"Sweet May hath come to love us, flowers, trees, their blossoms don; and through the blue heavens above us the very clouds move on.”
Celebrating May with Spare Ribs Club
May arrives with mischief, whispering secrets of transformation. With each passing day, a symphony of colours unfolds. The grey buildings, once cloaked in a wintry shroud, now wear tapestries of climbing ivy and wisteria. The weather is a medley of sunshine and showers. Beneath this ever-changing sky, Londoners shed their winter shells, as do the city’s parks and gardens. Cafés and pubs spill onto the streets, and, as dusk descends, London's nocturnal summer reawakens, its secrets whispered through the clinking of glasses. May, in all its glory, envelops London. With May, we welcomed lots of new members, bringing us to nearly 200.
Up for Discussion: The Sex Lives of African Women by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah
Our theme for the month was positive explorations of sexuality, with members choosing Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah’s The Sex Lives of African Women as our May book. I was very grateful to be able to book Nana as one of our guests on our weekly podcast; you can listen to her episode below.
We held two meetings to discuss The Sex Lives of African Women by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah. Extraordinarily dynamic, the book is a ‘sensitive and honest collection of interviews exploring freedom and sexuality beyond every conceivable stereotype’. On our first evening, twenty members met to discuss the book. Having hailed and rained heavily earlier in the day, the evening was thankfully bright and clear. For the first time, it was light outside well into our meeting.
The food theme this month; dishes that make you feel sexy, loved, and cared for. We started with a garlicky potato dauphinois, delicious aubergine parmigiana, fresh greek salad, an array of dips, chips and olives, balsamic onion tarts, gooey cheesy pasta, a big sexy summery salad with oranges and feta, creamy chickpeas and salsa verde, butternut squash with tahini, herby egg muffins and chilli peanut noodles. This was swiftly followed by pud; custard filo pie (a hit from our March mythology meeting), Eton mess, lemon drizzle cake, chocolate and strawberry twists, slutty brownies, and fondant fancies.
Happily fed, we moved on to discuss the book. A collection of intimate and powerful stories, we felt empowered by its representation of a wide range of sexualities, genders and relationships. As a group of mostly white women, we felt it important to focus on the intersectionality of the stories, discussing with open-mindedness, curiosity and respect. The result was a sex-positive, fun discussion.
Our second meeting of the month was held later on in May on a warm, sunny evening at old favourite Cable Cafe. Fifteen members joined, encircling an array of treats and snacks, including baklava, chocolate popcorn, jam Swiss rolls and chocolate-covered honeycomb. There were lots of new faces at this meeting. We started by discussing as a group, before moving into smaller groups. We spoke about the book’s writing style, our favourite stories, its ability to empower, and the concept of the diaspora.
We also confronted the intention of our club reading the book, which led to a discussion around race and the responsibility white people have to learn and educate themselves.
Event: Smutty Love Letter Writing Workshop with Revolting Rosy
Later on in the month, we hosted a Smutty Love Letter Writing Workshop, facilitated by the brilliant Revolting Rosy of Revolting Arts Club, a performer and activist specialising in self-expression and creative empowerment. We spent the evening scrawling smut, starting with some impassioned readings of sexy letters by feminist icons of the past. Then, we penned our own dirty dispatches. A group of women vocalising and celebrating their romantic and erotic desires felt like a radical act; for so much of history, women have been belittled for their desires, unable to take ownership of their sexuality. The evening was a great success!
Event: Life Drawing with Meg
We held another glorious, sold out life drawing event this month. Meg’s (@fatmeglifemodel) poses were themed around sensuality and sexuality (to accompany our May book choice). Both members and non-members joined us on a bright May evening for life drawing paired with a lecture focusing on sex positive and feminist artists. The result was an empowering few hours and some beautiful drawings, plus a break for drinks out on Spit and Sawdust’s little private terrace.
News and Announcements
We finally have a website! Check it out and explore here.
We are hiring some volunteer assistants to help with the running and growth of the club! Apply here if you’d like to get involved.
Our members and club appeared in a TikTok for the Barbican Centre this month, which was shown at the entrance to the building for the whole of May! You can watch it above.
The podcast, A Seat At The Table, is going strong, with new episodes every week. Listen here and to our most recent episode below.
Upcoming Events and Meetings
June
6th June | Book Meeting discussing Brick Lane by Monica Ali
20th June | Feminist Life Drawing Class, Spit & Sawdust SE1, TIX AVAILABLE HERE
25th June | Floristry Workshop, Spit & Sawdust SE1, SOLD OUT
29th June | Brick Lane-themed Supper Club x Louella’s Kitchen, SOLD OUT
30th June | Trip to Woman At Point Zero Opera, Royal Opera House
July
9th July | Boob Pot Making Workshop, Spit & Sawdust SE1, TIX AVAILABLE HERE
11th July | Book Meeting (July book TBC, theme is short story anthology)
16th July | Yin Yoga Class, 3Tribes Borough, TIX AVAILABLE SOON
19th July | Feminist Life Drawing Class, Spit & Sawdust SE1, TIX AVAILABLE SOON
29th July | Picnic, Swim and Book Meeting, Hampstead Ponds