Mugs of tea in hand, a group of us leaned in a little closer, listening intently as Anna read aloud from Tove Jansson’s The Summer Book. We were at once delighted and horrified with the story’s precocious six-year-old Sophia and her musings on the nature of love and mortality. We probed one another’s thoughts, ideas, and tales of related experiences in response to Sophia’s perspectives on her relationship with a feral cat. Can you choose whom to love? Must every love contain a little (or a lot) of the opposite? Like Sophia, I too had lost my mother. This shared reading and discussion afforded me a safe distance from which to refract that experience. It was, of course, not a cure for grief, but it did offer recognition and solace.
That afternoon, I was participating in my first shared reading group, modeled after those developed by the United Kingdom charity, The Reader. Typically, small groups (6-10 people) meet weekly for about 90 minutes. In the session, all material is read aloud and open-ended discussion is encouraged by a facilitator. Group members participate voluntarily and interact in relation to the text (e.g., characters, narrative, setting, themes, language) and to one another (e.g., personal reflections, perspectives, experiences).
Research suggests three key components of shared reading groups interact to serve as catalysts for improving the wellbeing of participants:
1. Literary form and content: Facilitators read aloud from a wide variety of rich, complex texts that are non-prescriptive. That is, the poems, short stories, and novels shared within the groups are typically relevant to the human condition broadly and need not (and perhaps should not) be directly related to whatever challenges participants might be experiencing. Importantly, the discussions surrounding the literature are not academic analysis. They are focused on the emotional response and interpretations of the group members.
2. Group facilitation: Non-judgemental, culturally competent, and supportive facilitators are instrumental in “bringing out what is within.” They work to ensure group members feel encouraged but not pressured to participate, cultivate a comfortable and trusting environment, and know when to let the discussion linger and when to bring the group back to the text.
3. Group processes and dynamics. Participants have characterized their shared reading groups as a temporary intimacy, a respite from everyday constraints and demands, and a communion of connection. Group members commit to a safe environment in which they feel confident to share a wide range of reactions and perspectives and to test out new ideas.
Reflecting back on that afternoon spent reading and discussing The Summer Book, I can clearly see how each of those elements shaped my powerful experience. In next month’s blog, I’ll discuss how these key elements interact to spark the underlying processes by which participation in shared reading promotes wellbeing.
