Becca Zeglovitch, Next Chapter Society Council Chair
This month, I’m excited to highlight our incredible recent membership event! On March 18th, Next Chapter Society members gathered at Caliber Coffee for drinks, treats, and a blind book swap. Caliber ran a $5 drink and a pastry special deal for NCS members, and we also provided some light bites for attendees to snack on throughout the event.
As members arrived, we wrapped our books in craft paper and filled out a hint sheet with questions like, “If this book were a weather forecast, what would it be?” and, “If this book had a soundtrack, what would be the first song?” If you’re curious about my contribution, I brought The Alternatives by Caolinn Hughes and my answers were “Overcast” and “‘Stick Season’ by Noah Kahan.” If you’ve read it, you’ll have to let me know if you agree with my answers! We drew numbers and chose books one at a time, unwrapping them for the group to see. It was so much fun to see what people had brought and how they had described it.
I got to take home Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, which happened to be on my TBR! The event was a smashing success, encouraging conversations with friends old and new, supporting a local business, and, of course, bringing everyone together in our shared love of reading and the library. We love hosting quarterly membership events like this as a way to thank our members and to foster connections amongst fellow library supporters, and we’re already looking forward to our next one!
The mastermind behind this quarter’s membership event was none other than our new Membership Committee Chair, Nicki Mortland. Nicki has been a Next Chapter member for about six months and has recently stepped up into this leadership role with a ton of energy, creativity, and excitement. We are thrilled to have her!
Looking ahead, we are already gearing up for our second annual Check Out Nashville event this June. Mark your calendars for a week of shopping local and supporting the library, June 14th through June 20th. It’s going to be a good one!