For those of you who read internet blogs, you are no doubt aware that on occasion, the comments to a blog post can be just as entertaining or informative as the blog itself. On a popular celebrity gossip blog, there used to be a number of readers who regularly posted comments both on and off the topic of whatever was at issue at that time.
During one of those off-topic detours in late 2006/early 2007, some of the commentators found that they shared a love of reading and the idea developed to start an online book club. The women who quickly took the lead posted under the names "That1Girl" and "Chelleinatl" and, in February 2007, the Colored Girls were born. However, they didn't just start a book club but an actual community in which almost 30 people expressed an interest in joining.
That1Girl set up a Listserv where people could sign up to receive book-related notices and exchange other information, as well as view member contact information and their family photos. After taking a vote, in March, we began reading "The Audacity of Hope" by Barack Obama. Our first online book discussion took place in April 2007, with That1Girl serving as our hostess/moderator. The meeting was scheduled during the workday under the assumption that the members could use their lunch breaks to participate. It was not foreseen that it would be such a spirited discussion that we would run over the allotted time and have to schedule another session in which to complete the discussion, so that everyone could get a word in edgewise!
During a few of the group meetings, we found that when we finished a book discussion we wanted to talk about other topics. In between meeting times, we had also started to regularly e-mail each other with not only book-related information, but also with serious and funny news items, random observations, and requests for advice and responses. We discovered that we had more in common than just books, and we had a lot to offer each other in terms of entertainment, wisdom, support, and friendship.
Since there were some technical difficulties with the original online forum and we wanted to engage in a more conducive environment for chatting, Chelleinatl (Chelle) started this Colored Girls blog. We decided that, despite Haloscan, we would use this site for our monthly book discussion. Eventually, those willing and able also started to meet there on the off-weeks and talk about either a specific topic or anything else that came to mind—also known as our weekly “Chatfests. At the bottom of this page, you will find that Chelle put together a well-rounded music station that you can listen to while chatting or even sitting at your desk at work.
We have read fiction and non-fiction, topics both serious and light-hearted. We have agreed and disagreed, teased and joked, shared stories and learned lessons. We started off with 26 plus active members and now have less than 10 who routinely participate. For those who have been able to hang in there, I think we have found it to be all worthwhile.
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