‘You Can Read With Us’: Back to the Book reading club prioritizes LGBTQ+, BIPOC safety

Reading has always been Bae Wise’s favorite escape from reality. Growing up in Canton, Ohio, reading helped her envision a world bigger than her surroundings. It led her to become a full-time creative and the founder and creative director of Better Content with Bae, a Columbus-based content development and digital storytelling agency.  

As she entered adulthood, life got in the way, and Wise read less for pleasure than educational purposes. During the pandemic, however, she rediscovered the hobby when she and her wife, Nicole Christian, were forced to slow down. 

“I sat at home and started finishing books quickly,” Wise explained. “I remember Children of Blood and Bone was the first book that I read during COVID.”

Her passion reignited, and she began talking about reading with her friends. Eventually, an idea for a book club blossomed. Within a few months, she and her friend and co-host, Rhonda Kennedy, launched Back to the Book, a Columbus, Ohio-based reading club that encourages readers at any stage of life to “get back to the book” through a new or favorite read, a good snack, or great conversation.

Wise said she knew she wanted to avoid a formal structure after hearing from people around her that a traditional book club might not work for them. 

“My friends are supportive, but they told me, ‘We’ve tried book clubs before, and book clubs just do not work for us,’” Wise explained. “So I let them know very quickly. I want to try a different concept. I want to try a reading club versus a book club. I don’t think that we necessarily need to read the same book to connect around books and to connect around our love for books, so I decided to test that theory out.”

The first Back to the Book outing happened at Cure Coffee & Cocktails, a Black-owned venue in Columbus. Word — and the community —quickly spread. 

“In our first event, 15 people came,” Wise said. “We had a pretty good turnout. Then our next event, we had a waiting list of over 112 people, and that was just a month later,” she explained. “Which totally blew my mind.”

“It’s one thing to think that so many people are in the same boat; it’s another thing to experience it and see it in real time.”

Avoiding a “weird” space for LGBTQ+, BiPOC community

Since its first meetup, the club has held an event every month, including “Headphones with the Homies,” which centered on audiobook readers, and a book exchange held at Moxy Columbus Short North. Every event opens with a community builder hosted by Kennedy, where guests can answer questions like “Which book character would you like to be best friends with?” and discuss the latest read they couldn’t put down. Then, attendees have a quiet reading hour, where simply talking about a book with friends instead of reading is strongly encouraged.

Wise shared that Back to the Book’s tagline is, “You can read with us.” The “you” in the tagline speaks to the club’s inclusivity, as she says the space is for everyone, as long as it remains safe for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC folks. 

“You can read with us,” she reiterated. “You can come. You can enjoy. You can party. You can have a great time. But also, you need to understand that everyone’s a guest in this space.” 

Although Back to the Book isn’t solely an LGBTQ+ space, Wise said her identity as a Black, queer woman is why she prioritizes the comfort of her Black and brown queer members at each bookish meetup.  

“I know what to look for in our members when they attend, so I float and work the room, but I’m always on high alert for hearing anything that shouldn’t be said, getting a weird vibe about something that’s happening,” she said. “And I also pride myself on being pretty good with uncomfortable conversations. I take my responsibility to protect my club members very seriously.”

Back to the Book’s members are seeking connection through a local and national literacy crisis

In less than a year, Back to the Book attracted 580 digital members – there is a GroupMe chat and individuals can subscribe to the club’s monthly newsletter – and hosts 25-40 attendees at each event. Wise was surprised by the group’s rapid growth, as many adults have shifted from recreational reading to scrolling on their phones due to busy schedules and family responsibilities. The reading crisis also affects children: a 2025 report from Nation’s Report Card showed high school seniors’ reading scores at their lowest since 1992, with continued declines since the COVID-19 pandemic. Children are allowed to attend most events, unless it is specified as “adults-only,” like their Valentine’s Day event.

Wise has personally seen children’s interest in reading decline.

“I would ask them, ‘What are you reading?’” she said of the kids in her life. “‘Have you picked up a good book lately?’ It seemed like part of their lack of reading, or lack of joy around reading, was that they were like, ‘Nobody reads; we don’t need to read; we’re on our phones; we have social media. It was also a lack of seeing adults reading.” 

Wise emphasized that her members face challenges like burnout and financial stress, encouraging them to join fellow readers whenever they can.

“I want to be able to cultivate the space that everyone needs, and it serves all of the needs in the different ways that we need it to,” she said. “Versus people feeling like they’re being punished for not being able to do the things that truly make us human.”

Back to the Book plans to expand in 2027

Wise isn’t building Back to the Book alone; she and Kennedy co-host while a committee supports members during events. With funding for BiPOC and LGBTQ+ organizations scarce, local venues like Cure Coffee Cocktails and Columbus Metro Park have sponsored their monthly events, easing the financial strain of needing its own physical space. 

Back to the Book’s community fees, currently priced at $10 per person, help expand the club, with plans for significant growth in 2027–including a bookish cruise and potential collaboration with Columbus LGBTQ+ Pride. While the group will take a break from December 2026 to January 2027, it plans more events, including opportunities for readers to meet their own romantic lead. 

“One of my hopes is that people will use Back to the Book as a launching pad into a relationship,” Wise cheered. “I think we’re owed a love story.” 🔥

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