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Richmond Readers & Writers Newsletter No. 2

Updates from the first weeks of 2026: Two authors to virtually attend our book clubs this month, Silent Reading Party with SolBird books to become a monthly event, and a date and time was nailed down for us to participate in the 2026 Richmond Poetry Festival!

Hi friends!

 

It's mid-January and I am here with some new ideas and a few updates to share. Thank you to everyone who reached out with kind words about the first newsletter, I am so glad that you liked it and plan to continue in this same fashion on at least a monthly basis.

 

More to come below, but first:

Here's an updated list reflecting the time change for January 25th and the stars for each of the clubs where we will be hosting authors!

Looking Ahead

Upcoming:

  • We're making the silent reading party a monthly event with SolBird books at Rivers Edge Coffee Company, dates coming soon! RSVP will still be on our bookclubs page.

  • Mark your calendars for the morning of Saturday, April 11th! We'll be at a book clubs meet + greet as a part of the 2026 Richmond Poetry Festival. Before that, we will be hosting an extra book club on March 28th at the VisArts center, discussing a collection of poems entitled "Room Swept Home" by Remica Bingham Rischer. This is part of an initiative to intersect more reader and writer spaces and I hope to see you all at both of these events!

    • We will be supporting the book clubs meet + greet with baked goods while the festival provides coffee, so start brainstorming if you'd like to contribute to the potluck! Sign ups will be on the bookclubs app as well. 

  • Interview with Kate Moore, author of The Radium Girls, coming soon!


Ideas on the Horizon:

 

I am passionate about ensuring that our book clubs are accessible, and I could go on and on about why that is important, but I'll save it for now. For me, this means that we don't have a financial barrier standing in the way of anyone attending (it's either free or sponsored spots exist for those like book clubs at the pool). Another part of that is having all of our book clubs that are in-person also include an online option for those with limited travel ability, scheduling restrictions, and more.

 

That isn't going to change.

 

Here's what I am considering: through the book clubs app, we can arrange tiered membership levels, starting as low as 0$. This means that there is still no obligation to pay for book club attendance, group chat participation, etc. because you can choose this option and still have full access to all of our events and discourse. (This is important for a group that prioritizes intersectionality, that includes economic levels!)

 

After the 0$ level, there would be monthly options that are paid, I'm still brainstorming what these would include, but here are a few ideas:

  • A welcome gift like a customized acrylic bookmark (I love making these).

  • Monthly newsletter with upcoming events in Richmond that might be of interest to readers and writers.

  • Blog posts? I don't know if you guys want to listen to me talk but I've been told that this is a thing.

  • Access to evolving resources like a guide to Virginia bookstores, underrated places to write in Richmond, etc. 

  • You tell me

But Breelyn, why do you want our money?

I'm so glad you asked!

 

Here are my realistic 2026 goals:

1. To fully fund 3 years of our domain license, website platform, unlimited email access, and limited SMS (for quick text updates, kinda like those you get from Old Navy when they have a sale, but maybe you wouldn't text back STOP to end if it's me?). 

2. To order new stickers and bookmarks with our information that will be free to grab at our book clubs and events. (I currently have cards with our website QR code and some basic info, if you're interested in putting some out, email me and I'll mail you some!)

3. To repay myself for things like our cards, website subscription, etc. and then start a savings fund for the group to cover things like initial down payments on retreat venues, copies of new releases for the book clubs to share, giveaways, etc.

4. And if all of that works out, to buy myself a celebratory cake.

 

Here's my (maybe crazy?) long term idea:

1. To be paid for the time that I spend on this, because it's growing and if I could one day lessen my hours to part time at my full time job (which I love, I'm a nurse working an easy perioperative job right now!), I would have more time to give toward community engagement and collaboration and maybe even spend some time writing my own book (which I haven't touched in a long time). 

 

Anyway, all of that to say: at some point soon, I'll probably open up some membership tiers. These are completely optional and there will never be a financial barrier to book club access. (It's also not a contract, so you could sign up and then go back to free later on if you needed to). I'd love to hear from you guys beforehand, so please reach out to me via email at rvareaders@gmail.com or IG message and share your thoughts and ideas with me!

Much love to all,

Breelyn

Looking Back


Charlottesville-based author Emily Thiede released THIS VICIOUS GRACE, her debut romantic fantasy novel, in 2022. The sequel, THIS CURSED LIGHT, is now available, and she's working on something new. There are a few clues in her interview for those wondering what her next project will be.


 Virginia author Rebecca Danzenbaker released SOULMATCH, her debut YA dystopian romance in July, and she just announced the title of her next project: PREDESTINED. Read about her past careers, current passions, and more, in her Q+A.



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