Denver social club is all about reading quietly together | Arts & Entertainment

In a Park Hill wine bar on Sunday, dozens of people sat together for nearly an hour in silence reading their books.

Trellis Wine Bar’s tables were sprinkled with official “Silent Book Club” stickers and ear plugs as people read a Sarah J. Maas fantasy novel, a nonfiction deep dive into the popularity of Korean dramas or a classic like Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road.”

While anyone could sit at home on their couch doing the same thing, this group aims to make reading in silence a communal activity.

“The whole point is to socialize,” Sydney Ivey, an organizer of the Silent Book Club Denver chapter, told attendees before starting the clock marking 45 minutes of quiet time.

With Silent Book Club, attendees are invited to a local cafe, bookshop or park for a reading social event.

The book club begins with social introductions as people trickle in. Twenty minutes in, an event organizer kicks off the meetup and declares a period of quiet time for people to whip out their books and read.

Once the timer ran out Sunday, the wine bar transformed into a social gathering place as people closed their books and turned to discuss them with the people around them or tried to get to know one another better.

“It’s just such an easy way to become more social and to meet more people without having to really push yourself out of your comfort zone,” Ivey told The Denver Gazette.

For Ivey, she said it was difficult to make new adult friends as a teacher who’s around children most of her time. Since joining the book club, she met some of her closest friends who not only like reading but will also hike or go to the movies with her.

She liked it so much, Ivey asked to volunteer and help the chapter put on more events each month.

“Having a space that I can come and really converse deeply about something that I really care about is just so meaningful,” Ivey said.

While most book clubs meet to discuss one novel, Silent Book Club encourages members to “BYOB” or bring your own book.

Silent Book Club began as an idea in San Francisco more than a decade ago and grew to have more than 1,000 chapters run by volunteers across the world.

In Denver, launched more than five years ago, the group meets at least once a month on Sundays at local businesses or public spaces such as Trellis Wine Bar, The Shop at Matter bookstore or Cheesman Park. Nowadays, they meet almost weekly.

It attracts about a hundred people at some of its events.

Yet, the large gatherings are only a recent phenomenon.

The group’s organizers launched an Instagram account a year ago and said they’ve seen membership explode after several local influencers posted about their meetups.

“We grew so quickly from there, like it truly was so fast,” Ivey said.

On Meetup.com, the Denver chapter has nearly 5,000 members following the group’s page.

At first it was difficult to find spaces large enough to accommodate the growing group, Ivey said, but it’s gotten easier as businesses are also finding out about them on social media and offering to host.

The silent book club is free to attend but members are encouraged to support the local business hosting, some who close for the private event or expand their hours.

“As we grew, we definitely have gotten a lot more businesses reaching out to us,” Ivey said. “Which sadly, we’re quickly outgrowing all of them.”

Patty Gonzalez, a psychologist and first-timer of the group, said she decided to go Sunday after advising her own clients to seek community and build relationships.

In short, she decided to follow her own advice.

“Especially as someone in her 30s now, it is harder to make community unless you’re really actively trying to do that,” Gonzalez said. “I really appreciate places, like this type of format, where you can come together.”

And in a transient city like Denver where it can be harder to make friends, Gonzalez said, the book club’s low-pressure environment makes it easier to meet other people and find common ground in something like reading.

“People are looking for a sense of community. They’re looking for connection,” said co-organizer Jennifer Dencklau, who’s been part of the chapter for more than two years, about the group’s popularity.

Silent Book Club can be good for introverts or those nervous about meeting new adults, Dencklau said.

It creates a structured reading time and it’s a lower commitment unlike a typical book club where members have to do homework and stay on top of their readings, Dencklau said.

And people don’t have to stay after the reading period, either.

For those who may feel anxious about meeting with strangers, she said it’s likely other members feel the same. But someone has to take the first step.

“Even though it might seem scary to give it a try, or you’re feeling too nervous to talk to someone or you don’t feel that connection right away after we’re done reading, you can take off,” Dencklau said, ”but it might be worth it.”