Sapphic Book Club San Diego: A Queer Literary Haven
By Joslyn Hatfield
Sapphic Book Club San Diego is more than a group for book lovers—it’s an inclusive community for those who enjoy media centering queer women, non-binary and trans characters, and written by authors who share those identities. Designed by co-founders Jess Levasseur (she/her) and Ashley Nielsen (she/her) as an introvert-friendly space, the club fosters meaningful connections among queer individuals of marginalized gender identities. Head ambassador Morgan Phillips (she/her) helps create a welcoming atmosphere that embraces both introverts and extroverts alike. We caught up with Jess Levasseur for the rundown on all things Sapphic Book Club San Diego.
The group formed in 2022 with a modest but dedicated community of 25 community members. “It started with a small group of friends who kept reading and chatting about the same sapphic books,” she said. “We hypothesized that other people might be interested in joining a book club centered around queer stories and authors, so one night we decided to go for it, and the Sapphic Book Club Instagram was born!
The hypothesis was correct and the group routinely attracts 100+ people at their monthly in-person events. Growth has been organic, primarily through word-of-mouth, and feedback from the community indicates that 99.8% of attendees felt safe and included in the space. The growth and engagement was surprising to organizers, but eventually led them to explore additional ways to build community.
“We’ve begun to branch out into some other community events, and hope to build capacity for hosting other types of events that our community has been asking for such as singles events, game nights, etc.,” said Levasseur. “We knew people would be interested, but we didn’t expect to be hosting events with 100+ people on a monthly basis.”
The importance of dedicated spaces created by and for queer women, trans and non-binary identities cannot be overstated. “There aren’t many events for sapphics (in general), but particularly in spaces that don’t center alcohol or sports—we love our sports gays, but kickball isn’t for everyone,” she said. “We also don’t have many spaces that are designed to foster connection in ways that are supportive of people who are more introverted or anxious.”
Finding spaces that center the experiences and stories of sapphics remains a persistent challenge in community and the founders have embraced the significance of their work. “We love that our group centers the stories of other sapphics—it’s the representation that many of us didn’t experience growing up and it validates that our stories are real and important,” said Levasseur. Sapphics seeking a welcoming space to gather monthly can connect with Sapphic Book Club San Diego on Instagram @sapphicbookclubsd, on Discord (Sapphic Book Club San Diego) or via email at sapphicbookclubsd@gmail.com.
2025 Books & Gatherings*
January 22 – The Selected Works of Audre Lorde
(follow on Instagram to RSVP and learn the location)
February 26 – Book TBD
(follow on Instagram to vote)
March 26 – Book TBD
(follow on Instagram to vote)
How It How it Works:
- Community submits book suggestions via Instagram
- Instagram audience votes on three options (winning book is selected for the next available month)
- Community can choose to read the book or not
- Attend the monthly event and join the book club discussion group that talks about the book, or in a group that does not discuss the book
- Participate in the full group “introverted ice breaker” and some quick announcements to make sure everyone knows what to do
There are two group rotations (20 min. each) allowing attendees to meet several new people. At the end, it opens up to non-structured social conversation and the next book is announced.
*Books are announced quarterly