This fall’s book pick is Luster by Raven Leilani. ꩜
On Monday, September 27 from 6 to 8 PM, you can grab your beverage of choice and tune in for a digital book club and happy hour led by Future Front Texas board member, Alex Perez-Puelles, discussing Luster by Raven Leilani.
As always, book club meetings are informal (feel free to be camera on or camera off) and we'll flow in whatever direction the conversation takes us.
You must RSVP for free or by donation (keep scrolling) to receive the login link.
— WHAT WE'RE READING IN SEPTEMBER: LUSTER —
No one wants what no one wants.
And how do we even know what we want? How do we know we’re ready to take it?
Edie is stumbling her way through her twenties—sharing a subpar apartment in Bushwick, clocking in and out of her admin job, making a series of inappropriate sexual choices. She is also haltingly, fitfully giving heat and air to the art that simmers inside her. And then she meets Eric, a digital archivist with a family in New Jersey, including an autopsist wife who has agreed to an open marriage—with rules.
As if navigating the constantly shifting landscapes of contemporary sexual manners and racial politics weren’t hard enough, Edie finds herself unemployed and invited into Eric’s home—though not by Eric. She becomes a hesitant ally to his wife and a de facto role model to his adopted daughter. Edie may be the only Black woman young Akila knows.
Irresistibly unruly and strikingly beautiful, razor-sharp and slyly comic, sexually charged and utterly absorbing, Raven Leilani’s Luster is a portrait of a young woman trying to make sense of her life—her hunger, her anger—in a tumultuous era. It is also a haunting, aching description of how hard it is to believe in your own talent, and the unexpected influences that bring us into ourselves along the way.
We recommend borrowing this book from the Austin Public Library, purchasing it from BookWoman Austin, BookPeople Austin or exploring your options at Resistencia. You can also browse this list of independent, Texan book retailers.
— ABOUT THE HOST —
Alex Perez-Puelles: Alex Perez-Puelles (she/her) is a Reproductive Justice advocate who has been in Austin for the past 3 years. When Alex isn't working, she likes to spend her free time serving as a board and committee member to bbatx, as well as organizing events for organizations such as SXSW, Techstars, etc. She has over 5+ years of event planning experience, with a focus on concerts, festivals and conferences.
— HOW TO RSVP —
This book club is open to all and can be attended with a minimum $10 donation (if you're a member, log into your dashboard to attend for free). If the minimum donation is cost-prohibitive for you, don't sweat it. Just shoot us an email and we can waive your ticket: hello@futurefronttexas.org
To donate when you RSVP, name your own ticket price during checkout.
If you can’t donate right now (times are swirly! we get it!), but you'd like to support our recovery efforts and the FFTX team, you can:
or donate later. :)
— VIRTUAL ACCESSIBILITY NOTES —
This event will occur on Zoom and requires Wi-Fi to attend. Closed captioning will be provided. A link to the workshop’s virtual room will be sent at least 24 hours in advance. If you need accommodations, you can let us know by emailing hello@futurefronttexas.org.
Si necesita traducción al español para participar en este evento, envíenos un correo electrónico a hello@futurefronttexas.org.
Future Front Texas is a 501c3 nonprofit, homegrown in Austin, Texas.
We started as a grassroots meet-up series called Boss Babes ATX (bbatx) in 2015. We are run by a four-person staff and a network of amazing volunteers, each committed to cultivating the spaces we want to see in the world.
Alongside our members, collaborators and partners, we nurture creativity, community-building and professional resilience in Texas. We make spaces where women and queer creatives, founders and leaders can grow together.
Currently, we produce The Front Festival and Market, a year-round learning club and conference, as well as multiple community-care initiatives. You’re invited to join us, of course. You can learn more about how it all works, our team and what we do: futurefronttexas.org