Seven Stories battles boredom and censorship with new book club programs

Seven Stories, a new bookstore located in Shawnee [11111 W. 59th Terr., Suite 203D Shawnee, KS 66203], is starting the Monthly Book Clubs for Brilliantly Bookish People, created to bring literature lovers together for conversations that matter. Owned and operated by Ali Vincent, the shop opened in late Nov., with plans to create the book clubs from day one.

The independent bookstore is the central tenant in a revitalized retail shopping strip neighboring businesses such as Suds Refillery, Whiskey and Bone, Hats Off Barber Shop, Nichole Daniels Beauty, and Spark.KC. 

The idea for Monthly Book Clubs for Brilliantly Bookish People was sparked after Vincent and her 13-year-old daughter noticed a lack of community conversation around issues that naturally, should be talked about. Joining the group means discovering some great new reads, sure, but it also means being a part of heart-to-hearts and supporting a local bookseller.

For $40 a month, book club members receive the monthly book selection along with an invite to the in-person or online club meetings. Members can choose from one of three clubs offered at Seven Stories: Mamas Tryin’, Pies & Prejudice, and The Secret Book Society (S.B.S.).

Mamas Tryin’, a group created in an effort to bring mothers together, meets on the second and fourth Mondays of every month. The group will discuss reads that dive into parental successes and failures and the overall realities of motherhood. While the club is based in Johnson County, moms from all over are welcome to join in on the conversation.

Based on the old notion that apple pie is a racist American concoction, Pies & Prejudice was born. While enjoying a slice of the dubious desert, members will be part of a guided discussion focused on what it means to be anti-racist, inclusive, and a good ally to all. The goal is to make these sometimes hard, but necessary talks a little less scary and a lot more normalized with the help of novels. Pies & Prejudice gets together on the third Thursday of each month.

“There’s a lot of things happening in the world that are making specifically white people uncomfortable right now,” Vincent says. “So, we’re choosing books that we think will get people talking and thinking. We notice that a lot of people pushing these conversations are the ones that don’t have a dog in the fight.”

In response to the return of the book banning that has recently hit the Midwest once again, The  S.B.S tackles novels that have a history of being put on the blacklist, resulting in a loss of access to literature specifically for young adults and teens. In early Jan., the Missouri General Assembly gathered to discuss a “parents’ bill of rights” aimed to ban critical race theory from K-12 teaching. This is one of the various instances where book censorship in schools has been pushed, being the muse for The S.B.S. The group gathers the last Sunday of every month. Rumor has it that members even have access to unique membership perks including doorstep book delivery, secret ink spy messages, and even decoder devices.

“Apparently, now we need to attack books—and it’s not all books, it’s books about things people don’t want to confront,” Vincent says. “A lot of the books that we’re interested in having here are books that are maybe somewhat controversial. We’re choosing things that we think will get people talking and thinking. We notice that a lot of people pushing those conversations are the ones that don’t have a dog in the fight.”

The shop has also partnered with Libro.fm, an audiobook service alternative to Audible committed to supporting independent bookstores. This means playlists are available for any of the three book clubs’ reads.

“People coming together once a month should not be so hard, it’s just getting them to know about it that’s going to be hard,” Vincent says. “I know our community is ready for it, I just need them to know we’re here.”

With a limited space of only 200 square feet in the shop, members are encouraged to reserve their spot early on. You can register for a spot in any of the book clubs here.