The Roncesvalles Quiet Book Club #2

Meeting Alex, a future regular of The Roncy QBC, brand ambassador of The Roncy QBC #2

THE RONCY QBC #2: Three is a crowd!

Last night, as I was already falling asleep, the muscles in my eyelids caving in, I received an email from the cofounders of SILENT BOOK CLUB, a US-based international organization telling me that they had trademarked the name "Silent Book Club"! So before I actually fell asleep, I had to come up with a new name! I needed an Anglophone. I called Rosy because it was late and she's the type of person who goes to the movies at 10pm. I was trying to figure out whether "THE RONCESVALLES SHUT-UP BOOK CLUB" wasn't too agressive... A decision was made.

From now on, THE RONCESVALLES SILENT BOOK CLUB will be called THE RONCESVALLES QUIET BOOK CLUB! Rosy is trying to make the nickname "QBC" stick, let's see how it goes. I updated the name on Eventbrite, Linktree, Facebook and Canva, went to bed around midnight.

Less than 4 hours later, the thunder woke me up. I watched a bunch of shows (A MAN IN THE INSIDE for A, CLEAN SLATE for C, DMV for D, Elsbeth for E, I've already finished the B) and never went back to sleep. It poured all night and all morning, I wondered if anyone would show up in that weather. I wondered if I would show up in that weather. I did. I showed up 5 minutes late, at my own event 5 minutes away from home, but I did show up. And 2 participants did, including Rosie who is not even from the neighborhood.

I met Alex who had brought two books to read! (So as per the rules, her punishment was to count to one, and she did.) I brought a $1.45 notebook that I'd just got from Dollarama, because I've realized I can't do any creative writing in Dollarama's fancy $5 notebooks! So I decided to trick my brain today: "Will the non-fancy notebook give me permission to write nothing fancy?"

IT DID!!!!

Alex allowed me to take pictures of her and to make her the brand ambassador of The Roncy QBC #2. I wish I had written down the quote that she shared from THE STORY OF THE LOST CHILD (it's from the book series that inspired the Italian TV show MY BRILLIANT FRIEND!) It was about pretending that now is a new beginning.

You can eat delicious crepes at SAVA Crêpes and Coffee and order The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante at anotherstory.ca

Alex is reading The 2000s Made Me Gay by Grace Perry, that you can order on AnotherStory.ca

Another great session, my friends! I wrote 4 pages in that new cheap notebook, an achievement I wasn't sure I would ever be able to make. For almost 5 years I've been trying to write a play I received many grants to develop. 5 years and I couldn't even come up with the first sentence. Today I wrote the first 4 pages!

By hand.

No dictionary, no Google, no overthinking.

Without worrying about the character list, the structure, the narrative arc, I just decided to write.

With the help of Rosy and Alex, I came up with a motto that anyone who decides to write during our next QBC sessions will have to say out loud:

"My name is _____ and I am a writer. Writing is fun. Anything that comes out is welcome."

Very first edition of The Roncesvalles Writer’s Mantra

After QBC #2, Rosy and I walked along Roncesvalles Avenue to tape the new adjective (QUIET) over the word SILENT on every poster I had already put up in cafés and stores. At Damzel's (the dress shop up the street), Liz (who works there) jokingly called it THE GET-SH!T-DONE BOOK CLUB.

So it's decided. If QUIET BOOK CLUB happens to be trademarked too, our 3rd option will be THE RONCESVALLES GET-SHIT-DONE BOOK CLUB.

From left to right, the 3 participants of The Roncy QBC #2: Jo Güstin, Alex and Rosy, who came to read The Inner Work by

See you at the next one! #FunnyBrainyRoncy

This post was first published on Facebook on April 14, 2026.

All the books mentioned here can be ordered on anotherstory.ca or borrowed from The Toronto Public Library.