Cosmos Book Club — INA YANG

I’ve been an avid and voracious reader since childhood. I fondly remember second-grade me spending all my free time in libraries, devouring book after book, from Dr. Seuss to Harry Potter (only 4 books were out then), jumping from one magical world to the other, while learning English and building up my vocabulary along the way.

Since working, I’ve tried to keep up the habit, and even organized book club at my current agency. However, I wanted more — I wanted to expand upon the authors that I read and go beyond just reading words written by white men who are no long alive. As much as I adore David Foster Wallace, James Baldwin (The Fire Next Time, Native Son) and Hanya Yanagihara (A Little Life) opened my eyes, and I fell deeply into the words they constructed. I also wanted to be involved in a community where I can have in-depth discussions on books with friends.

Then along came the Cosmos Book Club, which I stumbled upon in 2019, and am now running in 2020.

The Cosmos Book Club is a book club of Asian women that gather every other month to read, discuss and support Asian literature written by women & nonbinary authors, here in NYC. Each gathering is hosted at the Asian American Writer's Workshop here in NYC with a group of 25-30 women. We've hosted authors such as Jia Tolentino, Lisa Ko and Crystal Hana Kim at our book clubs before, and last year we were covered in the New York Times!

I’m beyond excited to be leading this effort and grateful for this platform and community — and I’m excited to see (and shape) how we grow.

Here are some words I wrote in the first newsletter, announcing the first book club event of the year:

My name is Ina, and I’m excited to be the NYC Book Club ambassador this year. Carolyn, who’s done an amazing job, has passed the baton down to me while she’s focused on exploring how to imbue meaning into work. I’m excited for the year ahead and can’t wait to get to know everyone and grow the book club community with each and every one of you.
The world at large has had quite a tumultuous time since ringing in the new year. In times like this, I think our cravings for intimate conversations and connections are augmented. We want a safe space to have candid discussions on topics that matter to us (and often integral to our identity), and we yearn for the warmth and strength that comes from forming meaningful connections. I hope that our book club community can continue to be a source of comfort and strength for you.

January has always felt like a contradiction to me: slow and stagnant due to the unfavorable weather conditions draining our energy, and at the same time, full of bubbling excitement that’s brewing and simmering, like your grandmother’s beef stew. With January behind us, we’re officially in the new year in both Gregorian and Lunar calendars, and it’s time to start anew.

Please sign up for our mailing list to RSVP for future events!