Literature

We'll be discussing the book “My Cousin Rachel” by Daphne Du Maurier and choosing the next book.

Spend time in the company of other writers putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard. Work on your current project or start something new. If you are fresh out of inspiration a member of the Wordcraft Collective will be ready with a prompt to get you going. You can use that to unlock your creative brain before moving back to your own project or run with it. Who knows where the story will take you? Arrive when you like, leave when you like, or join us for a drink in the bar downstairs afterwards. Location: Pianofabriek, Rue du Fort 35, 1060 Saint-Gilles.

**International House Leuven** organizes a coffee morning for those of you who like to chat and meet some friendly (new) faces. It's also a good place to ask questions, get answers and find out about what’s happening in Leuven. Our coffee morning is what you make it. So pop in and out whenever you like, see who is there, and say hi! Other than meeting on Friday mornings every two weeks at the IHL house, for this edition we will meet on a **Saturday every two weeks**, so that those who work during the week have a chance to come! Who's "we"? Well it varies a bit, but this time it will be volunteers from the IH, Zeba and/or Georgi! ​ The practicalities: \- the coffee morning goes for 2 hours\, for the exact time check the event details\. Feel free to pop in and out at any point\, no need to stay the entire time if that doesn't suit your own timing\. \- The location is stated in the event details\. Any changes will be communicated via MeetUp and the WhatsApp group on the day of\.\.\.\. \- ask the event volunteer at the event to be added to the Whatsapp group for future updates \- We will **limit the group size** because the cafe has limited seating, so please register so we know how many people are coming (and please respect your reservation, AKA cancel if you can no longer come :) ) Be aware that we cannot make a group reservation, so we may have to split up between a few tables. Hope to see you at this special coffee morning weekend edition!

General theme: Narrative Knowledge What are the consequences of our relying on narratives as a means to knowing, understanding and relating to the world? What are the advantages and disadvantages of our using narratives as a fundamental way to communicate with one another? Have our interactions and interrelationships in general become captivated (literally) by an excessive dominance of narratives? Just as walking upright has enhanced our ability to navigate our physical world, so has communicating via language enhanced our ability to navigate our social as well as introspective worlds. Dirt paths and asphalt roads we have created during our long process of walking upright have at the same time ultimately determined how we now currently interact with our physical landscapes - closed loops, literally and figuratively. Have all our inherited created narratives also closed-looped our minds, rigidly structuring how we relate to our own selves and to others? Is a key to cultural progress and evolution simply to add many new narratives, all expressing divergent perspectives? Or would de-narrating both our inner and outer worlds be an equally - possibly even more - valuable strategy? With what could we replace narratives if we still wanted/needed to connect and interact with ourselves, with others and with the world? Special theme: The Paradox of Philosophy Are there better ways to arrive at insight, understanding and meaning than by thinking philosophically? What we might call a "philosopher's paradox": 1.Philosophizing essentially demands optimizing our thinking (reasoning, conceptualizing, imagining...) as well as our overall awareness (of here, of now, of others, of self...). 2.Thinking typically diminishes awareness, and vice-versa. 3a. Western philosophy tends to prioritize thinking (abstract) over awareness (concrete). 3b. Much of western philosophy (even Phenomenology!) is consequently narrative in form. Conclusion: Optimizing our thinking necessitates ridding of (or at least suspending) our awareness. Nevertheless, awareness remains a valuable vehicle for attaining knowledge and insight. Is this "philosopher's paradox" simply an intellectual bug? Or is it a fundamental - arguably problematic - feature of our thinking that impedes us from knowing and experiencing anything most directly and fully? What better ways are there in any case to understand the nature of ourselves, our world and our existence than through thinking and philosophy?? Is a dog or rabbit more in touch with being and reality than a human? "Between your thoughts, it's the space that listens." Elias Amidon, from "Medicine Beauty" Illustration: "Socrates, Plato, Aristotle & the Buddhist monks" (concept by Alan Woo, executed by ChatGPT)

📚 Book Club Invitation: The Ape That Understood the Universe by Steve Stewart-Williams Hello curious minds and lovers of big questions, For our February meeting, we turn to The Ape That Understood the Universe, a fascinating and accessible exploration of how the human mind evolved to make sense of reality, from everyday beliefs to science, religion, and culture. Steve Stewart-Williams takes us on a journey through evolutionary psychology, showing how the same mental tools that helped our ancestors survive also shape our deepest intuitions, sometimes helping us understand the world, sometimes leading us astray. If you’ve ever wondered: * Why humans are so good at storytelling * How evolution shaped our beliefs about meaning, morality, and truth * Whether science is just another cultural product… or something more …this book offers plenty of fuel for reflection and debate. 📅 Date: Friday, 21 February ⏰ Time: 11:30 📍 Venue: Carpe Diem, Avenue de Tervuren 13, 1040 Brussels Expect an engaging and open discussion about human nature, evolution, culture, and how an evolved ‘ape’ ended up trying to understand the universe, all in a relaxed setting with good coffee and good company. As always, you’re welcome whether you read every chapter or just grasped the main ideas. Those who wish can stay for lunch afterward and continue the conversation informally. 📞 Questions: 0474.60.83.70 🏡 Book Club Home Rules 1️⃣ You’re welcome even if you didn’t finish the book. 2️⃣ We listen to understand, not to win. 3️⃣ Curiosity, respect, and openness come first — especially when ideas challenge us. Looking forward to another lively exchange of ideas 🧠

Hi everyone, This coffee morning event is @MIR Concept Coffee Store! Saturday, 21 February 2026, from 10:00 - 13:00. MIR opened its doors about 3 years ago, right off Place Jourdan. Doriana, the owner, is a super nice host, and is excited to have our group as her café. The café is very beautiful and has great coffee, andmany yummy food options. Their Instagram channel: https://www.instagram.com/mirconceptstore/ **The address is:** MIR Concept Coffee Store Rue Gray 4A 1040 Etterbeek *** 1. The **prime time** of the event is **10:30 - 12:30**. That's when most people will be there. 2. When you enter the gallery, it's either on the right-hand side or left-hand side of its hallway, depending which entrance you take. 3. If you intend **to join past 12:00** (high noon), then there is no need to register. Just come and join! 4. **DON'T forget to cancel** if you can't join! 5. **Please, be respectful towards each other during the event. (And after ;))** **As always, feel free to follow us on INSTAGRAM!** [https://instagram.com/weekendmorningcoffee?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==](https://instagram.com/weekendmorningcoffee?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==) **THE STRUCTURE of THE EVENT:** * I will post the event on Saturday/Sunday evening for the following Saturday. * I send out a reminder to everyone on Friday. * There is sometimes a waiting list. * In case RSVP is closed (once there are 10-15 people on the waiting list), I might reopen it on Friday, depending on the number of cancellations in the meantime. * **For everyone on the waiting,** please check your status and messages on Friday evening the latest. I message everyone on the waiting list on Friday. * **Please, move to "not going" AS SOON AS you know that you can't come anymore, that includes everyone who is on the waiting list.** **IMPORTANT:** * **Please, be respectful towards each other during the event. (And after ;))** * When you register yourself, be careful not to register accidentally a +1 guest (unless you bring a guest). It happens very often. * If you have any questions then, message me. *** **A MESSAGE FOR NEWCOMERS:** *In the three years of hosting this coffee group, I have met many people who struggle with anxieties when coming to an event for the first time. Sometimes, it took them more than one attempt before being able to join.* *Occasionally, people reach out to me before the event, and I have always been grateful for that as it offers the opportunity to communicate with each other and to find the best and most gentle way for that person to join the group.* *I would like to encourage everyone who struggles with this to contact me before. It would really be too bad if you can't join us, as it mostly gets better the second or third time you come.* *In addition to that, if you arrive and notice any signs of nervousness or fear, you can always let me know right then.* **THANK YOU AND SEE YOU ALL ON Saturday!**

CE SAMEDI 21.02.2026 - BRUSSELS MAIN EVENT [FLASHDANCE ~ SAMEDI 21.02 | GRANDE SOIREE RENCONTRES XXL | MADAME MOUSTACHE BXL x COEUR A CŒUR](https://fb.me/e/8mZ65f0SJ) 𝐋𝐀 𝐒𝐎𝐈𝐑𝐄́𝐄 𝐂𝐄́𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐒 𝐍𝐔𝐌𝐄́𝐑𝐎𝟏 𝐄𝐍 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐆𝐈𝐐𝐔𝐄 FB => [https://fb.me/e/8mZ65f0SJ](https://fb.me/e/8mZ65f0SJ) Ce samedi 21 FEVRIER, cœur à cœur vous amène chez Madame moustache dans le cœur historique de Bruxelles pour une nouvelle expérience. Cœur à Cœur débarque chez Madame moustache \- Vente flash uniquement pour la soirée 5€ /10€ =\> [https://www.partyfinder.com/en/event/14995](https://www.partyfinder.com/en/event/14995) [Ou] Possibilité de prendre sur place ! *** Samedi 21 FEVRIER 22h00 Madame Moustache, 5-7 Quai au Bois à Brûler, 1000 Brussels DJ set \| Ambiance disco\, 80’s\, 90’s & 2000’s Dress code : Urban Chic Cœur à cœur débarque à Madame Moustache pour une édition exceptionnelle ! Cette fois-ci, préparez-vous à danser sur les meilleurs sons old school, des 80’s aux 2000’s, remixés comme jamais. Dans un cadre intemporel entre cabaret, cirque, fête foraine et cabinet de curiosité, le lieu est reconnu pour être le temple de la danse à Bruxelles Venez rencontrer, échanger et vous amuser dans une ambiance chic, urbaine et décontractée. Venez découvrir l’univers rétro de Madame Moustache. *** Madame Moustache 5-7 Quai au Bois à Brûler, 1000 Brussels

Hello, readers ! In February we are reading All Fours by Miranda July. We will meet at Maison de Quartier Malibran, Rue de la Digue 10, 1050 Ixelles. **Please keep your RSVP up to date** and happy reading!

Let's meet to write ! Schedule : 11:00 - 11:30 am : Presentation tour. Share briefly with the group about your project and your "goal of the day". 11:30 - 13:30 : Let's write ! 13:30 : Conclusion tour. Did you achieve your goal of the day ? See you soon !

Common Ground Book Club
An in-person reading group exploring critical theory, from the Frankfurt School to contemporary thinkers. We’ll read books and essays, and our discussions will focus on society, power, and modern phenomena: from politics to media and social trends. 
Fourth Meeting
We will discuss the second and third parts of Marcuse’s “One-Dimensional Man”, Parts II and III (p. 127-261): https://files.libcom.org/files/Marcuse,%20H%20-%20One-Dimensional%20Man,%202nd%20edn.%20(Routledge,%202002).pdf 
Who is it for?
No prior philosophy or theory background is required, just curiosity and a willingness to engage. I (the organiser) am not an expert; I just seek other kind souls who want to exchange thoughts ✨ 
Format
• Readings may be short essays, selected chapters, or full books.
• Each meeting begins with a short recap/introduction of the text.
• Open, informal discussion.
• Everyone is encouraged to bring a passage or question they found interesting, confusing, or provocative.
• Language of discussion: English.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please reach out on Meet-up or Instagram: @commongroundbe

Welcome to our weekly event in the upstairs room of The Sister Café, rue Chair et Pain 3, one block from the Grand Place. Please get there early enough to order your drink at the bar first. Thank you! After introductions we will collect questions from the group participants, choose one by voting then discuss it for an hour. Then most of us stay for drinks and bizarre conversations. Past questions have been wide and not confined to academic philosophy: What is a genuine friend? Is social media turning us into emotional zombies? Do we lose some of the experience of things by defining them? Are we driven by sex? Is loneliness a personal failure? Is morality relative? **Crucially, be kind and respectful and generous** in your disagreements; remember how much you personally enjoy someone else proving you wrong before celebrating your cutting counterexamples.

This Weekend Morning Coffee Meeting - Sunday Edition - will take place at Addies Stories, an Ethiopian Café with traditional Ethiopian coffee. 🗓 **Sunday, 22 February** ⏰ **from 10:30** 👥 **limited to 22 people - registration is obligatory** **This is an extract from the BUZZ from January 2026:** "Ethiopia is the country most often associated with coffee. Arabica grows in the wild, coffee is roasted at home and the coffee ceremony determines the rhythm of social life. The fact that coffee is so deeply anchored gives an extra dimension to the opening of Addis Stories, a place where it is more about real coffee than about fashion trends and trendy specialties." **https://www.bruzz.be/select/resto-bar/bij-addis-stories-draait-alles-om-pure-ethiopische-koffie-en-traditie-2026-01-24** **https://www.addisstories.com/** **Address:** **Addis Stories** **Rue du Vieux Marché 48** **1000 Brussels** This is one of our Sunday editions, which are usually meant to test new places outside our usual coffee locations. These editions are smaller and more experimental, and focus as much on the place and the neighbourhood as on the group itself. ### ### IMPORTANT Please **do not register if you are unsure you can come**. If you register and later realise you can’t make it, **cancel as soon as possible, latest on Saturday afternoon.** There is often a **waiting list**, and it’s only fair to give people on it a real chance to join. Thank you for being fair and respectful. If you’re **on the waiting list**, please **check your status on Saturday evening at the latest**. See you on Sunday ☕

**Cinema Flagey : Dit is Belgisch** 22/02 @ 19h15 Esca Felice Ronzon, BE/FR, 2024, 6’41’’ Lights, Haze Tata Managadze, BE/FI/PT/GE, 2024, 8’04’’ Red Meat Eleni Aerts, BE, 2024, 5’50’’ What Are You Looking At? Chen-Yi Liu, BE/TW, 2024, 6’02’’ L’Envol Estelle Chauvier, Léa Chau & Vincent Consten, BE, 2024, 7’35’’ To Be a Seed Julia Granillo Tostado, BE, 2023, 5’47’’ Sphere Supreme Hasan Pastaci, BE/TR, 2024, 5’01’’ Room to Grow Orianne Cambier, BE, 2024, 3’40’’ Presqu’îles Angèle Vergoni & Sarah Vanhoeck, BE, 2024, 5’40’’ JUDY1964 Marie-Hélène Van Thuyne, BE, 2024, 5’10’’ Pubert Jimbob Quirijn Dees, BE, 2024, 15’35’’ Studentenkortfilms in nationale competitie Flagey, Folioscope [Cinema Flagey](https://www.flagey.be/fr/activity/13776-c-est-du-belge-3-dit-is-belgisch-3-courts-metrages-14) **For Dreamers, Coffee shots, Orezza, eau de Saint-Georges !**

# Back to Pompeii Exhibition Step back in time and dive into ancient Pompeii, frozen by Vesuvius 🌋 The Pompeii exhibition in Brussels invites you to step back in time and dive into the heart of Pompeii, an ancient city frozen in History by the fury of Mount Vesuvius. Discover the daily life of a Pompeian family in immersive settings of exceptional quality. Explore reconstructed Roman homes, artisan workshops and entertainment venues, all recreated with precision and attention to detail. Discover the fascinating archaeological discoveries and poignant human stories unearthed from the ashes. Experience the city’s last tragic moments in a breathtaking show that will leave you speechless. The Pompeii exhibition in Brussels: an unforgettable experience discover a civilisation and its history, its art and its technology… right up to its last day. \*\*Afterwards\*\* → casual drinks together at Brasserie de la Senne (super close, great beers 🍻 – right on the Tour & Taxis site!) \*\*Please only sign up if you’re sure you can make it\*\* – helps avoid waiting 😊 Excited to explore ancient Rome with you! See you there? 🚀 **Practical information** Meeting point at 15:00 Ticket: take it for the slot 15:00-15:30 on [back to Pompeii website](https://tour-taxis.com/events/back-to-pompeii-exhibition-2/) Price = 18,5€ At Shed 4 bis, Tour & Taxis (Brussels). It is located opposite the Food Market and shares an entrance with the WOM. **Access - Public transport** **TRAIN** : Gare du Nord de Bruxelles, à 10 minutes à pied. **MÉTRO** : lignes 2 ou 6 – Arrêt Yser ou Ribaucourt. **TRAM** : lignes 51 ou 93 – Arrêt Sainctelette. **BUS** : lignes 14, 15, 57, 88 ou 89 – Arrêt Tour & Taxis.

We'll meet at The Capital One Café, 167 Easton Town Center, Space A-103. This is in the main mall where the Microsoft store used to be, on your left if you're standing at the bottom of the AMC Theater escalator. Join us on Saturday for an hour of uninterrupted wordmaking! • What we'll do Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 10AM on Saturday mornings. Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done. SCHEDULE: 10:00 - SESSION 1: quick intros. 10:10 - timer starts: write for 1 hour. 11:10 - chat / take off / keep writing. OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING happens at 11A-11:30ish. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing. BEING LATE IS OKAY: just show up and get settled, then check-in with me after the session. (I’ll be the person with the Shut Up & Write! sign.) If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer. Happy writing and I look forward to seeing you! • What to bring Whatever you need to be able to write! Bring earbuds/earplugs if you want to block noise or the occasional conversation by other patrons. Electrical outlets are limited, so charge your devices before whenever possible. See you at The Café on Saturday!

This meeting will be an open discussion about the book "an Immense World" by Ed Yong

Welcome, readers! Our February read is **_1984 by George Orwell._** In 1984, George Orwell imagines a world where the government watches everyone, rewrites reality, and punishes even private thoughts. Winston Smith dares to question this system, believing that truth and love might still exist. His rebellion draws him into a chilling struggle against a power that knows him better than he knows himself. The novel leaves readers asking whether freedom is possible when reality itself can be controlled. 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! 📖

Columbus libraries: [https://cml.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S105C3262835](https://cml.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S105C3262835) Location: [Knotty Pine Brewing](https://www.knottypinebrewing.net/) [Menu, scroll to the bottom](https://www.knottypinebrewing.net/menus-1) Book summary: Adunni is a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl who knows what she wants: an education. This, her mother has told her, is the only way to get a "louding voice" -- the ability to speak for herself and decide her own future. But instead, Adunni's father sells her to be the third wife of a local man who is eager for her to bear him a son and heir. When Adunni runs away to the city, hoping to make a better life, she finds that the only other option before her is servitude to a wealthy family. As a yielding daughter, a subservient wife, and a powerless slave, Adunni is told, by words and deeds, that she is nothing. But while misfortunes might muffle her voice for a time, they cannot mute it. And when she realizes that she must stand up not only for herself, but for other girls, for the ones who came before her and were lost, and for the next girls, who will inevitably follow, she finds the resolve to speak, however she can--in a whisper, in song, in broken English--until she is heard

Join us for The Fisherman by John Langan. In upstate New York, in the woods around Woodstock, Dutchman's Creek flows out of the Ashokan Reservoir. Steep-banked, fast-moving, it offers the promise of fine fishing, and of something more, a possibility too fantastic to be true. When Abe and Dan, two widowers who have found solace in each other's company and a shared passion for fishing, hear rumors of the Creek, and what might be found there, the remedy to both their losses, they dismiss it as just another fish story. Soon, though, the men find themselves drawn into a tale as deep and old as the Reservoir. It's a tale of dark pacts, of long-buried secrets, and of a mysterious figure known as Der Fisher: the Fisherman. It will bring Abe and Dan face to face with all that they have lost, and with the price they must pay to regain it.