Climate theme to book clubs ahead of Ennis festival

THERE is growing excitement that the annual Ennis Book Club Festival will take place in person this year, writes Bridget Ginnity.

We can look forward to welcoming writers like John Banville, Claire Keegan, Fintan O’Toole and Michael Harding to Ennis on the first weekend in March.

The core of the Festival is book clubs and this year there is an opportunity to join one of two book clubs running for a limited period from February to April.

The theme of both book clubs is a very current one, the climate. One book club will read and discuss “Active Hope” by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone. The second book club is based on the pope’s letter on climate change, “Laudato Si”, where he appeals for a dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our plant.

The subtitle of the Active Hope book “how to face the mess we’re in without going crazy” describes the essence of the book and is a hopeful and practical approach to dealing with the emotions associated with the climate crisis.

There has been a lot of interest in these 2 book clubs, so, if you would like to take part, or for more information, make sure to contact info@ennisbookclubfestival.com or Bridget at 086 2444512 now. https://t.co/4XkicDOIXi

— 📚 Ennis Book Club Festival | March 7-9 2025 📚 (@ebcf) January 24, 2022

This book club will be led by Anna Swisher, who regularly facilitates workshops based on the Active Hope approach. “Our world is in multiple levels of crises” Anna says, “whether we admit it to ourselves or not, we all feel it.  The question is not only, “What can we do?” but also “How do we live with all of this?”  This is what Active Hope is about.”

A papal letter or encyclical may seem an unusual choice for a book club. Jane Mellett developed a book club format on the encyclical as part of Trócaire’s response to the call “to stimulate a dialogue between all people to find a way forward”.

As Pope Francis says, the climate emergency affects “every single person living on this planet” and so the papal letter is addressed to every person, of all faiths and none.

“Over 500 people have already attended the online Laudato Si book clubs in the last two years and have found it inspiring and engaging. It has helped people to explore their response to the call to care for our common home.”

Jane will facilitate the Laudato Si book club together with Liz Price. Liz adds “I hope these book clubs will provide an entertaining and engaging way to share ideas about climate justice. It would be wonderful if people realised how easy it is to take action”.

For each book club, one meeting will take place during the festival so there is the opportunity to meet fellow readers in person. The other five meetings will take place on line every fortnight during February to April, at intervals of two weeks.

“It’s a chance to meet fellow readers, enjoy discussion and explore the theme of the climate crisis in a semi-structured environment. Contact info@ennisbookclubfestival.com to sign up or for more information.