FAQs

How does it work?

The reading/listening/watching for each week will be short and manageable (a maximum of 1 hour).

If it’s an ‘open’ session, we ask that you only attend a session if you have engaged with the materials for that week. 

Anyone is welcome to attend our open sessions as long as you respect the attendance guidelines. All you need to do is register to show up and engage in the homework for that week. The same goes for the cohorts, except that we ask you to commit to all 6 sessions.

Once you've registered, we will send you the reading for the following week. 

In the spirit of openness and welcoming the group, we ask that you sign up using your full name in order to receive follow up details (and use your full name on Zoom).

Is this a white only space?

We have decided to design our current groups for people who identify as white or white passing. We recognise that there are many ways to facilitate this work and have previously only held sessions open to people of all racial identities. However, keeping in mind the potential of unintentional harm of us being unable to fully account for and hold space for the emotional/physical process of racialised people, we have decided this approach is more ethical for us at this moment in time. We acknowledge we are on a continuous learning journey in relationship to this process, and we welcome conversation, feedback and thoughts on this decision from people who want to talk more about it. 

Do I have to know a lot about this stuff to come?

No, absolutely not. We welcome people at any stage of their learning about race.

How much does it cost?

It’s free.

How do you decide what to focus on?

Currently, the facilitators create the sessions for participants and ask for regular feedback and suggestions on focus areas. This enables us to respond to the needs of the group as we go.

Will I be the only one who doesn’t know everyone else? I’m nervous about coming to a new group!

Not at all. We have had participants from all over the world join us, which we love! And most people in the group have never met. We realise it can take a lot of courage to join a new group and be vulnerable with strangers. Please do email us if you would like to speak to us more before deciding whether to come along.

Have more questions? Email us at race.bookclub@gmail.com or check out our Group Guidelines for more info on our values, how we hold ourselves accountable as facilitators and the boundaries of the space.