In July 2018, I announced the first “Data Vis Book Club”, which I organized for Datawrapper until January 2022. Two things were special about them:
The discussion was entirely written, without a video or audio call. I chose this mode because it worked well for introverts and for people who prefer to stay anonymous; native English speakers had less of an advantage than they have in calls; and the documentation of the meeting wrote itself.
And: I invited the book author(s) for each discussion. The authors would join 45min into the discussion.
I organized discussions for 14 books and 6 data vis papers, in which 17 authors joined.
To promote the book club and individual editions and to let others share their thoughts on book outside of the discussions, I created a @datavisclub account on Twitter (now X) that >7.000 people followed.
In 2023, my coworker Guillermina Sutter Schneider brought the book club back to life (join us!).
Visual Thinking for Information Design
Discussion with Colin Ware
Data Sketches
Better Data Visualizations
Discussion with Jon Schwabish
Data Visualization in Society
Discussion with Jill Walker Rettberg, Helen Kennedy & Wibke Weber
Data Feminism
Discussion with Catherine D’Ignazio & Lauren F. Klein
Data Visualisation
Discussion with Andy Kirk
Observe, Collect, Draw!
Discussion with Giorgia Lupi & Stefanie Posavec
Factfulness
Discussion with Gapminder viz/data architect Jasper Heeffer
Info We Trust
Discussion with RJ Andrews
Storytelling with Data
Discussion with Cole Knaflic
Visualization Analysis & Design
Discussion with Tamara Munzner
The Truthful Art
Discussion with Alberto Cairo
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
Nice things people have said about the book club
"Just wanted to say this was my first time joining the book club and I JUST LOVED IT! Thank you everyone! This experience was incredible."
“Such a great experience connecting with the authors and fans of this unique book that I love.”
“Great experience! It was fun reading all of the questions and answers as they popped up and to scroll up and down the screen to check out any new comments.”
“OMG! First time that I do it and I just loved it!!! I like that I can write everything I’m thinking about live and comment on other people’s ideas easily.”
-> Long review of the book club by Neil Richards
Excerpt: “The environment is friendly right from the start, and the fact that the whole event takes place entirely by text feels relaxed. No cameras or microphones creates the perfect environment for those more introverted or less comfortable with speaking in groups, and straight away you feel like Lisa is the perfect host. She has prepared the room, has everything laid out, greets new arrivals, explains the format, encourages introductions and mixing (at attendees’ own pace), and moves from one part of the event to the next at a leisurely pace when everyone is comfortable. Now I don’t go to many parties, but that sounds like a perfect party host!”
Comments