[IRL] Graphic Lit Book Club

​The Ruby is excited to host Graphic Lit Book Club! Whether you’re a graphic novel and graphic memoir enthusiast, you’ve always hoped to dive into the world of long-form graphic narratives, or you’re just looking for your next great read, we’re thrilled to have a space for discussing graphic literature in a cozy book club setting.

​Co-hosted by Rubies Zareen Choudhury and Rebecca Rubenstein, Graphic Lit Book Club will meet from 6:00 - 7:30 pm, with light snacks and tea provided.

​For the grand return of our book club and our August gathering, we’ll be reading and chatting about Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed, "a brilliantly original debut graphic novel that imagines a fantastical alternate Cairo where wishes really do come true."

​​​Read more about the book below, and snag your copy from a local comic book shop, an independent bookstore, or even your local library. You can also hop into the #graphic-lit-book-club channel on The Ruby Discord to see if anyone has a copy to lend out. For anyone unable to attend (or who wants to talk about all things graphic lit in between meetings), we’ll be keeping the conversation flowing on Discord.

​​A non-member femme or non-binary friend may join if they are hosted by a Ruby member. For non-members, we hope you feel the warmth of our space and community and also recognize the trust through which we are sharing space. Please help us keep the space clean, safe, and comfortable so that it can remain a sanctuary for artists and writers.

​​Please message the hosts of this event if you have accessibility needs.

​About Shubeik Lubeik (from the Pantheon website):

​"Three wishes that are sold at an unassuming kiosk in Cairo link Aziza, Nour, and Shokry, changing their perspectives as well as their lives. Aziza learned early that life can be hard, but when she loses her husband and manages to procure a wish, she finds herself fighting bureau­cracy and inequality for the right to have—and make—that wish. Nour is a privileged college student who secretly struggles with depression and must decide whether or not to use their wish to try to “fix” this depression, and then figure out how to do it. And, finally, Shokry must grapple with his religious convictions as he decides how to help a friend who doesn’t want to use their wish. Deena Mohamed brings to life a cast of characters whose struggles and triumphs are heartbreaking, inspiring, and deeply resonant.

Although their stories are fantastical—featuring talking donkeys, dragons, and cars that can magically avoid traffic—each of these people grapples with the very real challenge of trying to make their most deeply held desires come true."