Literature

Let's gather for an afterwork drink in a nice and cosy area

**🃏 WHAT WE PLAY** We focus on **social interaction games** that are **fun, easy to learn, and engaging**. * **Thursdays** and Saturday nights are for **fun, social games** like Dixit, Coup, Skull, Codenames, Colt Express, Secret Hitler, Exploding Kittens, Bang and more!… Easy to learn, quick to laugh! * **Mondays** are for **deeper strategic games**, for players who love to plan and outthink opponents. Of course, these are just guidelines — you’re always welcome to bring and play whatever game you love! *** **🕖 SCHEDULE** * We meet at **7:00 PM**, with an **intro round at 7:15 PM**. * Arriving later? No problem! Just see a host — we’ll do our best to find you a seat. You might need to wait for a game to finish before joining the next one. **🎉 Good News! BFG is Free Again** As of July 1st, 2025, BFG is once again **free to join**, just like last year! The costs of running the group are now shared by the hosts. If you enjoy the events and want to say thanks, you're very welcome to **offer a drink (or two 😉) to a host** during the evening. A huge thank you to everyone who supported us financially earlier this year — you helped keep the group going, and we truly appreciate it. 🙏 *** **🎒 WHAT TO BRING** * Bring your favorite games and feel free to mention them in the comments. * If we’re meeting in a **park**, bring snacks, drinks, and something comfy to sit on — the grass can be damp even in summer! *** **☕ IF THE VENUE IS A CAFÉ** Please order **at least one drink** to support the venue, and pay directly at the bar. *** **✅ REGISTRATION** Please RSVP to help us plan for space and group sizes. **⌛ WAITLIST ETIQUETTE** * If you can’t make it, cancel **before 7 PM the day before** to give someone else a chance. * If you're **on the waitlist** and your plans change, cancel your RSVP so others aren't left hanging. *** **🤝 WANT TO HOST?** Interested in becoming a host or helping out? Let us know — we’d love to have you on board! *** **💬 FEEDBACK WELCOME** Suggestions or ideas? Drop us a message anytime — we’re always looking to make BFG even better. *** ### **🌟 Let’s have fun, discover great** **games, and build and make new friends** *** ###

The GRRR Fest, a traveling, politically engaged punk festival, will roar once again across Wallonia and in Brussels, from February 25 to March 7, 2026! It celebrates women artists and all people who identify as such, at the heart of the local and international alternative music scene. On March 5, GRRR FEST will return to La Mule in Schaerbeek after its first visit on February 26. Doors : 19h Price : 15€ at the door (no presale). Program : [https://www.facebook.com/share/1B1zvTHemC/](https://www.facebook.com/share/1B1zvTHemC/) Be N!ce (UK) Dani Cosmic (BE) Lavender Witch (BE)

Looking for a casual after-work activity to meet other internationals (and locals) in Leuven? Our volunteer Reinier will be there to welcome you for an evening of great conversation and delicious Belgian beer (or another drink of your choosing). Let us know you are joining via Meetup. This way we can easily contact you, via the Meetup chat, in case there are any changes. The location will be indicated in the event details once decided! :)

Socializing and Networking 🛜🆕 at PLUX on Thursday. Making new friends and drinking 🚰🎈🎉🚿🌊. Everybody Welocme, locals, expats or new 🆕 in town.

Hey Everyone! 👋 **Location:** \- On\-site: Dataroots Offices\, Arnould Nobelstraat 32 Leuven \- Online: https://meet\.google\.com/akt\-pirq\-zwy?authuser=0 **Practicalities for the evening on Thursday, March 5th:** \- 18:00: Doors Open\, pizza & drinks \- 19:00: Speaker Talks \- 20:30: Networking & Drinks **Transport:** * **Parking:** Parking spaces are available on level -4. * **Access code for parking:** Use **606161#** to enter the parking area. Follow the signs to the stairs and elevator. * **Arriving by Train:** Arnould Nobelstraat 32 is an easy **4–5 minute walk** from Leuven Station. **Note:** As this is an invite‑only event, you may be asked to show your calendar invite upon arrival. **Welcome to edition 14 of the Generative AI Belgium Meetup! 🚀** This time, we go on a quest. Many epics speak of the brave and the adventurous going on a quest to conquer, slay, tame, or train a dragon along the way. The last three years of AI developments have their own stories of creativity, novel paths, and unforeseen challenges that seemed too big to tackle. In this edition, we want to bring some stories of people and teams who didn't choose the easiest path, but the most interesting one. Join us on March 5th at Dataroots, Arnould Nobelstraat 32, Leuven, to meet these brave souls and get a feel for what it takes to tackle a challenge from scratch. Whether it's navigating the dragon that is the EU AI Act, training and running a custom language model, or building production-ready systems, every path has its own fire-breathing challenges. See you there! **Line-up:** \- 🐉 [Niels Tack](https://www.linkedin.com/in/niels-tack/): Taming The EU AI Act - Compliance as code \- 🏰 [Sohum Bhatt](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sohum-bhatt-530114230/): Taming Local LLMs to build applications \- ⚔️ [Maarten Vandeperre:](https://www.linkedin.com/in/maarten-vandeperre/) Taming AI Sovereignty \- 🤺[Lode Nachtergaele:](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lodenachtergaele/) Taming Agentic RAG - How Agentic Beats RAG Big thanks to Dataroots for hosting us and to our sponsors: In The Pocket, BruCON, Red Hat, Collibra, Plainsight & Volta Ventures for supporting the community.

In onze volgende uitwisseling van 6 maart bespreken we het boek [Zwarte huid witte masker](https://octavopublicaties.nl/boeken/zwarte-huid-witte-maskers)s van Frantz Fanon en kiezen we een nieuw boek. Veel leesplezier. Tot dan! Nele P.S. Voor het gebruik van de meetup-tool, vragen we 1 euro per deelname.

El libro de marzo es **Diario de Japón de María José Ferrada.** **Seix Barral, 1 marzo 2022, 192 páginas.** Si recuerdo bien y aunque el editor la califique de “novela literaria” se trata de la primera obra de no ficción que leemos en Primer Sábado. Para celebrarlo, evitaré usar el texto promocional del editor, como hago perezosamente cada mes, y parafrasearé la [reseña de Andrea Ladino](https://www.japonistaschile.com/single-post/diario-de-jap%C3%B3n) en el sitio de la Fundación Japonistas Chile. *Soñar Japón desde Latinoamérica puede tener tantas variables como las montañas que rodean a esta isla lejana. Para algunos Japón es un anhelo, para otros una realidad; algunos piensan en sangre, otros en ríos. Para María José Ferrada, Japón puede ser también un diario íntimo, quizá inventado, quizá real. Así, Diario de Japón puede ser muchas cosas; a veces una novela, a veces un listado, y, a la vez, la mejor canalización ante una pérdida dolorosa. Para quienes estamos habituados a los versos y a la prosa de Ferrada, no es una sorpresa encontrar en cada página una cuota inmensa de exquisita sensibilidad.* *Diario de Japón inicia con una despedida. Y no una cualquiera, sino con la de un hombre despidiéndose de su biblioteca. Para ello agrupa los libros por países y decide regalarlos. Por azar, o quizá no, a María José le toca el grupo de literatura japonesa. Como toda despedida también es un comienzo, a partir de allí nace un idilio permanente entre la escritora y el país del sol naciente, relación que la llevará a visitar cuatro ocasiones Japón. Esta obra de no-ficción es una mixtura de vivencias entre sus años en Temuco, Santiago, un par de países europeos y, por supuesto, Japón.* *La sutileza y gran creatividad de Ferrada nos permite soñar con una micro que une Padre Las Casas con Osaka, con un Japón habitado por adolescentes de Puerto Saavedra, o con un avistamiento de kappa en las aguas del río Cautín. La mixtura de culturas toma forma y fuerza poética en las manos de la escritora.* As usual for the first Saturday group, you may use both English and Spanish during the book discussion; you just need an acceptable level of oral comprehension of both languages to fully enjoy it. Participar cuesta 1€ (para cubrir el coste de la suscripción a MeetUp). Durante la conversación elegiremos el libro para el mes siguiente, podéis proponer cualquier libro que os apetezca leer o discutir. El número de participantes está limitado. Si no podéis participar, por favor, indicadlo actualizando el RSPV en MeetUp.

We’ll watch a few short videos of recitations, reflect on the ideas behind the verses, and discuss some recurring themes in Urdu literature together. Whether you’re a longtime lover of shairi or simply curious, come ready to listen and share. All levels are welcome!

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 !

Need some quiet time for reading? Want to share the experience with others? Join us at the charming venue of La Belladone to read in the company of others. It’s alone, but also together, get it? We read for an hour, then chat over a drink, then go back to reading (if we feel like it) This is a free activity except for drinks.

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.

**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!

Join us for our March Book Club gathering where we will come together to discuss *The Manor of Dreams* by Christina Li in a safe and welcoming environment. Make new friends who share your passion for books and connect with fellow LGBTQ book enthusiasts.

Join the CONNECTED Westerville Mastermind Group for a dynamic afternoon of B2B networking! This event is perfect for professionals looking to expand their business connections, share insights, and foster collaboration within the community. Whether you are a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, this event offers a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas, build relationships, and grow your network in a supportive environment. Connect with like-minded individuals, explore potential partnerships, and discover new opportunities for professional growth. Don't miss out on this chance to enhance your business network and take your career to the next level with CONNECTED Westerville Mastermind Group! We meet the 4th Monday of every month from 11am-1pm. Welcome and general networking from 11am - 11:30am with core meeting 11;30 - 12:30 and a final round of networking from 12:30 - 1pm.

**Our March pick is *God of the Woods* by Liz Moore.** **This month’s novel is an award-winning literary mystery that blends family drama with psychological suspense. It explores women’s voices and relationships while delivering an exciting, eerie, and deeply suspenseful story. The book is 576 pages in print or 14 hours and 35 minutes on audiobook.** Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found. As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.

Let’s meet and discuss this fun but moving collection of wildly creative short stories. (Photo credit: TimesNowNews.com)

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!

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