Have You Heard of Introvert Happy Hour? This One Has a Cause – Charlotte Magazine

A big-hearted nonprofit and an indie bookstore put a philanthropic spin on the silent book club

It was my kind of night. For two hours, about 20 people gathered at picnic tables beneath a canopy of trees to support OurBridge for Kids in the most fitting way: reading. The afterschool program off Shamrock Road partnered with That’s Novel Books for a silent book club fundraiser.

Silent book clubs, aka introvert happy hours, are a (quiet) hit of the year. There are more than 1,000 chapters worldwide, and That’s Novel Books in Camp North End hosts Charlotte’s most popular. The idea is simple: Come, bring the book of your choice or shop for a new one, then settle in to read. For some, it’s a way to meet fellow booklovers. For others, it reserves reading time. At OurBridge, it did both while raising money and awareness for a group that supports the children of recently arrived immigrants and refugees. 

The idea came from Danae Byler, who manages fundraising for OurBridge. She’s attended silent book clubs at That’s Novel Books since 2022, back when just a dozen or so people did. (Now, nearly 150 do.) What if, she wondered, her organization partnered with the bookstore to host a silent book club fundraiser with a recommended reading list? 

“There are wonderful immigrant and refugee authors,” Danae says. “What if we shared some of those books to create more awareness of the nuance that comes when people move or flee to a new country to build something better?”

Danae pitched her idea to Alyssa Pressler, who owns That’s Novel Books. Alyssa not only agreed to help host the event at OurBridge but devoted a section of her store to its recommended titles—fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books—and donated a portion of those profits to the organization.

“Most of us can’t experience what it’s like to be an immigrant or refugee in a new country, trying to make our way, but we get to read stories from others to understand their perspective better,” Alyssa says. “That’s magic. That is a magical thing that books give us.”

People donated $10 to OurBridge to attend, and Alyssa set up tables of books and food. That night, we shopped from the reading list, snacked on charcuterie, and chatted about books as we added to our to-read lists. Then we had an hour to read. An hour without distractions. An hour to sit quietly by a garden with a book (and eat cheese). Again, my kind of night.

I want this to happen everywhere, this alliance of indie bookstores and local nonprofits. It’s not just about donating money to a cause but becoming a more informed, empathetic supporter. Imagine a night at a community garden while reading In Defense of Food near the plants. Or at an animal rescue while reading Our Dogs, Ourselves within barking distance. Some advocates try to convince others through fear; last year saw an “unprecedented” increase in book bans, according to PEN America. This is what the opposite looks like. Come! Get curious! Read anything you like! Here are some ideas!

I’d been meaning to go to a silent book club for months, but I cleared my calendar when I saw the one for OurBridge. The group’s services are vital. About a quarter of residents on the east side were born abroad; about 30% of students at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools speak a language other than English at home. To be a child in a new country, at a new school, learning a new language? That’s a lot of transition for a kid.

OurBridge helps these students settle into their new city through homework help and English tutoring, culturally appropriate dinners, and field trips. Its building off Shamrock Road is my favorite in town. More than 30 flags, representing the home countries of every kid, hang from the ceiling inside. After school, it’s wonderfully loud as about 150 kids from around the world play and learn together.

A lot of us who attended the silent book club didn’t look like each other; our small group spanned a range of skin colors, ages, and styles. Many of us read books by people who didn’t look like us, either. During a time of debate about what people should and shouldn’t read, about who does and doesn’t belong, this simple night of people gathering to read felt bigger than its parts.

To quote a wise woman, that’s magic. That is a magical thing that books give us.