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The Book, The Club, and Where they Intersect


 

Monday evening found me doing something I had never done before: sitting around a table at a book club. Something familiar to all my years in school: I hadn’t finished the book yet. 

The place was HoCoLocal indie bookstore Queen Takes Book. We were all there to discuss: Your Brain on Art by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross. (Yes, I wrote about them back in March after hearing an episode of Kelly Corrigan Wonders about Making.) 


Drawing helps me listen.


I don’t go out much, and I’ve never done the book club thing, but I felt that the universe was telling me that this was the one. So I signed up and bought the book. True to form, I left it until after Christmas and then discovered it was not the easy read I had expected it to be. I purchased the audio book to use in conjunction with the print version and by the day before the event I had also downloaded a study guide.

I’m still working on it. I refuse to be defeated by a book about a topic I care about this much. But, enough about me. 

The evening at Queen Takes Book was well attended. (They had to put out more chairs.) Some folks had read the entire book, some hadn’t finished, some hadn’t even started. A few came because the topic looked interesting. There was no judgement about where one was in the reading journey. I was relieved.

I found the discussion to be truly enlightening. I also learned how important it is to have a knowledgeable leader who knows how to ask good questions and foster/guide the discussion. Ours was brilliant and I wish I had written down her name so I could credit her here. 

It was particularly good for me to learn the different reasons people decided to read the book and what they were looking for. I am so deeply focused on arts education that I often forget that there’s anything else to consider. 

Speaking of arts education, there’s an excellent Op Ed in the Baltimore Sun* by the director of the Baltimore School for the Arts, Roz Cauthen.


Photo credit Amy Davis 


The high cost of cutting arts education, Roz Cauthen, Guest Commentary

According to the World Economic Forum's 2025 Future of Jobs Report, creative thinking remains one of the most in-demand skills for the future of work. Yet the programs that most effectively cultivate those abilities — dance, film, visual arts, music, theater and design - are often first to shrink when budgets tighten.

We cannot demand an innovative workforce while defunding the programs that produce innovative thinkers.

Arts programs drive student engagement, attendance and achievement. When they disappear, schools lose one of the most effective tools for improving outcomes.

And, while you’re here, may I recommend:

Arts Educators Save the World, a podcast hosted by Erica Halverson. It’s interesting, entertaining, often funny, and deeply informative. And - - this is imporant - - this podcast, just like the arts, is for everyone. It’s engaging, accessible, and you won’t need a study guide.

Ahem.

I had a wonderful time at Queen Takes Book and I just might attend another book club one day. It’s a great place to listen, interact, and get some good doodling done in the process.




To learn more about events at Queen Takes Book, check out their website.




*Digital access courtesy of Howard County Library


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  1. Julia A. McCreadyJanuary 21, 2026 at 4:45 AM

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