Book club celebrates ten years with a panel discussion at The Hat Factory

Tickets are still available for the celebration event which takes place at The Hat Factory, which features a discussion hosted by co-founder Imrana Mahmood with a panel of accomplished writers.

Guests include Tasneem Abdur-Rashid (author of The Thirty Before Thirty List), Dr Sofia Rehman (author of A Treasury of Aisha) and Samia Aziz (The Diverse Bookshelf Podcast).

The evening will also include a spoken word poetry performance by Tasneim Zyada. Space for prayer time and light refreshments will be provided.

The event is supported by The Culture Trust Luton which recognises the need to enrich the collective understanding of Luton’s diverse communities to ensure authentic and positive representation.

Imrana believes the success of the book club is simply due to two factors: commitment and consistency.

"In a town like Luton, which is constantly painted in a negative light, it can be difficult to wade through the disinformation, but our book club has provided a genuine space to develop long-term friendships and build strong community connections,” she said.

“Funding cuts to essential services have also impacted opportunities to engage in arts and cultural activities, so this is where community-led creativity helps to fill the void."

Back in 2014, a small group of Muslim women met at a house in Bury Park to discuss the first book on their reading list, Emma by Jane Austen.

Many of the members in the newly formed Dar Aminah Book Club were not fond of the main protagonist because she came across as vain and entitled and they were absolutely mortified at her dreadful matchmaking skills, whereas other members felt her imperfect and flawed character is what made her quite endearing.

Members of the book club are really looking forward to the celebration event later this month and are excited to hear from the panellists as well as having a chance to meet more literature lovers within the town and beyond.

Ruth, a long-standing member, shared that "the book club has introduced me to an interesting range of books that I would not otherwise have read. Over the years I have greatly enjoyed the welcome and felt enriched by the open-minded discussions, the laughter and the sharing from an amazing group of women."

Newcomer, Salma "looks forward to coming to the Dar Aminah monthly book club. It’s a lovely, relaxed gathering where people come to make new friends and talk about our shared love of reading and books! The discussions are always inspiring and thought provoking."

Ten years on and the book club has blossomed into a diverse group of intergenerational women, all of whom have a deep love of books and literature. They meet once a month at a local cafe on a Tuesday evening and explore topics and themes through a varied genre of books by a broad spectrum of writers.

So far, these have ranged from autobiographies of well-known comedians such as Trevor Noah and Omid Djalili, literary fiction by prolific writers including Elif Shafak and Leila Aboulela as well as books by debut writers Jyoti Patel and Hafsa Zayyan, and non-fiction books including All About Love by bell hooks and Breath by James Nestor. More recent book choices have included Pachinko by Min Jin Lee and A Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi.

Tickets cost £9.00 plus booking fee (advance) and £10.00 plus booking fee (on the door).

To find out more, click https://www.culturetrust.com/whats-on/dar-aminah-book-club-10-year-anniversary