MY OCEANS BOOK CLUB & CRAFT DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
FOR BOOK CLUBS & WRITING GROUPS
Do you have a group of people interested in a lively and intimate discussion of MY OCEANS with the author?
I’d love to visit your group by video and engage in Q&A!
Just drop me an email and tell me a bit about your circle of readers or writers. Ideas of book and craft discussion questions are below.
Ps. When group participants order of the book, it really support my (wishful!) journey as a working writer…
Ps. If your group pre-orders the book, I’ll even send a package of whale-pun pencils & Selkie bookmarks…
*while supplies last*
SAMPLE BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS:
- Which is your favorite essay in the book, and why? Which is your least favorite, and why? Is there a passage that particularly resonated with you?
- Have you read essay collections before? What did you think of the form?
- Which marine creature in the book did you connect with most?
- Do you have a favorite experience with an ocean, river, lake, or body of water
- Have you had any near-death moments that made you reassess meaning in your life?
- What do you know/imagine you’ve inherited from your parents, your ancestors
- Do you think you’ve been exposed to toxins or carry them in your body?
- Have you felt or heard “the cry of the earth” in your life? When and where?
- Have any miscarriages or abortions (direct or indirect) changed your life? How?
- How do you feel about plastic? Are there ways you can shift plastic culture locally?
- Which noises and sounds do you hate and/or love?
- Have sexual assaults (indirect or direct) changed or shaped your life?
- Do you have any phobias? Where do you think they might be rooted?
- Have you had a major health scare? What did you feel at that moment?
- Is there a secret job or career (silly or real) you’ve only dreamed of?
- How do you feel if/when you visit aquariums or zoos?
- Where do you see patriarchy in your life?
- What does your grief look and feel like? Who do you share it with?
- Would (or have) you reconsider(ed) having a child in today’s environmental climate?
- How does the book’s title, and cover, relate to its content?
- What new word (an emotion, idea, or situation relevant to climate crisis) would you add to the Bureau of Linguistic Reality?
- Were you raised with religion? How has that relationship shifted over time?
- Do you gather with women? What do you give/receive from those experiences and relationships?
- When have you felt included in a diverse group of people?
- Where and when do you feel most inspired about the planet’s health?
- Have you ever had a lucid dream? What question might you ask of your subconscious?
- Which scene or question in the book will stick with you?
- Do you talk with any children about climate or extinction crisis? If yes, how so
- How did this book impact you?
- If you could ask the author anything, what would it be? Ps. Don’t forget to invite Christina to your book club to ask her yourself!
SAMPLE WRITING GROUP & CRAFT QUESTIONS:
- How does the combination of personal narrative and investigative reporting impact the storytelling?
- In what ways does the book’s lyrical style enhance or challenge the emotional weight of the topics?
- How does the fragmented structure of the essays mirror the themes of motherhood and environmental collapse?
- Can you point to a specific essay where ecofeminism and personal experience are most successfully intertwined?
- Where does the book create strongest emotional connection with readers, and how/why?
- How and where does research work best to inform the emotional tone of the essays?
- How does the integration of “embodied science”—that is, incorporating feelings, bodily experiences, and personal connection to scientific subjects—enhance the work?
- What are some of the most compelling aspects of the book’s research into endangered marine species?
- How do the metaphors of water, whales, and the ocean evolve throughout the book? What role do these symbols play in illustrating the interconnectedness of all beings?
- How does the non-traditional form of the essays impact the reader’s experience?
- How do you feel about the balance between narrative storytelling and the scientific/activist aspects of the book? Are there areas where one element overwhelms the other?
- How does the tone of the essays shift throughout the book? Is there a clear progression from despair to hope, or does the tone remain more ambiguous?
- What role does the tension between grief and action play in the narrative? How does it create urgency while maintaining empathy and human connection?
- Who do you believe the primary audience is for MY OCEANS? What makes the book accessible to readers outside the environmental and feminist communities?
- How can the book’s blend of personal and political advocacy serve as a call to action for its readers? What can writers learn from this type of writing in terms of engaging with difficult topics?
- Does the book offer a sense of resolution or closure by the end? How do the last essays shape the overall message of the book?
- How do the essays conclude—do they leave readers with hope, uncertainty, or a call to action?
- If you could change one thing about the structure or the narrative flow of MY OCEANS, what would it be and why?
- Which is your favorite, and least favorite, essay, and why?
- What would you like to ask the author about the process of crafting this book? Ps. Don’t forget to invite Christina to your book club to ask her yourself!