What started as a social media page to express her love for books has turned into a literacy hub for people of diverse backgrounds to share theirs. ThickerPlots book club organized their very first event, a book exchange highlighting literacy awareness, community and the love of a good book.
Nahtyka Jolly, originally from Columbus, Georgia, was raised around books. Some of her earliest memories of Christmas and birthday gifts were always books. Along with her mother, Nina Jolly, and older sister Kurstyn Jolly, they spent many weekends and time after school in the library. Reading was such a big pillar in their household that they’d organize family book clubs to talk about the books they liked and didn’t like.
Jolly’s mother stressed the importance of literacy in their family and instilled in her daughters at a young age that knowledge and education can carry you far in life.
“Education is something they can’t take away from you,” says Nina Jolly. “It’ll open doors for you that you wouldn’t expect.”
Jolly would go on to graduate from Clayton State University in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in English and communications. After college, she began working in the publishing industry and enjoyed the work she was doing as a marketing manager and managing editor for Young Authors Publishing.
“I just really loved the way storytelling brought people together,” says Jolly.
Although it wasn’t a career path she had much knowledge of at first, Jolly enjoyed how the company published diverse stories and authors, especially within children’s books. She described her experience as ‘beautiful’ and ‘wonderful’, as it was one of her first times sitting with and looking over books that looked like her and could relate to her experiences as a priority.
During the time of the pandemic and citywide shutdowns, Jolly started ThickerPlots as an online book community on Instagram to share inspiration and build community at a time when everyone was stuck at home. Jolly took a break from managing the profile until June of 2023, when she started leaning into and hosting the book club portion of the community.
“It’s always been in my mind to create some kind of literary space to bring the community together,” says Jolly.
Since then, ThickerPlots has hosted routine meetings at the last Sunday of every month to discuss a new book. Each book that is chosen is by a diverse author and connects to a modern social topic in some way.
There is a strict “no self-help book” rule as many of the books that are chosen have a strong message, if you read close enough hence, the name and intent behind ThickerPlots.
“Our name stems from the plot being thicker than just what’s on the page,” says Jolly. “Like when you’re reading the book, the book is reading you back.”
The monthly meetings are just a step into what Jolly has in store for ThickerPlots. Their first non-meeting event, a book exchange, took place on March 2nd at Olive & Pine in Avondale Estates.
This interactive event was a small, intimate gathering where participants indulged in snacks, bookmarks and ice-breaker conversations. The idea of the book exchange was for participants to bring a book they’ve really enjoyed and would like to share with others. Books were chosen at random and discussed by those who shared similar interests. Some titles included “The Alchemist”, “All About Love”, “Hood Feminism”, “White Tiger” and so many others. Books that weren’t chosen would be donated to a library of Jolly’s choice.
Participants learned about the event on Instagram and expressed their appreciation for the book club and the event, as it’s given them a space to enjoy like-mindedness and a fun hobby.
“I like being around other people in a non-party kind of vibe,” says Tyreen Scott, a first-time attendee. “Plus it’s helping me get back into reading.”
“It feels a lot more genuine,” says Victoria Dunkley, a book club member. “Everyone was very honest about their recommendations and gave books that they like.”
The book exchange event represented the perfect blend of community and literacy awareness. In a time where the digital realm is more of a preference, literacy and comprehension rates are dropping at an alarming rate, especially within minority and underserved communities. Bright and engaging, this is just the first of many community oriented events from ThickerPlots.
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Mya Grant
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