Big Red Bookcase
with Cornell Club of Maryland (CCMD)
Program Coordinator | Maryland | October 2024 Onwards
Key Responsibilities:
Book Selection, Discussion Preparation and Facilitation, Author Liaison, Attendance Reporting
Who We Are
We are alumni of Cornell University (and friends and family) who live in the state of Maryland and are happiest when we’re reading. We span quite a few backgrounds, and we range in age, but that poses no challenge as we get together virtually each quarter to discuss a novel authored by another of Cornell’s very own alumni.
We are a curious bunch. Our meetings are peppered with questions surrounding the quarter’s chosen novel, some pre-planned and some spontaneous. Typically, the novel’s author is with us, so these questions vary in their goal from sparking conversation among fellow readers to sourcing behind-the-scenes clarity.
We are democratic. Regular participants of Big Red Bookcase are surveyed on their comfort with an upcoming quarter’s read, their availabilities, and their general feedback. In pursuit of synergy, readers are encouraged to nominate a specific title, likely featured on The Cornellians, or a wider genre for future discussion.
What We Do
Participants meet quarterly, over Zoom, and share emotional and academic reflections on topics in a corresponding quarter’s novel.
To energize these discussions, I introduced:
Novel Nominations
Readers are now encouraged to elect wishlist novels to discuss in future sessions, either synchronously, during live meetings, or asynchronously, over email.
Availability Surveys
Readers are now able to proactively disclose any constraints and preferences around availability through short, online surveys.
Pre-Collected Discussion Questions
Readers are now prompted (but not mandated) to note down author- and member-facing questions in pre-circulated Google Docs ahead of Bookcase sessions.
For a time, I shared summaries of novels during Bookcase sessions, but we have since repurposed this time towards continued discussion.
Iteration 1: February 2025
Readers were first directed to note down discussion questions for peers, with no separation of questions for an author.
Iteration 2: May 2025
By now, readers were directed to introduce themselves to an attending author and separated author-facing questions.
Iteration 3: August 2025+
Third time’s the charm! The “Questions for the Author” section lives on, and members introduce themselves informally.
“These are great questions.
Making me realize I've never discussed Vamp in a serious manner.”
-James Magruder, Author of Vamp Until Ready
What We’ve Read
CCMD members pored over the following titles during my first year as Bookcase Coordinator. We were joined by the author in each discussion!
Vamp Until Ready by James Magruder, Cornell Class of 1982
A group of lovable protagonists are central to Vamp Until Ready as they navigate Ithaca, The Commons, and the theater scene, reflecting on transformative events —past and present— that shape them into who they become.
The Edge of Water by Olufunke Grace Bankole, Cornell Class of 2001
The Edge of Water trails multiple generations of women in worlds that vary in kindness —and one that varies in certainty, as it rebuilds itself after Hurricane Katrina. The novel also zooms in on some influential men in each woman’s life.
Love, Me by Jessica Saunders, Cornell Class of 2003
A lawyer and mother of two, Rachel Miller, is forced to evaluate the state of marriage, relationships more widely, and career once racy photos and letters to and from her now-famous high school boyfriend are leaked.
The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht, Cornell MFA Class of 2009
Set in an unnamed Balkan country, The Tiger’s Wife offers a glimpse into young doctor Natalia’s search for answers in the aftermath of her grandfather’s mysterious death, amid floating superstitions and stories of “the deathless man.”
In 2024, prior to the above, CCMD indulged in pages of:
The Apology by Jimin Han, Cornell Class of 1988
Quest for Kimchi by Raquel Look, Cornell Class of 2003
How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann, Cornell Class of 2007
Dashed by Amanda Quain, Cornell Class of 2013