What we’re about
Hello Richmond Science Fiction and Fantasy book nerds.
Time to blast off into the far future of sci-fi and spelunk into otherworldly realms of fantasy!
The Richmond Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club is a casual group of sff fans who meet once every three weeks at local RVA bars, restaurants and cafés to read a science fiction or fantasy book. (We alternate! And sneak in the occasional horror book under the theory that horror falls under the rubric of “dark fantasy”/the weird.)
Like its sister club, the Hampton Roads Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book Club, the RVA sff book club is a democracy (at least when it comes to picking the books) where every member is eligible to vote on a poll that launches typically 6 weeks in advance of the event. Each poll is ranked choice and features six options, with an open nomination process and dedicated slots for “Subgenre Spotlight” and “Around the World” picks.
NOTE: Interested in nominating a book? You can send me a DM, mention a book a one of our meetings, or put it in our sci-fi (https://forms.gle/umsVTmpCEC4fwLfm9) and fantasy (https://forms.gle/jLVBtuYHutNGB5ux6) nomination forms.
Our poll winners tend to be a diverse mix of popular bestsellers as well as award-winners, experimental and subgenre sff, and world sff from a variety of countries.
We also run a Discord page where people can nominate and discuss and show off their books in between meetings. (Here a new Discord server created for the Richmond group: https://discord.gg/3BKC65tJ9U ; You are welcome to join, but it is not required and all event information will appear on Meetup.)
A little about me: I am a librarian. I previously taught two classes about the history of science fiction, so I will sometimes play “scholar” and add nerdy historical context to a discussion. Here’s a “LibGuide” I made at a previous employer with a lot of information about the history, subgenres, and reference sources for contemporary and classic sff: https://libguides.gustavus.edu/sff
*New* No-Flake Policy (effective September 26, 2024)
- What’s Flaking? Flaking is when you cancel or don’t show up for something you RSVP’d to with less than 8 hours’ notice. I know things come up, but last-minute cancellations or no-shows can really affect our book discussions and waste my time, effort, and occasionally money—especially if I’ve made a group reservation at a restaurant for our meeting.
- Life Happens: I completely understand—emergencies, illnesses, or unexpected things happen. Just let me know as soon as you can. If it’s not an emergency, please try to cancel at least 8 hours before the meeting so I can adjust accordingly.
- Keeping It Fair: If you flake more than twice in a three-month period without a valid reason, I’ll have to remove you from the group. This ensures that everyone respects each other’s time and commitment.
- Half of Life is Just Showing Up: Your attendance makes our book club vibrant. When you show up, it leads to better discussions, deeper insights, and more enjoyable meetings for everyone. So, if you RSVP, please make it a priority to attend. If something comes up, just let me know at least 8 hours in advance so I can adjust plans.
- You’re Welcome, Even If You Haven’t Read the Book: You don’t have to skip a meeting just because you haven’t finished (or started!) the book. Your presence still matters. Whether it’s helping pick the next book or just keeping the atmosphere lively, your input is valuable, even if you’re not following everything being discussed.
Upcoming events (1)
See all- Chain Gang All-Stars (2023) by Nana Kwame Adjei-BrenyahGinter Park Branch Library, Richmond, VA
Chain Gang All-Stars (2023) by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is the winner of our May 17 poll!
A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR • FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION
"Gladiator meets Mad Max at the penal colony in the brutal, world-building latest from Adjei-Brenyah." —Entertainment Weekly
She felt their eyes, all those executioners…
Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Staxxx” Stacker are the stars of the Chain-Gang All-Stars, the cornerstone of CAPE, or Criminal Action Penal Entertainment, a highly popular, highly controversial profit-raising program in America’s increasingly dominant private prison industry. It’s the return of the gladiators, and prisoners are competing for the ultimate prize: their freedom.
In CAPE, prisoners travel as Links in Chain-Gangs, competing in death matches before packed arenas with righteous protestors at the gates. Thurwar and Staxxx, both teammates and lovers, are the fan favorites. And if all goes well, Thurwar will be free in just a few matches, a fact she carries as heavily as her lethal hammer. As she prepares to leave her fellow Links, Thurwar considers how she might help preserve their humanity, in defiance of these so-called games. But CAPE’s corporate owners will stop at nothing to protect their status quo, and the obstacles they lay in Thurwar’s path have devastating consequences.
Moving from the Links in the field to the protestors, to the CAPE employees and beyond, Chain-Gang All-Stars is a kaleidoscopic, excoriating look at the American prison system’s unholy alliance of systemic racism, unchecked capitalism, and mass incarceration, and a clear-eyed reckoning with what freedom in this country really means from a “new and necessary American voice” (Tommy Orange, The New York Times Book Review).
“This book is so good. Brutal subject matter, beautiful writing. This one is from the heart.” —Stephen King
“Like Orwell’s 1984 and Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Adjei-Brenyah’s book presents a dystopian vision so…illuminating that it should permanently shift our understanding of who we are and what we’re capable of doing.” —The Washington Post
