Brews, books and jokes at Bryant Lake
Bryant Lake Bowl's Books and Bars reinvents the modern day book club.

Published: 07/07/2010
By Raghav Mehta
Minnesota Daily

Ah, book clubs. The mere thought of them makes one shudder and the mind reel with images of stay-at-home moms sitting at Perkins “discussing” Oprah’s pick of the month over coffee and pecan pie. Sadly, these days book clubs are a dying literary practice and tend to inspire more jeers than newcomers.

But Jeff Kamin’s Books and Bars offers a much-needed remedy. By blending improvisational comedy, literary analysis and alcohol, Books and Bars redefines the modern-day book club by inviting readers to a more open and relaxed environment. It’s one free of all the formality and obligatory pretense — and the

Surlys are righteously priced at $2.

Co-sponsored by Magers and Quinn Booksellers and The Onion , Books and Bars takes place the second Tuesday of every month at Bryant Lake Bowl theater, making it the largest and loosest book club in the Twin Cities.

While Kamin puts plenty of time in researching the book and author before meetings, he said that he acts more as a moderator than anything else.

“I come with papers. I’m ready with a notebook full of stuff, but oftentimes it goes where the audience wants it to go,” Kamin said. “So therein lies the improv of it, because I have no idea what the 90-plus people that show up are going to say, which I love.”
The full story here.http://www.mndaily.com/2010/07/07/brews-books-and-jokes-bryant-lake