Let's read together!

I don’t know a writer who isn’t going through it. Life has been kicking most of us in the butt, not to mention everything going on. Food insecurity, a broken healthcare system, ICE raids in our neighborhoods. It’s hard to be creative when everything around us is on fire.

The horrors of the world feel so massive that a helplessness can kick in: what can we do to make things better when the news is an onslaught of injustices and violations of human rights? What kind of impact can we possibly have as individuals? It’s easy to feel it’s all futile, like anything we can do is too small an act.

But Ursula Villarreal-Moura has reminded me that small acts can have a ripple effect.

You might remember Ursula from the interview we ran earlier this year. Maybe, like me, you follow her on Instagram.

If you do, you know she’s been selling books off her own personal shelves with all the money going to support Palestinian people she knows who are impacted by what’s happening in Gaza. She’ll post a photo of the books available with a note on their condition and a price, and you can DM her to make payment and shipping arrangements. I’ve watched these book sales with admiration, and then Ursula posted another fundraising idea: she’d host a book discussion and ask participants to donate to help her friends in Palestine. I jumped at the opportunity. But only one other person expressed interest and with other things going on, Ursula began questioning her bandwidth to lead a discussion.

I messaged that I’d help, that she didn’t need to shoulder a leadership role. And rather than reading a new book, I suggested we read her novel—Like Happiness came out in paperback earlier this year and strikes that sweet spot for a book discussion: it’s accessible, but smart. It’s an intimate and compelling story that should lead to a rich conversation as the novel tackles issues of consent, power, fame, and art.

So here’s a small act: join me for a book discussion with Ursula. We’re asking participants to make a donation of at least $10 (more if you can swing it) to one of the following fundraisers:

Help Ahmad Ali to start his life again

Help Mahmoud Al-Zamili’s Family Survive

Help Talya and her family in Gaza

Help Ramy, the main provider of his family to survival

These are fundraisers Ursula has personally vetted. But if you’d rather, you can Venmo your donation to Ursula and she’ll make sure the money gets donated to one of these four fundraisers.

Now for the details! Our book discussion will be held Monday, January 12 at 7pm CST. You can sign up here.

It’s not a huge act, but I love the idea of building community around something we all love: books. And we’ll raise some money to help ease the hardships in a few people’s lives.

I hope you’ll join us. And I hope you’re taking good care. <3