My Body, My Book Club

BODILY AUTONOMY: UNITING THROUGH BOOKS

In collaboration with The Vavengers

About the Book Club

My Body, My Book Club aims to connect people and create communities. We read fiction books (with the odd memoir here and there too) that deal with different aspects of how we understand bodily autonomy and exemplify how we can get involved and support each other.

Issues such as gender-based violence, racism, homelessness, displacement, abortion, obstetric violence, and the rights of marginalised communities, like the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ groups, are just some of the topics we cover.

All opinions expressed during book club meetings are those of individuals and do not necessarily reflect those of My Body, My Book Club or the charities it supports.

Book Club Guidelines

How it Works

We know this is heavy stuff, but the book club hopes to foster empathy as well as raise awareness and question established narratives. Our main goal is to connect communities. So, for each session, we partner with a charity working with the subject we will be reading about in the novel, and we invite an expert on the topic to join our chat. (Also, all proceeds from the sale of tickets will be donated to the month’s charity.)

Too Busy to Read the Book?

We understand that people are busy and life happens – so please do join us even if you don’t manage to finish the book in time. We will also always provide other ways in which you can get involved and learn more about the subject in the "Next Book" section, whether it’s through a video or a blog post.

About the Host

Dr Julia Martins is a historian of the body, an activist, and an unapologetic bookworm. She is an Activism Outreach Supporter with The Vavengers, a member of the Charity Committee of the FGM Education Project, and an editor at the Feminist Perspectives Collective.

She writes about gender history and history of medicine, and how history can inform contemporary feminism.

You can check out her YouTube channel Living History and her website, and follow her on TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram.

My Body, My Book Club was launched as part of her involvement in the Abortion Rights UK Activist Bootcamp.

Next book

The Song of the Whole Wide World: On Grief, Motherhood and Poetry by Tamarin Norwood

An extraordinary memoir of anticipatory grief, seventy-two minutes of life and a silent maternity leave, from artist and academic Tamarin Norwood.

A few months into pregnancy, Tamarin Norwood learned that the baby she was carrying would not live. Over the sleepless weeks that followed, Tamarin, her husband and their three-year-old son tried to navigate the unfamiliar waters of anticipatory sorrow and to prepare for what was to come.

Written partly during pregnancy and partly during the silent maternity leave that followed, The Song of the Whole Wide World is an emergency response to grief held somewhere between the womb, the grave and the many stories that bind them: stories drawn from medical science, poetry, liturgy, vivid waking dreams of underwater life, and knowledge held deep within the body.

This profoundly moving and intimate account offers a lyrical and fearless meditation on birth, death, and the possibilities of consolation.

We encourage everyone to borrow books from their local library, but if you plan on buying a copy, please do so through here. Use code MYBODY10 for 10% off exclusively offered for our book club.

In February, we're featuring Held in Our Hearts, a charity providing compassionate support for bereaved families who have experienced the loss of a baby.

About our Guest

Dr Tamarin Norwood is a writer, artist, and researcher whose work explores themes of grief, parenthood, and loss. Her practice spans creative writing, visual art, and academic research, often focusing on baby loss and the complexities of early parenthood. She leads workshops and projects that support bereaved families, fostering spaces for reflection, connection, and creative expression. Through her work, she is dedicated to amplifying voices of love, loss, and resilience while raising awareness about the often-hidden experiences of baby loss.

Held in Our Hearts is a UK-based charity providing compassionate, specialist support to families who have experienced the loss of a baby. They focus on offering counselling, group support, and remembrance services to help families navigate their grief. Their initiatives include tailored care, training for healthcare professionals, and raising awareness about baby loss, all aimed at fostering understanding and healing.