The Literary Odysseys Book Club
The Literary Odysseys Book Club is a free, monthly discussion group open to all. Whether you’re a voracious reader or someone who’s struggled to find the time, our modest monthly reading target makes it easy to join the conversation—and you don’t need to have already read the book to participate. In fact, we read as we go with modest page count targets between sessions.
Led by the same guides who lead our in-person literary tours, the Book Club is an opportunity to read more deeply, discover new perspectives, and learn in community. And if the conversation inspires you to take the journey yourself, Book Club members receive 25% off our Morocco and Ireland trips.
In Mohamed Choukri’s autobiography, For Bread Alone he details his escape from famine in the Rif mountains for Tangier, survival through destitution, familial violence, and the Moroccan underworld before discovering a transformative passion for literature.
This book club will get together four times over Google Meets for one hour on a monthly Sunday at 11:00am EST.
September 13
October 18
November 15
December 13
Attendance of all four sessions guarantees a 20% discount for a seat on the Moroccan literary tour this December.
Set over a single day—June 16, 1904—in Dublin, James Joyce’s Ulysses transforms the ordinary lives of its characters into an epic journey. Through its revolutionary stream-of-consciousness style, reimagining of Homer’s Odyssey, and challenge to the boundaries of literature and censorship, Ulysses forever changed the way we read and understand fiction.
This book club will get together 10 times over Google Meets for one hour on a monthly Sunday at 12:30pm EST.
September 13
October 18
November 15
December 13
January 24
February 21
March 14
April 18
May 9
June 13
Attendance unlocks a 20% discount for a seat on the Journey Through Ireland literary odyssey on June 16 of 2027.
Sample Itinerary-
Workshop participants ease into the day with creative prompt to get grounded and set the tone.
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We’ll share 1-3 noticing from the reading and revisit those sections together.
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We’ll either use breakout groups or whole group discussions about the assigned reading with questions and helpful guides designed by our experts facilitators.
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The facilitator will provide context and thinking questions to frame the upcoming reading before the next month’s session.
Meet your facilitators
Zein El-Amine
Zein is a writer, reader, and founder of Literary Odysseys. He will facilitate the For Bread Alone Book Club ahead of Literary Odysseys’ upcoming journey through Morocco.
Stephen M. Ellis
Stephen is a writer and a scholar who holds a PhD from the University of Minnesota, specializing in poetry and poetics and comparative modernisms. He has taught at New York University, the University of Saint Thomas, and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. His first book, The Right Gift, is forthcoming through Uncollected Press.
Still have questions? Take a look at the FAQ or reach out anytime. If you’re feeling ready, go ahead and register for a seat at one of our book clubs.
Your Questions, Answered-
While the book club only has 10 seats available, they are also free. Just add the registration to your cart and check out.
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You can reach us anytime via our contact page or email. We aim to respond quickly—though during the school year we may take two business days.
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Simply attend the book club sessions once a month over Google Meet.
If you miss a session or two, that’s okay. Just give us either a heads up, or come to the next one.
If you decide to join one of the trips (Morocco or Ireland) then we’ll give you a discount code.