Collective Reading · Embodied Practices · Interdependence

Care is not a personal trait.
It is relational, structural, and political.

Ginkgo Book Club: The Care Manifesto by The Care Collective

This recurring book club is centered around The Care Manifesto: The Politics of Interdependence by The Care Collective and Andreas Chatzidakis. The gathering invites participants into a collective reading experience that explores care as a shared social practice rather than an individual responsibility.

Rather than offering self-care solutions, the book examines the global care crisis and asks critical questions:
Why does care feel exhausting?
Why is it often invisible?
And why does it continue to fall on the same bodies?

Each session combines slow, reflective reading with embodied practices including breathwork, voice, sound, and somatic awareness. These practices support deeper integration of the text, allowing participants to sense, digest, and embody the ideas of interdependence beyond intellectual understanding.

Reading collectively creates space for dialogue, listening, and mutual support. It challenges the myth of independence and opens up care as an infrastructure—something we build, maintain, and practice together.

This book club is designed as a recurring, date-based gathering. Each cycle revisits the same text, allowing new insights to emerge through different bodies, conversations, and lived experiences.

Who this space is for?
– Those interested in collective learning and slow reading
– Practitioners, facilitators, and curious minds exploring care, wellbeing, and social structures
– Anyone seeking an embodied, relational approach to book clubs and community learning

What is the Ginkgo Book Club: The Care Manifesto ?

Ginkgo Book Club: The Care Manifesto is a recurring collective reading experience based on The Care Manifesto: The Politics of Interdependence. It combines slow reading with embodied practices such as breathwork, voice, sound, and somatic awareness.

Do I need to read the book in advance?

Yes. Participants are expected to read the assigned chapters before each session.
Coming prepared allows us to spend our time together deepening, embodying, and integrating the text through collective reflection and somatic practices rather than focusing on basic comprehension.

The sessions are designed to support digesting what has already been read—through breath, voice, sound, and embodied inquiry.

What makes this book club different from a traditional book club?

This is an embodied book club. Reading is supported by somatic, breath, voice, and sound practices that help integrate the material beyond intellectual discussion. The focus is on collective sense-making rather than analysis or debate.

What kind of practices are included?

Sessions may include guided breathing, gentle movement, vocal toning, sound-based practices, silence, and facilitated reflection. All practices are accessible and do not require prior experience.

Who is this book club for?

This space is open to anyone interested in care, interdependence, collective learning, and embodied practices. It is especially relevant for facilitators, practitioners, creatives, and those curious about relational approaches to wellbeing and community.

Is this a one-time event or a recurring program?

The book club is designed as a recurring gathering. The same book may be revisited in different cycles, allowing new insights to emerge through changing groups, conversations, and lived experiences.

Is participation active or can I just listen?

Both are welcome. Participants are invited—but never required—to share, read aloud, or engage in practices. Listening and presence are equally valued forms of participation.

Do the dates change?

Yes. Dates vary for each cycle, but the structure and intention of the book club remain consistent. The page is reused for future sessions with updated dates only.

Is this a therapy or self-care session?

No. This is not therapy. While the sessions may feel nourishing, the focus is on collective learning, reflection, and embodied inquiry rather than individual healing or treatment.

What should I bring?

Comfortable clothing, a notebook if you wish, and a willingness to slow down. Everything else is provided within the space.

Do you need help?

If you have questions, uncertainties, or need more information before registering, feel free to reach out.
We’re happy to support you.

You can contact us via the Contact page, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.