"Achilles, "the best of all the Greeks," son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful, irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods' wrath". "They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice".

-- Godreads

"A brilliant reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—both harrowing and satirical—told from the enslaved Jim's point of view." "When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond." "Brimming with nuanced humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a literary icon, this brilliant and tender novel radically illuminates Jim's agency, intelligence, and compassion as never before. James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first-century American literature."

-- Goodreads

Discussion of the book: "Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life" by Jon Kabat-Zinn

"The author maps out a simple path for cultivating mindfulness in one's own life. It speaks both to those coming to meditation for the first time and to longtime practitioners, anyone who cares deeply about reclaiming the richness of his or her moments."

"An astonishing novel about a young microbiologist investigating an unfathomable deep vent in the ocean floor, leading her on a journey that will encompass the full trajectory of the cosmos and the passage of a single human life."

"Exploring the natural world with the wonder and reverence we usually reserve for the stars, In Ascension is a compassionate, deeply inquisitive epic that reaches outward to confront the greatest questions of existence, looks inward to illuminate the smallest details of the human heart, and shows how – no matter how far away we might be and how much we have lost hope – we will always attempt to return to the people and places we call home."

-- Goodreads

The Power of Singing, the Power of Song

Matt Watroba Folk Singer

Join us and enjoy a demonstration of the healing and unifying power of community singing. Inspired by the work of Pete Seeger, Watroba will use a variety of song genres and techniques to create an experience that is as entertaining as it is uplifting and healing. Many know Matt Watroba as the voice of folk music in Michigan for his work producing and hosting shows for public radio. He has devoted his life and career to being a custodian of American folk and roots music. This has shaped a repertoire and presentation that is unique on stages across the state and country. He is committed to inspiring the world to sing—one town at a time. In 2019, Matt, along with his life-long musical partner Robert Jones, co-founded the Detroit non-profit, Common Chords. Also in 2019, Matt was inducted into the Folk DJ Hall of Fame at the Folk Alliance International Conference in Montreal.

Abridged Classics: Brief Summaries of Books You Were Supposed to Read But Probably Didn't by John Atkinson is a humorous, cartoon-illustrated book that offers ultra-short, witty synopses of famous literary works, making classic novels accessible and funny for those who missed reading them, featuring irreverent summaries like "Old ladies convince a guy to ruin Scotland" for Macbeth.

"When Abraham Verghese, a physician whose marriage is unraveling, relocates to El Paso, Texas, he hopes to make a fresh start as a staff member at the county hospital. There he meets David Smith, a medical student recovering from drug addiction, and the two men begin a tennis ritual that allows them to shed their inhibitions and find security in the sport they love and with each other. This friendship between doctor and intern grows increasingly rich and complex, more intimate than two men usually allow. Just when it seems nothing can go wrong, the dark beast from David’s past emerges once again—and almost everything Verghese has come to trust and believe in is threatened as David spirals out of control."

-- Goodreads

Ta-Nehisi Coates began The Message intending to write about writing, but it evolved into a meditation on how stories and myths shape—and distort—our realities.

In three linked essays, Coates journeys from Dakar to South Carolina to Palestine, each revealing a struggle between myth and truth. In Dakar, he confronts the romantic Afrocentric visions of his youth against the tangible legacy of slavery. In Columbia, South Carolina, he witnesses both the transformative power and the backlash of America’s racial reckoning. And in Palestine, he sees firsthand how entrenched national myths obscure human suffering on both sides of the conflict.

Written at a moment of global upheaval, The Message is a profound call to break free from destructive nationalist stories and face the liberating force of difficult truths.