Noname’s book club is coming to Philly this weekend

She’s been taking a break from touring lately, but Chicago rapper and poet Noname has been keeping busy with a new project, Noname’s Book Club. Each month since last August, the club has chosen two books written by authors of color to read and discuss each month, building a community that connects both online and in-person.

The book club has expanded to six chapters, and hosts free meet-ups in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, DC, and Atlanta each month. The new Philadelphia chapter will meet for the first time this Saturday, January 4 at the Paul Robeson House on Walnut Street in West Philly. RSVP to the event at nonamebooks.com.

The group will discuss December’s two books, Franz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth and Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis. Book club picks are stocked at POC-owned bookstores in several cities, including Hakim’s Bookstore on 52nd Street in Philadelphia.

Noname recently confirmed that she will release her new album Factory Baby, the follow-up to her 2018 debut Room 25, this year. No release date has been announced yet.