ARCPDX Book Club - January 2025

Moved to Tuesday, January 21. DUE TO WEATHER, WE WILL ONLY BE MEETING VIRTUALLY THIS MONTH. 📚 For January, we are switching things up and dipping our toes into fiction with two short stories. Whether you're a seasoned activist or a curious newcomer, all are welcome to join the Animal Rights Collective Portland (ARCPDX) Book Club! 🌱 We look forward to celebrating Veganuary and the new year with you as we discuss The Great Silence [14 pages] by Ted Chiang (from: Exhalation) & The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas [32 pages] by Ursula K. Le Guin (from: The Unreal and the Real Volume 2). 🗓 Tuesday, January 21st ⏰ 6-7:45pm 💻 Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7654622343 ✳️ NOTE: We are planning ahead for inclement weather and only meeting virtually in January - we'll be back with our in-person option once the winter weather is over. 🗣️ Both of these short stories have audiobook versions and are available in various formats from the library. 📖1️⃣ The Great Silence [14 pgs] by Ted Chiang (from: Exhalation) "Ted Chiang’s very short story, 'The Great Silence' adds another set of questions to the Fermi Paradox speculations. Why, he asks, are we so interested in finding intelligence in the stars and so deaf to the many species who manifest it here on earth? And also: why have we demanded that, as proof of intelligence, non-human animals communicate to us in human language, and then dismissed those creatures that actually do so?" - Karen Joy Fowler Ted's work has won four Nebula awards, four Hugo awards, the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and six Locus awards. His short story "Story of Your Life" was the basis of the film Arrival (2016). Chiang is also a frequent non-fiction contributor to the New Yorker Magazine, most recently on topics related to computer technology, such as artificial intelligence. 📖2️⃣ The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas [32 pages] by Ursula K. Le Guin (from: The Unreal and the Real Volume 2) Some inhabitants of a peaceful kingdom cannot tolerate the act of cruelty that underlies its happiness. Ursula Le Guin was a prolific writer who lived most of her life here in Portland! Her literary career spanned nearly sixty years, producing more than twenty novels and over a hundred short stories, in addition to poetry, literary criticism, translations, and children's books. She is best known for her speculative fiction/science fiction writing. There's a free pdf of this short story available here: https://shsdavisapes.pbworks.com/f/Omelas.pdf ------ 📚 Books are suggested and voted on by the group. Our goal is to read books that challenge norms, inspire empathy, reflect the diverse voices and perspectives within the vegan and social justice movements, and ignite conversations about animal rights, environmental sustainability, social equity, and more. 📲 In between meetings, we encourage you to chat about the books via Slack! Join the ARCPDX Slack workspace: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScFIcsJ79mLHyRD8t1ogNv9X66Ct3-kvQX3KSxnE6kJ_Lnq4A/viewform?usp=sf_link 💻 If you are already on our Slack, join the #book-club channel How to join a channel: https://slack.com/help/articles/205239967-Join-a-channel ❓Reach out to Takara Rahalski with any questions. 🤝 By attending this event you are agreeing to the Animal Rights Collective Portland Meeting/Event Community Guidelines: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10gu2vfndaJW58nt4LJeGx6qsZJcEXTYEqcn8wPGDBCI/edit