The first London book giving with Sourcewhere
No. 19 — The first Seen Library book giving in London with Sourcewhere at The Garden Museum, a charming church-turned museum set along the River Thames.
Seen Library and Sourcewhere both see the beauty in finding the things we’ll hold onto for a long time — whether it’s the stories we read, the connections and conversations we make or the pieces we wear. And after several Zoom calls and dinner and coffee dates, it was really special to finally see this gathering of inspiring UK-based creatives come together to meet over good food and good books, learning about the things we love and the types of stories we resonate with.
Choosing books based on its content, not its cover, guests perused and selected books on the theme of Journeys — exploring clues on physical journeys, journeys with others and journeys with oneself. But it’s the reoccurring themes that came up again and again in our conversations about these books on journeys that I took notice of — like the struggle to stay present and enjoying where we’re at when we’re conditioned to always look ahead and the importance of appreciating our families and the places we come from, especially as we move forward in life.
A couple of quotes from our selected books came to mind:
“And I will be reminded of how far I have come, instead of what I cannot reach.” —Frances Cha, If I Had Your Face
“No lights are too bright to forget where you come from. Remember.” —Angie Cruz, Dominicana
After sharing our books, we enjoyed lunch from the Garden Museum Cafe, including delicious homemade rosemary focaccia and summer fruit pavlova, made with locally sourced ingredients by Head Chef Myles Donaldson, previously at St. John and Noble Rot.
The feeling I get from these gatherings never gets old and I am so appreciative that people come open and share an intimate piece of themselves, even if it starts with sharing why they chose a particular book.
Hopefully this is the first of many in London.
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