News Fix #64: Let's dig in to empathy together

I'm back with your weekly news fix, and I'm happy we're in this together. If you're new here, welcome! Get in touch anytime; I'd love to hear from you. If you've been reading for a while, will you forward this to somebody you'd like to bring into the conversation? I'd appreciate it.

A few weeks ago I asked how you might feel about a close reading group of Claire Keegan's book Small Things Like These. I proposed we read the book through the theme of empathy and then get together to discuss and perhaps find more clarity.

To my absolute delight, there are plenty of people willing to try this together. It's going to be great. If it's not your thing, no problem. Next week's post will be a more familiar exploration of questions in news and information. But this week, let's get ready for this experiment.

What to expect from our reading group

This post will serve as our planning document. You have plenty of time to find a copy of the book before we start on Sunday, November 8, after the peak of midterm election coverage.

Our book has 7 short chapters. Before our meeting each week, we will read one chapter. We'll gather on Zoom and discuss together for an hour. We will wrap up on Sunday, December 20.

Some close reading tips

There is no right or wrong way to do this, so let's get that idea out of the way. This isn't a study group; it's a reading group. The measure of success is your enjoyment. A close read should still be an enjoyable read. My advice is to just stay open to the book and the ideas it brings up for you, enjoy being in a community of readers, and don't work too hard.

If you haven't done this before, reading through a theme is just what it sounds like. Try to keep the idea of empathy in your head as you go along. See if anything feels connected to or in conflict with our theme as you read. Ask yourself if what you read is making you think differently about the theme or why it is reinforcing ideas you already have. Which characters do you feel most connected to? You can also pay attention to whether characters are wrestling actively with our theme.

You don't have to take notes, though of course you can. I would suggest reading with a pen or pencil so you can underline or star a phrase or a sentence you might want to save for yourself or bring to the group.

If you'd like to read or listen more about how to read any secular text as sacred, I'd recommend this brief introduction to the practice with Vanessa Zoltan, author of Praying with Jane Eyre.

A few guiding questions

Many of us will be new to this kind of reading group, and we won't yet know each other well. We can use the following questions as an anchor each week to help move discussion along. These questions can also help us trace some themes across the book that relate to our theme of empathy.

• What seems to connect the characters in the chapter to each other?
• What does this chapter have to say about change?
• What is the role of work in the chapter?

The logistics

We will meet on Sunday nights at 7:00 E.T for one hour. Fill out this Google form to get a reminder email and the Zoom link sent to you each week. If you're unsure if you can commit to the group or know you can't make it every week, fill out the form anyway. Join when you can.

If you'd like to bring a friend, please do. All are welcome, and they don't have to work in our field. Either have your friend fill out the Google form or just send them the Zoom link.

Our group each week will be structured based on how many of us there are. A smaller group can discuss the chapter in the round. If the group is large, I may ask some volunteers to talk through where the theme came up for them for a while. The rest of us can listen and ask questions. We can all share the sentences or phrases we've chosen that week. There are many ways to keep it vital, engaging, and connected.

I'll share a summary of our discussion and of our reflections with everyone who has signed up on Mondays. You'll still be able to keep up with the group's insights, even if you miss a week.

I'm really looking forward to reading together. Until next week, I hope you are staying safe, dry, and content.