📚 Philly’s growing book club scene | Morning Newsletter
And public schools defying DEI orders.
The Morning Newsletter
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Hi, Philly. Eagles fans can breathe easy for now: The NFL vote on whether to ban the Tush Push has been pushed. Feel free to celebrate by breaking out that kelly green.
Book clubs across the city are meeting with two goals: tackle their ever-growing TBR lists and build meaningful connections through books. Read on to meet the Philadelphians fostering community by talking about reading.
And as colleges have scrambled to wipe references to diversity initiatives online, public K-12 schools have been slower to respond to President Donald Trump’s threatened funding cuts. Some area school leaders say they’re not planning to bow to orders targeting DEI.
— Julie Zeglen ([email protected])
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The concept of book clubs is not new: Everyone reads the same book, then comes together to talk about it.
📚 But amid an American loneliness epidemic, groups such as Queer Books Philly and Binding Agents Cookbook Club are part of a growing local network of literary meetups aiming to shrink to-be-read piles and help members find new friends.
📚 The Binding Agents group — held at the eponymous Italian Market shop — even combines reading recipes with making them for a lively book club-slash-potluck.
📚 Such clubs can help their members find respite from a world that “feels really heavy right now,” Philaqueens POC Bookclub founder Kristin Moore said.
📚 Notable quote: “[The book club is] just a time where you’re allowing yourself to think about something else, whether it’s the book, someone else’s story, or even just the good matcha that you ordered,” Moore told The Inquirer. “You’re allowing yourself to step outside of your busy life for two hours and connect with others.”
Read reporter Hira Qureshi’s latest on how Philadelphians are finding each other IRL.
The Trump administration’s funding cuts, both threatened and real, have led colleges across the country to reconsider diversity programming and scrub mention of DEI initiatives from their websites.
Meanwhile, several school districts in the region have declined to make changes based on sometimes-vague new orders from the White House. That’s partly because they rely more on local and state dollars than federal, and partly because, for some, they aim to make a statement.
In Phoenixville, for instance, school board president Scott Overland says the district is “fighting back” with “what we’re not doing.”
In other federal funding news: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin joined Democrats in 21 other states and D.C. to sue the Trump administration over $11 billion in canceled pandemic-era contracts. Plus, a $500,000 federal grant to plant trees and weatherize homes in Hunting Park has been cut by the Department of Government Efficiency.
What you should know today
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker delivered a record-breaking Senate floor speech, protesting Trump’s actions for more than 24 hours.
U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a Republican from the Lehigh Valley, bucked his party on a measure allowing new parents in Congress to vote by proxy.
City Councilmember Jimmy Harrity this year interacted with racy social media accounts from a profile he also used to share updates on Philly government.
Three officials in Delaware County who tried to swing a mayoral election have pleaded guilty to voter fraud.
Pennsylvania’s state-run Youth Development Centers will limit use of restraints and accept oversight by an independent monitor to settle a lawsuit filed by youth advocates.
A residency challenge got a Democrat running in the May primary for Philadelphia judicial races kicked off the ballot because his wife lives in Lower Merion.
The largest labor group in Philly will not endorse a candidate for district attorney this year, a slight to progressive incumbent Larry Krasner. Plus, the DA on Monday announced a new initiative targeting quality-of-life crimes like illegal dumping.
There’s still no agreement on the Crozer Health sale, as legal fees mount and the Foundation for Delaware County provides millions more to keep the health system running.
Local car dealers are bracing for higher prices as imported auto tariffs of 25% are set to begin this week.
🧠 Trivia time
Lawn equipment companies demonstrated which battery-powered maintenance tools Tuesday in front of Philadelphia City Hall? (Hint: City Council is considering a ban of the gas-powered versions.)
A) Lawn mowers
B) String trimmers
C) Lawn stripers
D) Leaf blowers
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🪪 Rushing to get: A REAL ID before May 7.
🧹 Anticipating: This week’s return of Philly’s street sweeping program.
🍩 Trying: Baked doughnuts from the Spread Bagelry founder’s new shop.
🕳️ Applying for: The city’s free shared driveway and pothole repair program.
🍎 Considering: How special education teachers could be impacted by federal funding cuts.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Collegeville school
CELSIUS LOUNGER
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Stasia Monteiro, who solved Tuesday’s anagram: Germantown. The neighborhood’s historical society will host the towering cardboard sculptures of Philly landmarks at artist Kambel Smith’s first big local show.
Photo of the day
Enjoy your Wednesday. Thanks for starting it here.
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