Julie’s Adult Book Club

Why This Matters

Why launch an adult book club? Because we live in Durham.

This summer I spent three months in Japan. I loved it. The people are wonderful. So is their food. Fantastic public bathrooms. Clean streets, zero litter. And their train system is amazing.

Two days after returning home I went to the Durham Food Hall on Foster Street. I happened to enter by way of MILKLAB, meaning that I had a view down onto the main floor with the food court. I got an unexpected thrill seeing the diversity of our local population: all ages, all backgrounds, all shapes and sizes, everyone together. I experienced the sight as beautiful.

I didn’t realize how much I missed the diversity while living this past summer among a homogeneous population. (Not a criticism of the Japanese here. Their homogeneity is a result of history and geography.) Moral of my story: the real benefit of travel is seeing your home anew.

Why launch an adult book club? To hear the voices of our local poets and novelists and storytellers, all different, all in one place, everyone together.