Diversity in All Forms! discussion

Please let us know a little bit about yourself like your background and things you enjoy as well as why you decided to join this group.

Hello :) My name is Mariah and I was born in a small town in Wisconsin, USA. When I was in college, I started the biggest diversity series called Coffee and Culture. The purpose of Coffee and Culture was/is (it is still occurring) to offer reoccurring culturally focused conversations for the college students, staff, faculty and the community. Coffee and Culture offers programming that invites speakers to engage participants on a variety of culturally relevant topics that have included (but are not limited to): ethnicity/race, country, classism, gender stereotypes, ability and disability, sexual orientation and preference, mental health, religion and spiritual beliefs and practices, and current cultural issues. I started and ran the program for three years, until I graduated, and had at least one event per week, which had over 100 attendees each time. I love learning about diversity and cultures different than my own. I am currently a special education teacher at a high school and I feel like I am constantly learning from my students.

I love reading and I look forward to reading with all of you :)

I am joining because I am curious about how this club will go. Friends usually feel free to discuss things, but here on GR most people have never met or they are work acquaintances, which can put a crimp in expressing oneself frankly. There are also matters of conversational style. Some are very sensitive gentle people who are disturbed by disagreements.

I'm an old retired lady, married, no children. I love reading. I also knit, walk when my knees are ok. I used to be a secretary.

Lawyers used to dismiss secretaries in the 1970's from serving as jurors in trials because at that time secretaries were notoriously hostile to directed suggestion and suspiciously opinionated. Don't know why that rumor started. Perhaps it was because the second wave of women's lib was hittiing society.

I am liberal, interested in politics, history and science. I read most genre fiction but I hate Romance novels. I also like literary fiction.

: )

Hi. I'm Barbara. I'm joining because prejudice and discrimination disturb me and a frank discussion of these topics would be interesting.

I like most kinds of fiction (other than straight romance) and also enjoy non-fiction on occasion.

Hi, y'all!

I'm honored to be a member of this group, as I've been Goodreads friends with Mariah for a few months now and have come to truly respect and admire all that she does, both in her career as a teacher who is so devoted to her students, and in all the positivity she always shares with the people of Goodreads. I think a group dedicated to promoting diversity is a wonderful idea, and knowing how caring and kind-hearted Mariah is, I'm not at all surprised that she chose to start a group devoted to this very important topic. You are truly an inspiration, Mariah! :)

As for myself, my name is David. I'm an accountant who specializes in non-profit organizations. In the past I've worked for a skilled nursing facility and an adoption agency. Currently, I work for an organization that supports people of all ages who suffer from development disabilities. It's rewarding to work for organizations that help so many people, but as you can imagine, spending all day working on numbers can be tedious at times, so at night I like to engage in reading and writing to get the creative juices flowing!

David "proud Gleeman in Branwen's adventuring party" wrote: "Hi, y'all!

I'm honored to be a member of this group, as I've been Goodreads friends with Mariah for a few months now and have come to truly respect and admire all that she does, both in her career..."

WOW! Thank you David!! That is extremely kind :)

Hi everyone :)
I'm Camilla and am writing a PhD on translation, which kind of goes along with diversity of other cultures (I guess).
I just like to read and get new suggestions about interesting and maybe controversial topics :)
I might not be the most active one, but I'll try my best to contribute!

Hello everyone :)

I'm Ashley - I've only been with Goodreads for a few months but I am greatly looking forward to being involved in a heartfelt, passionate, honest discussion that involves books and strong opinions. I am a therapist working toward licensure and greatly miss the long thoughtful discussions of my masters program.

Yay!!! Welcome everyone! I am so glad you want to be apart of this book club :)
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
At the bottom of the page is a poll to pick our topic that we will cover for our first book in september. Please vote :)

Hi There,
I'm John. Right now I'm a stay-at-home father, but in the past I've had a wide variety of jobs including aquarist, museum docent, cancer lab assistant, book illustrator and traveling educator.

I'm a huge biology nerd, particularly for marine biology. I'm also interested in world history and cultures, particularly the cultures of South-East Asia, Polynesia and the Americas.

The people who are dear to me in my life come from many backgrounds and situations, and I want to read and write books that reflect the great diversity around me.

I'm looking forward to some great discussions in this group.

John wrote: "Hi There,
I'm John. Right now I'm a stay-at-home father, but in the past I've had a wide variety of jobs including aquarist, museum docent, cancer lab assistant, book illustrator and traveling educ..."

Welcome John :)

Hey I'm Jim. I have joined this group out of interest in diversity. But most out of necessity as Mariah is my girlfriend and "kindly suggested" that this would be a good thing to do.

I'm not the biggest reader of novels. Generally I am an avid redditor, podcast listener, collector of vinyl and NFL enthusiast. Somewhere along the way I stopped really reading things in long form so this will be an experience to get back into.

If I had to guess i'd say the last novel I read was 1984, and that was almost 2 years ago! I am excited to be apart of this and learn from a new book and discuss it with all of you.

Cheers.

Hi, this group sounds really interesting.

I'm irish and I love to read! About 10 years ago I sustained a brain injury which has left me with limited mobility. It also left me severely dislexic. I have struggled to relearn to read and generally adjust to a new life. My reading, thankfully, has come a long way, although my spelling can at times be hit and miss so please be forgiving :-)

I mostly listen to audiobooks but I do read some books on my kindle as there are great options to make the text easier to read. I read a wide variety of genres and am looking forward to joining the group read Asking For It ;-)

Margo wrote: "Hi, this group sounds really interesting.

I'm irish and I love to read! About 10 years ago I sustained a brain injury which has left me with limited mobility. It also left me severely dislexic. I..."

Hello Margo! We are so excited you are joining us! We are very glad you are participating in our first book too!!! Yay!

Hi everyone! My name is Veronika (Vera for short) and I'm a 19-year-old Hungarian bookworm & bookblogger @ The Regal Critiques, who's starting university on the 12th - eek, I'm so anxious about it!

Besides reading, I couldn't live without my friends, my favorite tv shows, like How To Get Away With Murder, Scream Queens, American Horror Story and 2 Broke Girls. Or my favorite artists' music, like Halsey, Melanie Martinez, Troye Sivan, Ellie Goulding, Taylor Swift, Halestorms, Imagine Dragons, Sia, Years & Years, The Neighbourhood and Tove Lo. :)

I'm really excited to join this group, to get to know new diverse novels & to have a chance to discuss them. :)

Veronika wrote: "Hi everyone! My name is Veronika (Vera for short) and I'm a 19-year-old Hungarian bookworm & bookblogger @ The Regal Critiques, who's starting university on the 12th - eek, I'm so anxious about it!..."

Hi Veronika! We are so excited to have you join us :) And you will do great at university :)

I'm Whitney, and I found this group via Margo mentioning it somewhere. :)

I'm 41 and I live in Colorado with my 3 (teen) kids. I have a BA in Sociology and a MA in Counseling, and I work as a licensed professional counselor in a diverse area with a very high poverty rate. I have many LGBT family members and friends and am not hetero myself. Diversity is worth celebrating (and reading about), so this group appeals to me. :)

Whitney wrote: "I'm Whitney, and I found this group via Margo mentioning it somewhere. :)

I'm 41 and I live in Colorado with my 3 (teen) kids. I have a BA in Sociology and a MA in Counseling, and I work as a lice..."

Yay! Welcome Whitney! We really look forward to having you join the group and our discussions :)

Hey Whitney, good to see your profile pic :-)

Sounds like this will an interesting group.

I just found out you're reading my book and decided to join to say THANK YOU, and to offer to answer any questions!

Stacy wrote: "I just found out you're reading my book and decided to join to say THANK YOU, and to offer to answer any questions!"

YAYYYYYY!!!!! Most of us are starting next week :) I look forward to it!! Below is where the discussion will take place. I'd love for you to join!!!! :D This is soooo exciting!!!

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Stacy wrote: "I just found out you're reading my book and decided to join to say THANK YOU, and to offer to answer any questions!"

I bought the book, Stacy! I am very excited, too!

Stephanie wrote: "Hi, I'm Stephanie from suburban Chicago, IL. I love to read across many genres and definitely believe in diversity! Joining since Mariah made me aware of the current month book discussion and am th..."

Welcome Stephanie :)

Ohhh wow! Awesome! I am currently reading the other book and really enjoying it :)

Hi Stephanie, welcome to the group :-)

*waves*

Hi, everyone. I hope you don't mind that I joined the group uninvited, but after the election results, I am terrified and seeking some refuge in a group that I hope will be inclusive and comforting (selfish, I know).

My name is Rachel, I'm 29 and a librarian at a university, a book blogger, a member of the LGBTQIA community, an atheist, and am struggling with mental health issues. Yay diversity!

I'm looking forward to reading some though provoking works with you all!

✰☽✰RaeleighReads✰☾✰ wrote: "*waves*

Hi, everyone. I hope you don't mind that I joined the group uninvited, but after the election results, I am terrified and seeking some refuge in a group that I hope will be inclusive and c..."

*waves to Raeleigh*

So nice to see you in this group, Raeleigh! :) With you joining the group, at least one good thing happened as a result of the election!

David "proud Gleeman in Branwen's adventuring party" wrote: "✰☽✰RaeleighReads✰☾✰ wrote: "*waves*

Hi, everyone. I hope you don't mind that I joined the group uninvited, but after the election results, I am terrified and seeking some refuge in a group that I ..."

Thanks, Dave!

✰☽✰RaeleighReads✰☾✰ wrote: "*waves*

Hi, everyone. I hope you don't mind that I joined the group uninvited, but after the election results, I am terrified and seeking some refuge in a group that I hope will be inclusive and c..."

Hello Raeleigh :) We are so excited for you to join our book club! Feel free to become very active! We are starting our 3rd month and people are joining everyday, so it has been great!!
Welcome again :)

Hi everyone, Im Anik, Im from Mexico. I joined this group because I feel there ir so much hate in the world, most of all lately, and I guess I just wanted to feel not alone in this path of thoughts.

Anik wrote: "Hi everyone, Im Anik, Im from Mexico. I joined this group because I feel there ir so much hate in the world, most of all lately, and I guess I just wanted to feel not alone in this path of thoughts."

Yay!! Welcome Anik :) We look forward to you joining our discussions!

Hi, Anik!

Hi, Raleigh!

Hello All,
I saw that a good friend /mentor is a member of this group, and decided to join. I work toward inclusive cultural change by using the Holocene Calendar and studying NVC. I am rather tired but wanted to join and briefly introduce myself while I had a moment, and come back to the discussion later, if that is alright?
Best to all,
Shira
13 November 12016 HE

ShiraHE wrote: "Hello All,
I saw that a good friend /mentor is a member of this group, and decided to join. I work toward inclusive cultural change by using the Holocene Calendar and studying NVC. I am rather tir..."

Hi ShiraHE :) I have so many questions for you hahaha First, welcome and we are so glad you joined! Secondly, what is the Holocene Calendar and what is NVC? I am so excited to learn from you!

Hi Mariah, :-)

I (believe) I am ready for you questions now! :-) Thank you for the welcome, and I am looking forward to learning from you all.

The Holocene Calendar is a culturally inclusive calendar with a year 0! :-) It is designated HE (Holocene/Human Era), and begins 10,000 years before the Christian/Common Era.

NVC is Non-Violent Communication, pioneered by Rosenberg, Marshall B. in his seminal work Non Violent Communication.

Good HE details and nice grid here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocen... (the link to Emiliani's 1993 article seems only to give citation information...).
Warmly,
Shira
13 November, 12016 HE

ShiraHE wrote: "Hi Mariah, :-)

I (believe) I am ready for you questions now! :-) Thank you for the welcome, and I am looking forward to learning from you all.

The Holocene Calendar is a culturally inclusive ca..."

Hi ShiraHe,
I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner. I just saw that you posted. The Holocene Calendar sounds great. Is this it?
http://readersadvice.com/mmeade/house...

Thank you for explaining everything to me :)

Mariah wrote: "Is this it?
http://readersadvice.com/mmeade/house..."


Yes, exactly! :-)
Shira,
18 November, 12016 HE

Hello all, I'm Harmanjeet Singh, I'm a huge fan of Harry Potter series as this is the series which made me fall in love with reading even though I used to love reading even before I came across them but my passion grew a lot afterwards. I'm a psych+crim student & hope to go in Forensic Psych & I love all kinds of mysteries, psychological thrillers & fantasy books, TV Shows & movies. I guess that about sums it up, thank you & look forward to get a chance to talk to you guys!!

Knight wrote: "Hello all, I'm Harmanjeet Singh, I'm a huge fan of Harry Potter series as this is the series which made me fall in love with reading even though I used to love reading even before I came across the..."

Hi Knight!! We are so excited for you to join our book club :) And perfect timing! January's read is a true crime theme!!

Mariah wrote: "Knight wrote: "Hello all, I'm Harmanjeet Singh, I'm a huge fan of Harry Potter series as this is the series which made me fall in love with reading even though I used to love reading even before I ..."

Oh cool, I'm kinda embarrassed to admit though that even being such a huge fan of crime thriller genre, I've never read any true crime book :D
So do we all read different true crime books, any we like or do we all pick 1-2 books then read & discuss them?

Knight wrote: "Mariah wrote: "Knight wrote: "Hello all, I'm Harmanjeet Singh, I'm a huge fan of Harry Potter series as this is the series which made me fall in love with reading even though I used to love reading..."

We all read the same book and discuss it, but talking about other books with the same theme/topic is always welcome and encouraged :) Every month I send out a poll on what topic to cover and our members vote. Then I open up a discussion page for our members to suggest books about that topic. Then I send out another poll and all the members vote on what suggested book they would like to read :) And lastly, I open up a discussion and we read that book and discuss it :)

Hi,
I'm T.R. I just wrote a book called THE JESUS ODYSSEY that focuses on the missing 18-yera gap in the Bible about Jesus of Nazareth's life. I wanted to write a story that was both respectful to the Christian narrative but showed a human side of Jesus as a man. How he might have been influenced by so many other diverse peoples and cultures. By Buddhists, by prostitutes, by the poor. If you'd like a FREE copy, please go to Amazon now and download it and let me know what you think.
Thanks,
T.R.

My new novel THE JESUS ODYSSEY might be a good escape for you. It's available free right now on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Odyssey-...

T.R. wrote: "Hi,
I'm T.R. I just wrote a book called THE JESUS ODYSSEY that focuses on the missing 18-yera gap in the Bible about Jesus of Nazareth's life. I wanted to write a story that was both respectful to ..."

Hi T.R.,
Thank you so much for joining our book club and thank your for letting us know about your free book :) I purchased it!

Kevin. wrote: "Hi I am Kevin from NYC. I am attorney who after 8 or years as a District Attorney I started my own practice. I rep a bunch of small businesses and have an estate practice but most of my work is Mat..."

Hi Kevin,
I am so excited that you are here! I look forward to your input on the books :) Also, your job sounds fascinating! I would love to hear more!

Hi guys, I'm Luffy. That's it for me.

Luffy wrote: "Hi guys, I'm Luffy. That's it for me."

Hi Luffy :) Welcome to our Book Club!

Mariah wrote: "Luffy wrote: "Hi guys, I'm Luffy. That's it for me."

Hi Luffy :) Welcome to our Book Club!"

:)

Hello Everyone!

I am Bisola, 35, originally from Brooklyn, NY and recently moved to Wilmington, DE. I found the book group searching for a community that will support my reading goals this year. I have a PhD in Urban Education and my work focuses on equity and diversity in public schools. I am excited to join the group and looking forward to actively participating ad great discussions..

Bisola wrote: "Hello Everyone!

I am Bisola, 35, originally from Brooklyn, NY and recently moved to Wilmington, DE. I found the book group searching for a community that will support my reading goals this year. ..."

Welcome to the book club Bisola! We are so excited that you found us and plan on joining in on our discussions :) I hope you really enjoy this book club!

Thank you Mariah for the invitation to this group.

My name is Lorrea and I have been an avid reader most of my life. I love to read books of most genres(no horror, vampires, zombies, paranormal, etc) I'm a mother of three and enjoy to blog about the books I read. I look forward to discussing lots of different books in this group.