This is an independent book club from Cafe con Libros. All are welcome; no RSVP needed. Books are on sale now at the book store.

What can we learn about race, gender, and diaspora from a group of African American women who travel in order to prioritize their happiness? How does it feel to engage in leisure and seek pleasure while being viewed as desirable? Where can Black women go to (briefly) escape U.S. racism and connect to other Black folx? Is traveling to Jamaica an answer? The Pursuit of Happiness addresses some of these questions, as Bianca C. Williams offers insights from her ethnographic research where she studied the travels of African American tourists to Jamaica. In the midst of increasing discussion about the significance of self-care practices and emotional wellness, Williams argues that pursuing happiness is a political project for Black women.  

“Bianca C. Williams traces the experiences of African American women as they travel to Jamaica, where they deal with the perils and disappointments of U.S. racism by looking for happiness, girlfriendship, and intimacy. Through their encounters with Jamaicans, the women construct notions of racial, sexual, and emotional belonging. While the women require a connection to Jamaica in order to live happily in the United States, their notion of happiness relies on travel and leveraging their national privilege as American citizens. Here, they began to understand the ways African Americans and Jamaicans experience Blackness differently, and recognize the differentials of power present within the African diaspora.” (excerpt from the back of the book)

All are welcome!!!! No RSVP needed.

Steph Auteri is a writer and editor who has written about women’s health and sexuality for The Atlantic, the Washington Post, VICE, Pacific Standard, Salon, Undark, and other publications. She also volunteers for the Center for Sex Education, the national education division of her local Planned Parenthood. She lives with her husband, her daughter, and three cats in Verona, NJ. 

Steph Auteri is a sex writer. In her fifteen years as a journalist, she has reviewed sex toys, attended sex parties, researched sexual health, and even participated in “cuddle parties.” There’s only one small problem—a secret she’s been keeping… Her sex drive is in the gutter.

A beautiful and hilarious mixture of cultural essays and poignant personal stories, A Dirty Word shines a light on what it’s like to feel broken, only to realize that there is no right way to be sexual. From her earliest sexual experiences, Auteri felt there must be something wrong with her. As an adult, her career in sex writing was meant to be a type of shock therapy—a way to fix her “sexual dysfunction”. But her career, exciting as it was, could not provide a roadmap through her struggles with a low libido, painful sex, fertility problems, negative self-image, marriage woes, and the aftermath of sexual assault. 

In A Dirty Word, Auteri boldly exposes her own stumbles and triumphs as she explores topics like consent, body image, sex-negativity, and the seeming impossibility of raising a daughter in a culture that is constantly twisting female sexuality to fit its own needs. In the end, Auteri has found peace through one startling realization: she doesn’t need to be “fixed” after all.

all are welcome!

Architects of the Flesh: A Poetry Reading and Book Signing

Amanda J. Bradley, Laurel Radzieski, and Daryl Sznyter use words to create three separate corporeal spaces that become concentric only in terms of the gender on which their narratives rely. Amanda J. Bradley's Queen Kongenters a dialogue with famous feminists throughout history about the manipulations of their bodies, Laurel Radzieski's Red Mother explores a parasite's unrequited love for its host, and Daryl Sznyter's Synonyms for (OTHER) Bodies is a declaration of self-love despite (or perhaps even because of) the trauma a body can overcome.

We're meeting at Bottoms Up, 731 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, NY!!!

Author Sonia Panigrahy, is a public health professional, world traveler, adventure seeker, and fitness enthusiast. Her motto is that life is too short to be bored!

Nina the Neighborhood Ninja was created out of Sonia's lifelong love of reading. As her family and friends begin to have children, she looked forward to sharing this love with them. She believes that books are a powerful way to empower impressionable young minds. 

Sonia was surprised that she could not find books for kids ages 3-6 years that realistically identified females as intelligent, physically tough, brave, and adventurous. She was disappointed that girls continue to be excluded from the heart of the superhero story. 

After unsuccessful attempts to find a young girl superhero protagonist on the pages of a book, especially one of color, she gave up. Then she created her own. 

This book explores thirty different lessons and notions Hope Alcocer has learned before blowing out the candles on Alcocer's 30th birthday cake. They're fun, raw, yet important nuggets on lessons of love and career, sex and status, health and wellness, family and f*ck boys, and most importantly- the pursuit of genuine self-love and finding true happiness.

The name of the exhibit is "MachineGhost|s"

The pieces provide a space of reckoning with questions surrounding perspective and the way it shifts and compounds, elevates or distorts. Through finely detailed ink work, the pieces are meant to be introspective and reflective. 

Ade Raphael is a queer/trans Virgin Islands born and raised artist. She is currently based in Denver and NYC. 

Eat, Shop, Hang Out in Crown Heights ALL day!  Cafe con Libros is participating.

Join Dr. Morancie for an interactive discussion about the causes and emotional effects of abuse and harassment in the workplace.  Come prepared to learn, laugh, and discover effective strategies for protecting yourself in the face of abuse from a bullying boss.

Wedding season is upon us, but have you ever wonder how weird it is that brides need their parents’ permission to marry but grooms do not? Are you curious why women don't propose more? Have you noticed that men usually don't wear engagement rings? Are you at all outraged that there's a fair amount of slut shaming toward women on bachelorette parties? If so, the book, The Adventures and Discoveries of a Feminist Bride: What No One Tells You Before You Say 'I Do'" by author Katrina Majkut will have the answer you are seeking and more. 

After breaking into her own apartment in her underwear to save a bridesmaid’s dress, experiencing outlandish sexual harassment from men while celebrating friends’
bachelorette parties, and then watching friends’ similar misadventures, Majkut threw in her newlywed monogrammed towel and said, “What’s with all the wedding drama? Women deserve better than this!”

With the help of feminism (the greatest gift anyone can put on a wedding registry), Majkut uncovers eye-opening historical truths and investigates how social traditions impact people’s lives both socially and civilly. She discovers that it’s not just about the bride and discusses how wedding rituals must evolve to better support marriage equality and respect diverse people’s needs (and, gasp, even men’s). Majkut lays out how couples can act with more integrity and love on their big day because equality can’t happen unless everyone works together. Just take it from Majkut—who learned the hard way—the perfect wedding includes perfect equality!

Join Majkut on Friday May 11th at 6pm for a book reading, signing, and Q&A by Majkut.

I Am Queen Ruby” is the very first book of the series. It is about a young girl, named Ruby, who is teased for having darker skin. When Ruby gets empowered by her teacher, she realizes that she is a queen. This book consists of an inspiring message for children between the ages of 3-16. In addition, it addresses the socio-emotional issues that our youth face on a daily basis. 

Background:

I Am Queen JVC is a consulting company that empowers people to master life through motivational speaking and one on one coaching. We cater to adults and children alike. Our “I Am Queen” portfolio focuses on youth development. Although, we follow the anti-bullying regime, the mission is to instill the concept of self-love for girls and boys from all communities. We are currently working on a series of children’s books that empower youth.

Like plants, people have the power to grow, thrive and adapt to their environment. If given the correct amount of light, water, and nutrients; plants will flourish.  The growth and productivity of plants are strongly impacted by their environment. Environmental stress can be detrimental to the life of a plant. Just like plants, humans are deeply affected by the stresses of our habitats. And just like plants, humans have the biological ability to adapt and discover how to thrive despite unfavorable environmental circumstances. 

 Adaptation is an exploration and celebration of humanities kinship with the Earth. We are at a tipping point as climate change adversely effects our environment. Humanity must decide to adapt and change our habits in order to protect life on Earth. Otherwise, we are in danger of losing the conservation provided by our ecosystem. 

 Artist Bio

Steven Mosley is a painter from Hughesville Maryland. He currently lives in Jersey City, NJ where he works as a director and artist. 

His Portraits are narrative snapshots that tell the stories and personal experiences of Blacks in America. Every painting contains a multitude of messages, hidden in visual patterns, mixed media collage and color. 

 Email: stevenjmosley@gmail.com

Social: @OnceLegends

Come to Cafe Con Libros on April 27th and enjoy a night of chill vibes, inspiring literature and of course a good cause. The entrance is $5 dollars which gets you a free drink and all of the proceeds will be donated to Immigration Equality. So come support your local artists and get ready for a funky time!

The Renegade Reading Series is coming to Cafe Con Libros on Friday, April 20th - and they're looking for readers! The RRS is a monthly reading series featuring the best emerging writers in NYC and they accept rolling submissions all year. If you are interested in submitting your work for April 20th or a future event, please email renegadereading@gmail.com with a writing sample, a headshot/photo, and a short bio and they’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

All emerging poets, fiction writers, and essayists are welcome to submit. The Renegade Reading Series center the voices of women, POC, LGBTQ+ folks, and people with disabilities. Their main aim is to bring new and diverse voices with immense talent to the stage.

HER musing: Workshops for Woke Women presents the third iteration of gathering for women and femmes to sit in fellowship while engaging the intersection of a topical theme.

“WHEN DID YOU LAST BELONG TO YOURSELF?”

Chronicle your personal truth with inspiring guided writing flows. Claim or re-claim your independence by lending your magic to an intuitive, community-building moment.

This is a private event that is open to the public.  Please RSVP using this link.  Thank you!

I often write about things that are uncomfortable to talk about. What I hope is that I can trigger people to think about things from a different perspective and to get people talking about things with a level of empathy. My desire is to foster communication and to build understanding by honestly sharing myself.

One Love- Randi"

Randi Bryant has successfully leveraged her experience as a corporate diversity trainer, her widely-followed societal commentary blog, and her inaugural published book, Neversays, to create an unparalleled training and speaking platform on the issues of diversity and inclusiveness. Her seventeen years of experience in providing diversity and inclusion training through her company, Bryant Consulting Group, provided firsthand experience on the importance of creating and fostering an inclusive environment to organizations’ financial bottom lines through enhanced employee engagement, improved performance and the ability to avoid the economic and time costs associated with discrimination claims and lawsuits. She honed both her fresh insights and her unique voice through her blog, Beatnik24.com, in which she explores all aspects of race and culture in the United States.

These efforts culminated in her recently published book, Neversays, and its unique philosophy that most people are good people, but remain woefully uninformed about how to communicate across racial, gender, national origin and other societal lines. The Neversays model avoids philosophical ponderings in favor of practical, concrete tools that people can employ to foster inclusivity and to improve their day to day interactions and communications.