What are you reading this summer? UDC community shares its leisurely activities

It’s summer, and with the season, there’s a greater opportunity to indulge in some of our favorite pastimes. In this new series, we ask members of the UDC community to share what they have been doing since the semester ended. This week, we spoke with Dr. April Massey, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

What have you been reading this summer?

I belong to a book club, Literary Gems.  Our late spring/pre summer read was “The Other Black Girl.”  It is the author’s first novel. We wanted to lend our support.  An interesting read. We met at the renovated MLK Library. What a treat.

Our current read is Mazza Mengiste’s “The Shadow King.”  The author is one of the most gifted writers of our time. This is her second novel, and we also read her first. She was also a featured guest in the College’s Big Read series and spent time with us as a visiting creative writer.

I read “Where the Crawdads Sing” some years ago, and I am excited about the recent movie release of the book. I’ll watch this film with my book club sisters and look forward to discussing it. Delia Owens is a fantastic storyteller. The book is among my favorites.

What art are you viewing?

The Lou Stovall exhibit at the Phillips Collection is on my list.

Have you watched any theatre?

I just saw The Hot Wing King at Studio Theatre, and I’ll see more theatre in the coming weeks.

Are you listening to any music?

Music is a passion for me.  We attend concerts across the year and will cap our summer with an annual sojourn to the Newport Jazz Festival. The venue is spectacular. Perhaps I’ll be inspired to pick my flute back up.

What else have you enjoyed doing this summer?

My garden is downsized this year, but I enjoy tending to it.