Beenleigh book club offers learning and conversation
Logan Libraries has been successfully running the Nyeumba-Meta book club at Logan Central Library for more than 10 years – and now the club, has a second site, at Beenleigh library.
The book club is focused on discussing books and raising awareness about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories. Member and Beenleigh resident Fiona Rowe says she is excited about the new location. Everyone is welcome to join the monthly book club.
Nyeumba in Yugembah language means ‘teaching or learning’ while Meta in Torres Strait language means ‘house’. Fiona says the club has been a great way of participating in community and cultural learning conversations.
‘I’ve been borrowing from the Nyeumba-Meta collection located at Logan Central Library for years to increase my understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history,’ she says.
‘I was chatting with library staff and thought this could be great to bring to Beenleigh.
‘I want to learn about culture and history through these books so I, as a non-Indigenous person, can learn from the lived experience and stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors, and I can pass that understanding onto my children as well.
‘I also like having engagement with my local library, I’m a keen reader and I want to expose my children to a love of reading and learning too.’
The club meets on the third Tuesday of each month from 11 am to 12 noon.
‘The club is a safe space for community conversations, where we ask questions, listen and are open to learning and growing and understanding,’ Fiona says.
‘It’s a shared experience for anyone interested in reading and helps to foster understanding and respect for Australian Indigenous cultures.
‘I’d love for this to develop into a community of shared interests which we can share with our families.’
For more information about the Nyeumba-Meta book club, contact Beenleigh Library or Logan Central Library. You can also contact Logan Central Library to find out more about their book club.
BOOK CLUB READING SCHEDULE 2023
21 March – 18 April: Black and Blue, Veronica Gorrie
19 April – 16 May: The White Girl, Tony Birch
16 May – 20 June: Fire Country, Victor Steffensen
20 June – 18 July: Butterfly Song, Terri Janke
18 July – 15 August: Truth-telling: history, sovereignty, and the Uluru Statement, Henry Reynolds
15 August – 19 September: The Yield, Tara June Winch
19 September – 17 October: The Boy from Birdum: The Bill Dempsey Story, Bill Dempsey
17 October – 21 November: Bila Yarrudhanggalandhuray: River of Dreams, Anita Heiss
21 November – 19 December: Flock: First Nations Stories, then and now, Ellen van Neerven
