Taller: Claves para crear un club de lectura juvenil y no morir en el intento

Overview

A facilitator led a practical workshop on creating and running youth book clubs in bookstores and libraries. Through a mix of theory, examples and hands-on exercises, the workshop framed book clubs as spaces for building trust, community and cultural participation — not merely sales channels.

Key themes included:

• The artistic idea of “nothingness” (John Cage) as creative space.
• Using illustration and other media to reframe familiar stories (Francisca Themerson’s Alice).
• Challenging stereotypes about young people and the role of media in shaping those images.
• Practical formats and partnerships that attract and retain youth participation.

Artistic techniques, concepts and creative processes

• Silence and lecture as composition
  • Inspired by John Cage’s Lecture on Nothing: treat a talk like a musical composition and use silence as a creative element.
• Illustration as reinterpretation
  • Francisca Themerson’s silhouette-line illustrations (red/blue lines) reframe a classic character while keeping Alice recognizable.
• Multimedia curation and remix
  • Combine video, documentary, social media (TikTok), music playlists and film/series tie-ins to expand discussion and engagement.
• Photographic re-interpretation
  • Paula Anta’s exhibition invites multiple readings of found figures (elephant, person, trash) to spark personal meaning-making.
• Visual-first selection
  • Editorial and cover design act as major attractors for youth readership; use “blind” or text-only selection exercises to test choices beyond cover appeal.
• Community + hybrid practice
  • Use digital platforms (Discord, WhatsApp) to sustain engagement between face-to-face meetings; combine online communities with in-person bookstore events.
• Co-creation with youth
  • Give cameras to young people (collective documentary), invite them to recommend selections, and form youth-driven selection groups.

Practical steps, formats and advice

• Define your purpose honestly
  • Clarify whether the goal is sales, community-building, outreach, subscription revenue, etc. Your goal determines format, costs and selection.
• Build a safe, non-judgemental space
  • Emphasize trust; avoid testing or quiz-style interactions.
  • Encourage naïve or unconventional interpretations.
  • Accept attendees who don’t finish the book or who come for social reasons.
• Programming & scheduling
  • Avoid exam seasons, end-of-year holidays and other high-pressure dates.
  • Offer alternative activities when members can’t read (games, creative sessions).
• Book selection & balance
  • Involve young people in recommendations while balancing the broader fund/profile.
  • Use themed clubs (romance, fantasy, horror, manga, graphic novels); consider transitional clubs for 18–30-year-olds.
  • Employ “book tasting” (short extracts) to help choice.
  • Try blind-selection exercises to reduce cover bias.
• Formats to try
  • Nights at the bookstore (sleepovers), scavenger hunts, city tours tied to books, interviews with local authors/poets, film-vs-book hybrid clubs.
  • Silent reading parties (everyone reads quietly together).
  • Discord/WhatsApp groups for ongoing conversation between meetings.
  • Subscription or paid-club models — weigh inclusivity versus sustainability.
• Partnerships and visibility
  • Collaborate with municipal culture bodies, schools, libraries, local authors, theater spaces and bookstores for joint events.
  • Use media coverage carefully: it can spike interest but also misrepresent the club.
• Facilitation techniques
  • Ask specific, layered questions beyond “Did you like it?” — probe comprehension, structure, visuals and representation.
  • Offer brief technical support to help readers understand narrative structure or visuals.
  • Link books to other media (film, podcasts, games, art) to expand access points and belonging.
• Accessibility and inclusion
  • Be transparent about costs; subscription models can exclude some participants.
  • Recognize material constraints (money, time) and offer low-cost or in-library options.
  • Don’t exclude non-readers — they may still participate and eventually engage with books.
• Logistics & merchandising
  • Consider a youth-curated shelf or recommendations area.
  • Use cover design and merchandising strategically, but don’t let it be the only criterion.
  • If selling the club book, be ready to negotiate reading interests versus store inventory.

Examples and models mentioned

• Exercises and influences: John Cage (Lecture on Nothing); Francisca Themerson’s Alice illustrations; Michael Ende’s The Neverending Story (as counterpoint).
• Local/project examples:
  • Collective documentary by Maya Gemori.
  • City scavenger hunts (Harry Potter / Hunger Games inspired).
  • “Night at the Bookstore” sleepovers.
  • Youth interviews of local authors.
  • Book tasting (La Americana, Mexico).
  • Silent Reading Party (Porter Square Books, England).
  • Manga/comics club with Discord community (Soul Sherry Comics).
  • Youth-curated shelves and selections (Yavors bookstore; Librería 80 Mundos).
• Marketing and research references:
  • Germán Sánchez Ruiz Pérez Foundation barometer.
  • Joaquín Rodríguez (The Fury of Reading).
  • Miikita Brodman (Against Reading).
  • Adolfo Córdoba (on covers).
  • Editorial trends tied to YA hits (Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games).

Concrete creative activities you can replicate

• Show a silent video while reading a composed text (Cage-inspired) to provoke interpretation.
• Run a book-tasting: short passages on rotating tables, quick reactions, group vote for next read.
• Organize scavenger hunts or city tours themed on popular YA titles to promote clubs.
• Host a bookstore sleepover for younger teens: readings, games, group breakfast.
• Create a youth-recommendation shelf curated by club members.
• Combine face-to-face meetings with Discord/WhatsApp for continuous community.
• Do a blind-selection/“literary matchmaking” where members judge books from descriptions only.

Key takeaways

• Youth book clubs succeed when they prioritize trust, social belonging and imaginative entry points over didactic testing or pure sales.
• Use hybrid, multimedia and co-created formats to meet young people where they are; be realistic about time and financial constraints.
• Facilitation should be humble, non-adult-centric, and oriented toward building reading skills and affective attachment through multiple media and experiences.

Creators and contributors featured

John Cage; Francisca Temerson; John Teniel; Michael Ender; Arnal Ballester; Maya Gemori; Joaquín Rodríguez; Miikita Brodman; Francisca/Gracela Montes (Gracela Montes); Nando López; Joana Marcos; Tamara Molina; Patricia Fernández; Paloma Chen; Leo Espugla; Milo Jor; Cromas; Shuhanton / Chujantón; Otanit Plana; Paula Rosado; Alicia Bululú; Arián Hoyos; Veña Azur Mendy; Paula Anta; Germán Sánchez Ruiz Pérez Foundation; Media Vaca; Rayuela (bookstore); La Bosque de la Colibrí (bookstore); Yavors bookstore; Librería 80 Mundos (Alicante); Good Life bookstore (Madrid); Porter Square Books; Soul Sherry Comics; La Americana (Mexico); Ester León; Duerme Vela (publisher).

Note: Names are reproduced as they appear in the subtitles and may include some auto-generated inaccuracies.