Orange Book Club: Characters, Crafts and Community

The Orange Book Club meets every month to discuss and create art based on a particular piece of literature. Last month’s book was Depression and Other Magic Tricks by spoken-word poet Sabrina Benaim. (Photo Credit: Heather Griffin)

“in my story,

 i am the protagonist and the bad thing”

—Sabrina Benaim

On the last Saturday night of every month, a group of readers gather at Paint It Orange on Caroline Street like some coven of old to chat about books and our lives while we sip local wine and create art inspired by our reading.

Sometimes that art turns into something magical. Sometimes it makes the perfect gift for family members (who have to love it, as Jess Cifizzari, owner of Paint It Orange, suggests). Our monthly gathering is always fun—just like when you were a kid, creating chaos with arts and crafts at your kitchen table—except now, we don’t get fussed at for making a mess at the end, no matter how much glitter ends up all over the place.

December’s book was Depression and Other Magic Tricks by Sabrina Benaim. The book included 53 modern poems with themes of mental health and family, struggle and triumph. Sabrina Benaim is a performance poet who has seen viral success with her poem Explaining My Depression to My Mother. Because she is a spoken word poet, Benaim’s poems are incredibly powerful when they’re read aloud. (See her perform one of her poems here.)

For the December craft inspired by our reading, we decorated masquerade masks; so many people put on masks to hide their struggles due to the stigma still attached to mental illness and trauma.

January’s book is M. L. Rio’s debut novel, If We Were Villains, a wicked murder mystery set in a cloistered arts academy; the meeting will be held Saturday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m.

Space is limited, so follow Paint It Orange on social media or send an email to jess@orangepaints.com to reserve a spot. Come read and make art with us!