As the black book market continues to grow in popularity, authors of all genres are finding support, recognition and a welcoming audience in book clubs across the country. Curtis Bunn, a sports-writer and columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is one such author.

In promoting his first novel, Baggage Check, in 2001, Bunn traveled, flying and sometimes driving for hours, to meet with and become familiar with book clubs across the country.

"I closely watched how the members interacted with each other. In most cases, they were very close friends. And the meetings provided an outlet to discuss books, but mostly to fellowship," he observed. "I generally left the meetings feeling lively and spirited, somewhat like I do after church. Something about that made me feel good," recalls Bunn.

When his agent, Clifford Benton, raised the idea of writing a book about reading groups, Bunn immediately recognized the book's potential, having thoroughly researched the book club phenomena himself.

"Each club was different but the same in one way," explains Bunn. "There was a spirit of love and kindness and fun in the air," he says, of the meetings. "In many instances, it was therapeutic. For book club members to do this once a month, I know it's about more than the books. It's about the relationships."

Different Book Clubs, Diverse Stories

After the overwhelming success of Baggage Check, (which stayed on the Essence bestseller list for four months and was number one in August 2001), Bunn heeded his agent's advice and penned BookClub, a collection of short stories that examines the relationships, conflicts and triumphs of the members of five different book clubs located in five major cities.

In the Women of the Knights Reading Group, Bunn introduces a Washington, D.C., book club comprised of members who have been friends since high school.

"The main theme of the story is trust," says Bunn. "As one member learns that her husband dated another member before they met, the book club members help her get beyond it all."

Ballers, Shot-Callers and Bookworms is a Houston book club made up of men who own businesses and met while playing basketball at the gym. "This story is mostly about the value of friendship among men," says Bunn.

"In Baggage Check, many readers understood that the true friendship of the main male characters is what drove the book. I wanted to expound on the reality that men enjoy and embrace the significance of healthy, honest friendships with other men and also enjoy reading and discussing books, too."

Bay Area On-line Bookreaders is an Internet club that meets at Marcus Bookstore, in Oakland, California. In this story, several book group members meet each other for the first time at a book signing and discover that their online identities are anything but true. "It's about how people reinvent themselves hiding behind computers, and how this book club helped them come to some painful revelations," Bunn adds.

The Atlanta book club, "B.E.L.L.S." (Beautiful Elegant Literary Ladies), includes a group of high-profile, affluent women who try to top each other in hosting their monthly meetings. "They go through extravagant means to impress and end up jeopardizing the foundation of the club, which was built on women of similar success meeting for thoughtful discussion and fellowship," declares Bunn.

Everyone's Book Club is a multicultural group of coworkers in New York City whose offices are in the World Trade Center. As the tale unfolds, it's September 11th and the narrator of the story is leaving the building just as the first plane crashes. "The book club members in this story had a heated argument over race issues two days before the September 11th tragedy," explains Bunn. "This is a story about the importance of not holding grudges and telling those you love how you feel because the next day is not promised."

By including stories that are as varied as the members who make up each book group, the overwhelming theme of this fresh, original collection is the fact that book clubs promote thought, communication, education and building solid relationships.

"I wanted to explore as many different elements of book clubs as I could and show readers how differently each club functions," Bunn says. "Short stories allowed me to cover more ground."

A Readers Market

With interactive contests, prizes and writing competitions for book clubs, an upcoming book club conference [see "Sample of book club favorites"] and the inclusion of a book club starter kit in the back of BookClub, reading groups will likely embrace Bunds book with great affection.

"Book club members will love the notion of reading about something they're involved in. They'll be able to completely relate to the thoughts and actions of the members and the satisfaction that comes from being in a book club."

However, Bunn is quick to point out that BookClub is a great read for everyone, including readers who are not members of book clubs. "Those not in book clubs will be equally delighted because the stories are thought-provoking, genuine and realistic. All readers will be able to see themselves in the characters, the situations and the emotions and close the book feeling fulfilled in a number of ways."

National Book Club Conference Atlanta, GA--August 1-3, 2003

The National Book Club Conference (NBCC) is a nonprofit organization that distributes funds to Atlanta's public schools for the development of book clubs and introduces authors to students during book club meetings. The conference features a luncheon and a banquet dinner, where awards are presented to three of the most active book clubs around the country and to winners of the "Why My Book Club Is Important to Me" essay writing contest.

Guest authors participate in the following activities at the conference: Author Meet-and-Greets, Book Signings, Book Club Discussions

For information on NBCC, contact CurtisBunn@yahoo.com or follow Books-N-Clubs for further details.

Sample of book club favorite

Diva's Den
Book Club-Towson, MD

Corrigedora
by Gayl Jones

The Red Moon by
Kuwana Haulsey

Black Feminist
Thought by Patricia
Hill Collins

The Autobiography
of My Mother by
Jamaica Kincaid

Addicted by Zane

The Literary
Society-Atlanta,
GA

Standing at the
Scratch Line
by Guy Johnson

The Tortilla Curtain
by T.C. Boyle

Hart's War
by John Katzenbach

The Dying Ground
by Nichelle Tramble

Sugar
by Bernice McFadden

Sister's With
a Vision-McGuire
Air Force
Base-New Jersey

No Regrets by
Patricia Haley

What You
Owe Me
by Bebe Moore
Campbell

Maintenance Man
by Michael Baisden

Ladies in Waiting
by Linda

Hudson-Smith

COPYRIGHT 2002 Cox, Matthews & Associates
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group