A fat-positive book club that's about more than what you read
Because any gathering of fat people is a rebellion.
Living joyfully in a fat body, in our anti-fat world, really effing sucks a lot of the time.
Lack of furniture and clothes that fit, people feeling entitled to make comments on our body and health, tiny bathrooms, assumptions made about our personality because we’re fat, and much much more.
While we can’t change the whole world (yet!), we decided to start by creating a space for fat folks to engage in leisure activities and hobbies. The idea lightbulb-ed with our discovery of the Silent Book Club (SBC), so we’ve created a chapter just for us.
Reading, crafting, puzzling, or playing instruments are all welcome in our Fat Joy Edition of the Silent Book Club.
We know that leisure activities and hobbies help lower stress levels, support our mental health, and bring play and fun into our lives. And we also know that most craft and leisure spaces aren’t designed with our bodies in mind. (Ask Sophia about her experience dancing with a pottery wheel. And ask Talia about her second desk dedicated to her love of collage.)
So, here we are, creating space for you to be with other fat folks doing their chosen activities.
All from the comfort of your home or wherever you choose to join us, because our gatherings are virtual. And it’s free!
Here’s how it works:
Upcoming Events
2nd Thursday of every month
8:00-9:30PM EST
Jan 8, Feb 12, Mar 12, Apr 9, May 14, Jun 11, Jul 9, Aug 13, Sep 10, Oct 8, Nov 12, Dec 10
Monthly Meetup: reading, crafting, puzzling, writing or whatever activity suits you in the moment- are all welcome.
Register for all six meetings at once- it’s the same zoom link for each.
Created & facilitated by two fat baddies:
stackList
-
Sophia Apostol
Sophia’s bookcases are arranged by colour, just discovered she loves cozy fantasy novels, and is on a perpetual quest to rest and play more. She’s the creator & host of the podcast Fat Joy with Sophia Apostol where she got to chat with Aubrey Gordon, adrienne maree brown, Mary Lambert and many others. By day, she’s a leadership development coach for folks trying to make corporate life more human and a creative writing coach and facilitator for folks trying to bring their hearts to the page.
-
Talia Eylon
Talia dreams of a life by the seaside, recently freed herself from the limiting (and deeply flawed) notion that audiobooks don’t count, and is always searching for a travelogue to transport her to places she’ll never go. Talia is a media artist, video editor, and graphic designer who will definitely, for sure, without a doubt, launch her new website this year.
FAQs
-
Nothing, it’s free. Sophia & Talia are volunteering their time, but there are some administrative costs, like software purchases.
If you’re in a position to offer financial support, please email us at sbc@fatjoy.life with your gratitude.
-
An activity that you’d like to do. This could be reading, crafting, a puzzle, practicing a musical instrument, writing, or whatever would feel delicious and restful for you. You don’t even have to bring a good attitude- come as you are.
-
Nope, you can attend from wherever you are. These gatherings are online using zoom. If we were to have in-person gatherings, they would be in the Toronto/GTA area.
-
Interaction will be limited to the start and end, and you’ll always have a choice to participate or not when we are opening and closing the gathering. You’ve also got choice about hopping off the zoom if you choose, turning your camera off, and caretaking your experience. You do you.
-
Let’s find out! And yes, it absolutely can. We’ll share Community Agreements at the beginning of each event that help guide us in how we can create community online. You are part of creating the community vibe, too…it’s all of us leaning in together.
-
Language changes. Revolutionaries cannot be confined by mainstream ideologies. So, while we’re part of the Silent Book Club community, we’re doing it our way. This allows people living in marginalized bodies & identities, such as fatness, to better control their experience. Within the Silent Book Club framework, we’re creating the space we’ve wanted for ourselves.
-
We’re happy to connect! Email us at sbc@fatjoy.life.
-
You’ll need an internet connection, a device that connects to zoom, a web camera, and a mic. Here’s a link to a page on zoom.com that has more details. You don’t need your own zoom account, just click the link from the registration email you received.
A space fat-positive because the people in it agree to make it so.
That's what these are, a set of shared promises we each carry into the room. We co-create this gathering every time we show up, and these agreements are the ground we build it on. They're how we keep this a gentle, creative, welcoming place that belongs to all of us.
“★★★★★”
Why we unabashedly use
the word ‘fat’
“Fat” is a neutral word to describe plus-size bodies that’s been reclaimed by folks on a body liberation journey.
We use the word “fat” purposefully, we self-identify as fat, and we’ll be using the word “fat” a lot in this space. It feels rebellious and destigmatizing.
We do NOT use the O-words, ob*esity or over*weight, to describe fat bodies. These terms are fueled by diet-culture’s imperative to intentionally shrink bodies to fit an arbitrary social and moral imperative.
In this liberatory space, we believe you have the human right to exist in your body as it is now and the birthright of fat joy.
Read more about the ‘fategories’ in this expansive piece by Linda of fluffy kitten party.
For most of us, we’ve never been in a space that’s all fat people.
The SBC: Fat Joy Edition gathering has been created for fat folks in search of space to show up as themselves and not feel like they have to hide or contort themselves to ‘fit’ physically or experientially.
It’s a really special feeling to look around a zoom room and realized that most of the group can relate to your lived experience.
There’s comfort and joy available to you here. Welcome!
Want in?
Join our email list to be notified (and reminded) about new meetings.