The Lynx Books kicked off its second annual Gainesville Reads series on Sep. 1.
The month-long event features dozens of activities, all centered around a chosen text. Over 20 nonprofits helped coordinate the series.
This year, the downtown Gainesville bookstore chose “We’re Alone,” a collection of essays by MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient Edwidge Danticat. The Haitian author published her book in September 2024, and it touches on topics of environmentalism, motherhood and establishing one’s identity.
Gainesville Reads’s first event of the month was an outdoor party at Depot Park. The event featured Haitian musician “Haiti Will Not Perish” and free food from Curia on the Drag. Spirits ran high as live Haitian music played and parkgoers danced along. Children excitedly ran toward someone dressed as The Lynx mascot, and attendees enjoyed vegan pastries.
While Gainesville Reads celebrates the work of a selected text, to co-founder Lauren Groff, it is more so about building community. More specifically, a community resisting marginalization, she said.
“We opened The Lynx because we felt the tide of authoritarianism coming in big and heavy and strong. It was a tsunami, we could feel it, we knew it was happening.” Groff said. “The only way we knew to combat the authoritarianism is to bring people together, because this is how we form resilience, this is how we form a community.”
Groff said she hopes that by bringing light to this award-winning author, and hosting events where discussion is encouraged, Gainesville can grow closer together.
“I just honestly want us to have a big party that's fodder for intellectual stimulation,” Groff said.
For 28-year-old event lead Grant Huchingson, The Lynx, and the broader Gainesville community, has been a refuge.
“Gainesville saved me from my hometown,” he said. “It was a very small town where I just didn’t really feel like I could be myself, so Gainesville was very much like a safe landing spot for me.”
Viv Schnabel, a 25-year-old event coordinator, said Gainesville Reads is the perfect way to reinstill hope throughout the community.
“Hopefully it will give people a sense of hope, just the fact of discussing it with other people and feeling less alone,” Schnabel said.
The Lynx will host Gainesville Reads events through the rest of September. This includes a community mural painting, a free concert from Dr. Panayotis League, and a book signing with Danticat herself. There is a full list of the events on The Lynx’s website.
Contact Christopher Rodriguez at crodriguez@alligator.org. Follow him on X @ChrisRodri29386
