

A: Our advice would be to get as many people actively involved in the book club as possible.

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

A: Horror story: At one of last year's meetings we were joined by a classic "nut-case": a lady who was, unfortunately, always angry, displeased with everything she came into contact with, and for whom the book club was a way to monopolize people and angrily control the meeting. She attended two meetings, the first of which she did somewhat monopolize because she caught everyone off guard with her anger and intensity, starting off the meeting with, "I hated this book..." At the second meeting a few of the members discussed the situation, and had developed a few strategies with which to deflect the discussion away from her. Through this they managed to keep the meeting at the usual, upbeat, and interactive pace. The "nut-case" did not and has not attended another meeting. *crossing fingers*

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

A: Our group is one that strives to break down social and academic barriers. We join together faculty and staff, students and faculty, as well as bringing in various non-academic, community members. For example, one of our members is a pastor at a local church and our book club is one of the few venues in which she can participate and share her knowledge that is outside of a religious arena.

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