BEGIN:VCALENDAR
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PRODID:-//Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam//NONSGML v1.0//EN
NAME:Book Club: Skin Folk | session 1
METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART:20260108T181500
DTEND:20260108T194500
DTSTAMP:20260108T181500
UID:2026/book-club-skin-folk-sessi@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573
CREATED:20260429T164737
LOCATION:
SUMMARY:Book Club: Skin Folk | session 1
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html: The Library Book Club i
s everybody’s book club. Fancy a refreshing read and change of scen
ery? Come and read ‘Skin Folk’ with us: the award winning 2001 sh
ort stories by Grand Master in science-fiction and fantasy, Nalo Hopk
inson. So, enjoy your winter break with a surprising and diverse read
; and have something to look forward to for the new year!
About Skin Folk
Skin Folk is a wildly diverse collection of short stories, s
panning genres of folklore, science-fiction, horror and romance. Writ
ten by Caribbean-Canadian author Nalo Hopkinson and published in 2001
, it was received remarkably well — for example, winning the World
Fantasy Award.
Acclaim for Nalo Hopkinson’s work
didn’t end with her third book Skin Folk: in addition to n
umerous awards for other books, in 2020 she received the distinction
of ‘Damon Knight Grand Master’ by the Science Fiction and Fantasy
Writers of America, recognising her role in the genre as author, edi
tor and teacher.
Practicalities - Ensure you obtain a (digital) copy of the book.
As it turns out, the publisher ran out of printed books, so we recomm
end buying a digital version.
- This f
irst session, we’ll be discussing chapters “Snake” and “Tan-T
an and Dry Bone” (totalling to 30 pages). For session two<
/a> reading material consists of “The Glass Bottle Trick” and “
Slow Cold Chick”; and the third session spans “A Habit of Was
te,” “Precious” and “Riding the Red.”
- This
season of the book club consists of three weekly sessions (8, 15 and 22 January). Sessions start at 6:15 p.m., but you’
re welcome to already join the table starting 5:30 p.m. to bridge a g
ap in your schedule, for example.
- Sessi
ons take place in the Library Lounge at the entrance of the
University Library in the Main Building (HG-01A01).
- <
strong>There’s no need to sign up. If you’d like to rece
ive updates and also to vote for books in the future, you can join th
e group ch
at (WhatsApp).
About (this season of)
the Library Book Club
The Library Book Club is
for anyone roaming VU’s campus. We read a few books each year, and
try to throw something new into the mix each time; passing fiction an
d non-fiction, poetry and prose, short stories and longer ones along
the way. Our librarians select three candidates for a season and you
get to vote. If you’d like to engage with this group more often, th
e easiest way to get involved is through the group chat (WhatsApp). You can
find the event pages for the other two sessions here:
This season of the Library Book Club,
we’re reading short stories. First of all, it fits the time of year
, considering January can be rather demanding (with the four-week stu
dy period and all). The reading load is low, with two stories (about
30 pages) to read each session. Secondly, short stories are often ama
zing discussion material: brevity allows authors to put forward ideas
sharply and concisely without the load of overly extensive world bui
lding. This allows our book club to delve into the material a bit mor
e in depth: to analyse, interpret and speculate.
<
strong>Schedule
5:30 p.m. walk
-in: you’re welcome to come in early, to bridge time or to bring an
d have dinner.
6:15 p.m. opening: we kick o
ff with a round of introductions, and a brief introduction to the boo
k.
6:25 p.m. group discussion: we share our
experience and findings reading the book so far.
7:
25 p.m. summarising: we look ahead to the next session, and
summarise today’s session.
7:45 p.m. end
or socialising: we end the session, although you’re welcome to stic
k around until the building closes.
DESCRIPTION: About Skin Folk
Skin Folk is a wildly diverse collection of
short stories, spanning genres of folklore, science-fiction, horror
and romance. Written by Caribbean-Canadian author Nalo Hopkinson and
published in 2001, it was received remarkably well — for example, w
inning the World Fantasy Award. Acclaim for Nalo Hopkinso
n’s work didn’t end with her third book Skin Folk: in ad
dition to numerous awards for other books, in 2020 she received the d
istinction of ‘Damon Knight Grand Master’ by the Science Fiction
and Fantasy Writers of America, recognising her role in the genre as
author, editor and teacher. Practicalities
- Ensure you obtain a (digital) copy of the book.
As it turns out, the publisher ran out of printed books, so
we recommend buying a digital version.
- This first session, we’ll be discussing chapters “Snake” and
“Tan-Tan and Dry Bone” (totalling to 30 pages). For ses
sion two reading material consists of “The Glass Bottle Trick�
� and “Slow Cold Chick”; and the third session spans “A Hab
it of Waste,” “Precious” and “Riding the Red.”
- This season of the book club consists of three weekly ses
sions (8, 15 and 22 January). Sessions start at 6:15 p.m., b
ut you’re welcome to already join the table starting 5:30 p.m. to b
ridge a gap in your schedule, for example.
- Sessions take place in the Library Lounge at the entranc
e of the University Library in the Main Building (HG-01A01).
- There’s no need to sign up. If you’d lik
e to receive updates and also to vote for books in the future, you ca
n join the group chat (WhatsApp).
About (this s
eason of) the Library Book Club
The Library Book
Club is for anyone roaming VU’s campus. We read a few books each ye
ar, and try to throw something new into the mix each time; passing fi
ction and non-fiction, poetry and prose, short stories and longer one
s along the way. Our librarians select three candidates for a season
and you get to vote. If you’d like to engage with this group more o
ften, the easiest way to get involved is through the group chat (WhatsApp).
You can find the event pages for the other two sessions here:
This season of the Library Book Clu
b, we’re reading short stories. First of all, it fits the time of y
ear, considering January can be rather demanding (with the four-week
study period and all). The reading load is low, with two stories (abo
ut 30 pages) to read each session. Secondly, short stories are often
amazing discussion material: brevity allows authors to put forward id
eas sharply and concisely without the load of overly extensive world
building. This allows our book club to delve into the material a bit
more in depth: to analyse, interpret and speculate. <
strong>Schedule
5:30 p.m. walk-i
n: you’re welcome to come in early, to bridge time or to bring and
have dinner.
6:15 p.m. opening: we kick off
with a round of introductions, and a brief introduction to the book.
6:25 p.m. group discussion: we share our e
xperience and findings reading the book so far.
7:25
p.m. summarising: we look ahead to the next session, and su
mmarise today’s session.
7:45 p.m. end or
socialising: we end the session, although you’re welcome to stick
around until the building closes. The Library Book Club is ever
ybody’s book club. Fancy a refreshing read and change of scenery? C
ome and read ‘Skin Folk’ with us: the award winning 2001 short st
ories by Grand Master in science-fiction and fantasy, Nalo Hopkinson.
So, enjoy your winter break with a surprising and diverse read; and
have something to look forward to for the new year!
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR