Altered Books

New (old) location - La Madeleine at 500 King St! Hope to see you there

We will meet outside as long as the weather is nice. If not, we will move inside. Look out for a comment the morning of each meeting with our exact location. As we are meeting in person, please remember to bring something to read as we usually spend some time sharing our current reads and/or reading when meeting in person. As a reminder, there is no assigned reading; please bring whatever you are currently working on. This group is super casual, sometimes we read and sometimes we talk the whole time. **** NO SHOW POLICY: Due to the high number of members on the waitlist recently we are having to reinstate our no-show policy. If you sign up and no-show to 2 events you will be removed from the group. Reminders are provided weekly to change your RSVP to allow those on the waitlist a chance to come to the meet-up, no 3rd chances with be given. Please be considerate to your fellow members. Thank you! I look forward to reading you!

At this session we will be discussing the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Below is a link to the collection we'll plan to work from. [The Essential Emily Dickinson - ed. Oates](https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Emily-Dickinson/dp/0062668870/ref=sr_1_1?crid=D80HKMVUNR3A&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.TrJk36lKRArdez-mtZ4W9JdHhuXF3CuHglVXjKwDQUqJLEBeg7zZBC7u1ReMYE0SNxqtQqw-MasJ1BMdD3gi_wClTJBjCfV-23hojWOEdzL8kU4cO52O3-nvJlYYEemtywm4QWKCGfECODRRGjOYkQ8_YtUAbBy6NIVWUUTaihVxdOFBylUsAi-iNkVtaJTn4_1CKZZ5oKlBgeWRx8o9q-zD_6GGDDbKT64FyuDxgJw.fm_6VCqzq2N-HVqeeYkRTZER9y7g0DWVJQX4VgVDSxM&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+essential+emily+dickinson&qid=1771986201&sprefix=the+essential+emily+dickin%2Caps%2C303&sr=8-1&asin=0062668870&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1) Below are 15 of her more important poems I'd like to cover, but her poems are fairly short and it's a pretty slim volume, so do plan to read the whole volume if possible. Because I could not stop for Death (712) "Hope" is the thing with feathers (254) I'm Nobody! Who are you? (288) There's a certain Slant of light (258) I heard a Fly buzz—when I died (465) Wild Nights - Wild Nights! (249) My Life had stood - a Loaded Gun (754) I felt a Funeral, in my Brain (280) Success is counted sweetest (67) A Bird, came down the Walk (328) I taste a liquor never brewed (214) Tell all the truth but tell it slant (1129) Much Madness is divinest Sense (435) As Imperceptibly as Grief (1540) I died for Beauty—but was scarce (449)

SOLD OUT: Learn to needlefelt an adorable owl sculpture of your own! Becca Woodford is a self taught & experienced needle felt artist, who happens to work in our shop! In this class you’ll learn the basics of needle felting, including tools and techniques. Starting with how to felt the basic sphere shape, you’ll move on to learn how to add details to make an owl with your own personal twist. You’ll leave class with a finished wool sculpture of an adorable owl — or if not completed, the tools and confidence to finish at home. Your registration fee includes a complete **[Owl Needle Felting Kit by Woolbuddy](https://artisticartifacts.com/products/owl-needle-felting-kit-by-woolbuddy)**, which contains all the premium natural merino wool needed and two felting needles. Learn more about this class, download your student supply list and pay for your registration via Artistic Artifacts' secure online website: [https://artisticartifacts.com/products/intro-to-needle-felting-with-becca-woodford](https://artisticartifacts.com/products/intro-to-needle-felting-with-becca-woodford) \*\*\* Registrations for all Artistic Artifacts classes MUST be paid for [through our website](https://artisticartifacts.com/collections/wk), or via a visit to our shop at 4750 Eisenhower Avenue. We encourage you to RSVP here, but to ensure your seat you MUST follow through via our website. [View our complete class policies »](https://artisticartifacts.com/pages/class-policies)

Winner of the 2023 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Fiction “Deeply empathetic yet unflinching in its gaze…an unforgettable exploration of responsibility and redemption.”—Celeste Ng Inspired by true events that rocked the nation, a searing and compassionate new novel about a Black nurse in post-segregation Alabama who blows the whistle on a terrible injustice done to her patients, from the New York Times bestselling author of Wench Montgomery, Alabama, 1973. Fresh out of nursing school, Civil Townsend intends to make a difference, especially in her African American community. At the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic, she hopes to help women shape their destinies, to make their own choices for their lives and bodies. But when her first week on the job takes her along a dusty country road to a worn-down one-room cabin, Civil is shocked to learn that her new patients, Erica and India, are children—just eleven and thirteen years old. Neither of the Williams sisters has even kissed a boy, but they are poor and Black, and for those handling the family’s welfare benefits, that’s reason enough to have the girls on birth control. As Civil grapples with her role, she takes India, Erica, and their family into her heart. Until one day she arrives at their door to learn the unthinkable has happened, and nothing will ever be the same for any of them. Decades later, with her daughter grown and a long career in her wake, Dr. Civil Townsend is ready to retire, to find her peace, and to leave the past behind. But there are people and stories that refuse to be forgotten. That must not be forgotten. Because history repeats what we don’t remember. Inspired by true events and brimming with hope, Take My Hand is a stirring exploration of accountability and redemption. “Highlights the horrific discrepancies in our healthcare system and illustrates their heartbreaking consequences.”—Essence

Come the whole time or if you just spend 30 minutes. All are welcome. You are welcome and encouraged to bring your own coloring supplies but, if you don't have any, I will have plenty and am happy to share! (coloring books, colored pencils, and markers). Part of the mission of this group is to provide us an opportunity to check out AND SUPPORT local businesses. So, please don't bring any outside food/drinks and, while purchasing something isn't at all a REQUIREMENT to participate in the event, I do strongly encourage you to try something from the vendor :) I look forward to seeing and meeting you there! ***\*\*DISCLAIMER*\*\*** Photos may be taken during the event to be shared here on Meetup so feel free to let me know if you'd like to be excluded from them.

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“The Power of Folk Horror,”** an exploration of an especially creepy subgenre in folklore and film, with Joshua Barton, lecturer in English at Virginia Commonwealth University and scholar of horror. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/arlington-folk-horror](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/arlington-folk-horror) .] What makes a horror film scare really stick with you? Sometimes, it’s not monsters or jump-scares but the eerie feeling that something ancient, something forgotten, is still lurking just under the surface. That’s the heart of folk horror, a subgenre that blends folklore, rural isolation, and rituals gone wrong. It takes the past—the truly forgotten past—and makes it come roaring back to bite us. Venture into the strange and fascinating world of folk horror with Joshua Barton, who has earned a big following among Profs and Pints fans with excellent past talks on cryptids, ghosts, movie monsters, and other things that go bump in the night. We’ll start by digging down to folk horror’s roots in classic British films like *The Wicker Man* and *Witchfinder General*, discussing how these stories introduced us to secretive villages, ominous woods, and old traditions that clash violently with the modern world. We’ll move on to explore how folk horror has reemerged in recent hits like *The Witch,* *Midsommar*, and *Lamb*. What ties them all together? The feeling that history isn’t dead; it’s just been waiting. Beyond the scares, this genre taps into something deeper. Folk horror asks what happens when we lose touch with our roots or when we get too close to them. It reflects fears about identity, nature, belief, and the things we can’t explain. And in an age of environmental anxiety, political division, and cultural upheaval, these stories are more relevant than ever. By the end of the lecture, we’ll see that folk horror goes beyond surface-level eeriness. It’s a mirror for our collective anxieties and a reminder that the past is never as far away as we think. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image by Canva.

Join our monthly writer meetup to share ideas, socialize, kick off your creativity, and write something! To find us, either take the stairs or elevator to the fourth floor, following the signs for the conference center. We'll be in room 401-F. All writer levels are welcome; we're all about building community and confidence. If you have any questions, please email us! (writingheptagon@gmail.com)

A Starfinder Society Scenario designed for 3rd- through 4th-level characters, playable in 2-3 hours. The Starfinder Society’s negotiations with Bo-Shek and the Beasts of Bo have been interrupted by a violent joint assault launched by agents of the Functionary and forces from the Wreck of the Returned. Amid chaos and explosions, the Starfinders on site team up with the Beasts of Bo to take down this greater threat and avoid their mutual destruction. Will you survive the assault? This is an adventure in the ongoing Invasion’s Edge metaplot, and is part two of a two-part scenario series. This adventure is a direct sequel to *[Starfinder Society Scenario #1-14: The Beasts of Bo: Part One](https://store.paizo.com/starfinder-society-scenario-1-14-the-beasts-of-bo-part-one/)*. Written by Victoria Sullivan.

📚 Do you love reading, but wish you had a structure and a community to share your insights with? Join our small circle of curious minds (just 4 members per gathering) as we come together for an hour of focused reading—in the calm setting of a library or the cozy atmosphere of a café. Here’s how it works: First part: Quiet reading on your own—bring a book you’re exploring, whether it’s philosophy, history, psychology, literature, or anything meaningful to you. Second part: We regroup and each person shares key takeaways, insights, or questions sparked by their reading. This sparks a structured yet free-flowing conversation around ideas, perspectives, and personal reflections. Why join? Add structure to your reading habit. Discover new books, authors, and ideas through others’ choices. Build real connections by sharing and listening deeply. Socialize around something meaningful instead of small talk.

This Month's Book: *On A Sunbeam* by Tillie Walden Join us for discussion at the Granville Public Library from 6 to 7pm. Follow us on Instagram: @granvillepridebookclub

Welcome, readers! Our March read is **_The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver._** The story follows Taylor Greer, a young woman from rural Kentucky who leaves home for the West, only to find herself unexpectedly becoming the guardian of an abused Native American toddler named Turtle. In Tucson, Arizona, they form a makeshift family with a diverse group of people, including Guatemalan refugees and a single mother, exploring themes of motherhood, community, belonging, and finding hope in hardship. The story blends humor with serious issues, creating a story about finding family in unexpected places. Looking forward to discussing with everyone! We will meet at Zaftig Brewing Co in their event room in the back. We are welcome to bring in our own food, but **drinks must be purchased at the bar.** Happy reading! 📖

This meeting will be a discussion of the book "the Science of Aliens" by Mark Brake

**Our April novel is: *The Hong Kong Widow* by Kristen Loesch** **This month’s novel blends gothic atmosphere with historical fiction and chilling horror, set against the haunting backdrop of China. The book is 368 pages in print and 10 hours and 42 minutes on audiobook.** In 1950s Hong Kong, Mei is a young refugee of the Chinese Communist revolution struggling to put her past in Shanghai behind her. When she receives a shocking invitation—to take part in a competition in one of the city's most notorious haunted houses, pitting six spirit mediums against one another in a series of six séances over six nights, until a single winner emerges—she has every reason to refuse. Except that the hostess, a former Shanghainese silent film star, is none other than the wife of the man who once destroyed Mei’s entire life. It is promised the winner will receive a fortune, but there is only one prize Mei wants: revenge. Decades later, the final night of that competition has become an infamous urban legend: The police were called to the scene of a brutal massacre but found no evidence, dismissing it as a collective hallucination. Mei knows what she saw, but now someone else is convinced they know what she did. She must uncover the truth about the last night she ever spent in that house—even if the ghosts of her past are waiting for her there. . . .

Private Group. Closed to the Public Knowing ourselves and understanding our abilities is the first step toward wielding our gifts with control and accuracy. In subsequent classes we will verify and hone our talents with activities and discussion. These are hands-on workshops and participation is expected. The goal of our series will be to develop expertise in areas of particular interest such as mediumship, channeling, divination, healing and, etc.. Our ultimate directions will be determined by class members as we evolve. I look forward to sharing and discovering with you. - Cynthia