BRICKS Book Club: Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

This month, we’re chatting all about Caleb Azumah Nelson’s debut book, Open Water, for BRICKS Book Club, free for Learner Platform members.

For our June BRICKS Book Club meeting, we’ll be chatting about Caleb Azumah Nelson’s critically-acclaimed debut novel, Open Water – a tender and poetic story about two young, Black British artists who fall in love with each other after meeting at the pub.

Through memories of tangled wired headphones shared on bus rides, the dancer and photographer connect over their similar backgrounds as scholarship students in private schools, open up about their experiences surrounding race in London, and ask what it means to be a person in a world that sees you only as a Black body.⁠

Join us on Monday 30th June at 7PM BST (2PM ET). Tickets are available to purchase for £5 on Eventbrite (Si apre in una nuova finestra), and BRICKS Learner Platform members can attend for free by adding the free ticket discount code available via Steady. Sign up for your 30-day free trial to join, and – to chat as you read – be sure to log onto our BRICKS Book Club Community Discord (Si apre in una nuova finestra). 

To get your copy of the book, you can buy it from local book stores (Si apre in una nuova finestra), and listen on Audible (Si apre in una nuova finestra) or Spotify (Si apre in una nuova finestra). 

Below, we’ve included some further information regarding how the virtual book club works. Any further questions, please drop them in our new Discord channel (Si apre in una nuova finestra). Please scroll to the end of this email to access your free ticket discount code.

WHEN IS OUR NEXT MEETING? 

Monday 30th June at 7PM BST (2PM ET)

WHERE IS IT? 

This event will take place in a virtual Zoom webinar. You’ll receive the Zoom link in your email once you sign up. 

HOW DO I SIGN UP?

Tickets are available to purchase for £5 on Eventbrite here (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

BRICKS Learner Platform members can attend for free by adding the free ticket discount code available via Steady. Check your email inbox or directly on our Steady page to find your free ticket discount code – Learner Platform members must still register via Eventbrite to gain access to the Zoom webinar link.

WHAT IS THIS MONTH’S BOOK?

For our June BRICKS Book Club , we’ll be reading Caleb Azumah Nelson’s critically-acclaimed debut novel, Open Water.

WHERE CAN I GET THE BOOK?

If you’re looking for a physical copy and would like independent bookseller recommendations, we’ve started a Master Doc (Si apre in una nuova finestra)to share recommendations of where to support. If you’d like to add a recommendation to the Master Doc, please drop us a message on the Discord channel – this is being regularly updated.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM THE CLUB MEETING? 

This isn’t a book club where you have to come prepared with talking points, or even finish the book (but if you want to, that’s great!). Come chat and ask questions or just listen and enjoy the discussions – everyone is welcome to join in and feel creative, in whatever way feels most comfortable. 

UNDERSTANDING ZOOM WEBINARS

To allow everyone to join the virtual book club and get involved as much as they would like to, Hannah Bertolino will be managing the call via Zoom Webinars. Webinars allow hosts (Hannah) as well as extend permission for attendees to speak. Attendees' microphones are muted by default – Hannah will ask the chat if you would like to share your thoughts, and you will be promoted to a panellist to speak to the group.

Attendees who would not like to speak can still get involved via the Chat and can engage with polls and surveys created by Hannah.