(more than a) Book Group Book Group (Fall 2026 Session)

(more than a) Book Group Book Group (mtaBGBG) is a small group experience where folks wrestle with and wonder about and even practice the kinds of things that make life feel a bit more connected, a bit more alive—the kinds of things we often wish we could talk about but often shove to the side in the comings and goings of our days.

The details for the Fall 2026 Session:

• It’s a virtual gathering (Zoom).

• We’ll meet four times this session:

  • 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Mondays October 5, October 19, November 2 (All Soul’s Day…fitting, we figure) and November 16.

• Theo of Golden is the book for this session.

“One spring morning, a stranger named Theo arrives in the small Southern city of Golden. He doesn’t explain much about where he came from or why he’s there—but when he visits the local coffeehouse, where pencil portraits of the people of Golden hang on the walls, he begins purchasing them, one at a time, and giving each portrait to the person depicted. In exchange, he asks only for the person’s story. And so portrait by portrait, person by person, secrets are revealed, regrets are shared, and ordinary lives are profoundly altered. ..” (from Amazon’s website).

Theo of Golden is Allen Levi’s debut novel—a New York Times best seller about the power of creative generosity, the importance of wonder and paying attention, and the invisible threads that bind us one to another.

In this session of (mta)BGBG, we’ll explore those topics (generosity, wonder, paying attention, connection, creativity, the power of a story, the gift of second chances…and more) as we wade through the book together, connecting the dots between the words on the page and the stories of our lives. We’ll wrestle with why (and if) these qualities matter in our own day-to-day and, if so, how we can cultivate them in ordinary, everyday ways…growing a bit more human and a lot more good in our own little corners of the world along the way. Participants receive weekly e-mails for support along the way, too: questions, practices, stories and occasionally a bit of art or music to spark further contemplation, curiosity and connection.

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Over the years, (mta)BGBG participants have read books by Anne Lamott, Thomas Moore, Brené Brown, Padriag O’Tuama, Richard Rohr, and others with an eye for seeing the sacred in the simple stuff of life. We’ve explored (among other things) grief, good, things-that-are-considered-sacred, community, blessing, gratitude, grace, prayer, and hope…and along the way have conjured up a lot of “A-ha!”s, more than a few “Huh…”s, and a whole lot of “Damn, I hadn’t thought of it that way before…”. People don’t necessarily walk away with a lot of hard-and-fast, once-and-for-all answers to the questions that come up in these sessions, but we all walk away with insights that shape us for the better.

As one participant once put it: “This is the best part of my week…”

It’s so good.

Questions? Contact Angie Arendt: angie@bigstonehouse.org.

Note: registration is priced in USD.

Also? We encourage participants to support small businesses whenever and however they can. Theo of Golden is likely found in your local bookstore or can be ordered there. And if you don’t have a local bookstore? bookshop.org is a great place to shop. Every purchase on that site financially supports independent bookstores all over the world.