Safe Harbor Community Book Club

In the Dream House: A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado Join us for Safe Harbor's October book club Content Warning: This book contains scenes of psychological abuse. This October, in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we’re reading Carmen Maria Machado’s In the Dream House — a powerful and inventive memoir exploring abuse within a queer relationship. Through a different narrative lens in each chapter, from haunted houses and fairy tales to memoir, Machado examines the experience of intimate partner violence and the often-overlooked realities of abuse in LGBTQ+ communities. This will be a space for thoughtful conversation about vulnerability, resilience, identity, and the ways myths about relationships can shape our understanding of abuse. We’ll also reflect on the importance of recognizing intimate partner violence in all relationships and consider how survivor stories can deepen our conversations about prevention, accountability, and support. We aim to foster a respectful, supportive environment grounded in empathy, curiosity, and community care. While admission is free, we kindly ask attendees to bring a non-perishable pantry item to donate, wish list is below. Light refreshments will be served. Pantry Wish List We can only accept items which are new, unopened, and not expired. Because of our limited storage space, we are unable to accept donations of furniture, clothing, toys, or books. And while we appreciate the sentiment, our clients do not use travel size toiletries. Full size items only, please. Thank you for your kindness! Food Items • Snacks (fruit snacks, crackers, chips, applesauce, etc.) • Pasta and pasta sauce (red and white) • Rice • Juice Boxes • Meal Boxes (Hamburger Helper, Home Bakes, Mashed Potatoes) • Peanut Butter & Jelly • Corn Masa Flour • Bags of Black/Pinto Beans • Oatmeal • Cereal • Grits • Granola Bars • Canned Meats (Tuna, Chicken,Chili, etc.) • Tuna and Chicken Salad Lunch-to-Go (Bumblebee, Starkist) • Coffee & teas • Cake mixes & icing • Sugar • Spices (salt, pepper, cinnamon, garlic, oregano, ect) • Baking powder, baking soda • Cooking oil (no glass containers) • Mustard & ketchup Personal Care (full size items only) • Multi-Cultural Hair Products (Aunt Jackie’s, Shea Moisture, etc.) • Shampoo & Conditioner • Body Wash (Sensitive) • Razors • Deodorant • Hair Bonnets & Wraps • Feminine care products (pads/tampons) Household Items • Laundry Detergent • Dish Soap • Dish Detergent • Paper Towels • Toilet Paper • Kitchen Trash Bags • Cleaning Products • Cleaning Wipes • Kitchen Wrap • First Aid Supplies • OTC Medications