Some members of CFUW Brantford may know Erin Byron from her years of operating Welkin Wellness Yoga Studio in Brantford,
or from her books related to yoga therapy. Erin is a registered psychotherapist who, over twenty years, has helped many
clinicians, business professionals and others enhance their personal health and wellness, and improve their corporate cultures.
Erin will explore the building blocks of wellness and, through a variety of activities and science-backed data, will give us some
tools to feel less stressed, be more present in our lives, and enjoy a greater sense of well-being. Erin’s three books: Yoga for the
Creative Soul ($20), Safety in the Body ($20), and Yoga Therapy for Arthritis ($30), will be available for purchase at our general
meeting on September 24. (Please arrive early if you are planning to purchase a book as books will be available during the
social period from 6:30 to 7:00.)
Colette W for the CFUW Brantford Program Committee
All posts by MJS
The bookaholics are at it again!
The Monday afternoon book club met again and as usual, we read a TON of good books. Norah presented Patriot by Alexei Navalny (fairly interesting and detailed but overlong and wordy) and posed for this pic.
Other books read and highly recommended:
Closed Doors by Lisa O’Donnell, Tartufo by Kira Jane Buxton, Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, This Will Be Difficult to Explain and Other Stories by Johanna Skibsrud, The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis, She Didn’t See It coming by Robyn Harding, Anatomy of a Con Artist: The 14 Red Flags to Spot Scammers, Grifters, and Thieves by Johnathan Walton and Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris.
Walking with a friend!
We had spectacular weather for walking today: no humidity, no mosquitoes, nice shade and great conversations. Plus we made a new friend. Here they are, hitch-hiking on Wendy B’s hat!
books, books, books!
There were just five of us at our most recent book group gathering, but all-tolled, we discussed about a dozen books! Here’s a pic of the hardcopy books:
But we also talked about these:
Heat walking
Janet K’s spectacular white pelican photos
These American White Pelicans were photographed by CFUW Brantford member Janet K some 2 kms downstream from Wilkes Dam on June 26th.
June 2025 Newsletter
Nobody tells us what to read!
There are many different kinds of book clubs out there, but for our group, we are eclectic in our tastes and we generally each bring more than one book to talk about. We begin with lunch, then each participant gets about 7 minutes to talk about either one book or several. If there’s enough time at the end, those who still have more to talk about can continue.
We read a LOT of books this past month, but these were our favourites: Sophie Kinsella: What Does it Feel Like; Janelle Brown: Watch Me Disappear; Joyce Carol Oates: Fox; Alice Feeny: Beautiful Ugly; Scott Young: Gordon Sinclair, A Life and then Some; Marcus Rediker: Freedom Ship; Janelle Brown: What Kind of Paradise; SJ Bennet: Windsor Knot; Emma Knight: The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus.
May Banquet
On May 28, CFUW Brantford celebrated its 80th anniversary with a bang. Our speaker for the evening, journalist Liz Renzetti, stirred the feminist roots of the organization with her talk about the current situation of women in society, reminding us that the fight for women’s equality must be ongoing. Liz talked about the backlash that women’s success in the workplace, in leadership roles and in other male-dominated fields has brought about. Led by authoritarian governments, including the Trump administration, women’s rights are being reversed and misogyny has increased especially in younger men. Violence against women and girls continues to increase. Women in the audience asked many thoughtful questions which Liz answered skillfully. Thanks go to Liz Renzetti for a thoughtful and rousing talk which we will long remember.
Colette W, for the Program Committee