The smell of freshly brewed coffee fills the air. Laughter and chatter vibrate throughout the room as guests arrive at the morning meeting. A woman makes her way around a room filled with about 30 mingling women, greeting people and pointing them to a table filled with crafts.
She is Sylvia Sánchez, founder of the expanding book club Las Chicas de Pilsen, a group of Latinas that meet to discuss novels by Latina authors, host craft workshops and conduct community outreach. She co-founded the group in October 2024 with Jessica Schutz, who responded to Sánchez’s social media post inviting women in Pilsen to join.
Sánchez said she started the book club as a way to navigate through mental health challenges and sobriety.
“I just needed some connection,” Sánchez said.
Sánchez shared a post to the Pilsen Neighborhood Facebook asking if anyone was interested in joining her. “Before I knew it, my post had gone viral,” she added.
Schutz said the group has been magical for Latine women looking for a safe space where they can connect no matter their backgrounds.
“These are trying times and the books have been so powerful and meaningful that people came ready. They wanted to talk,” Schutz said.
Being Latina and gathering in a book club setting to discuss different topics, “is political”, said Schutz.
“We are In the beginning it was just Sánchez and one other member. Soon after, she met Schutz and Lily Valdez, another co-founder who is currently on maternity leave. Their book club sessions began at Pilsen’s Mi Corazón Cafe. Now, they mainly utilize a room in the Rudy Lozano Library.
After a few meetings, Sánchez suggested they also start organizing social outings and craft workshops to facilitate community engagement. They also hold fundraisers, such as school supply drives, to give back to the Pilsen community. After two months, Schutz said the number of people attending “exploded.”
Inés Rodríguez, a Pilsen local with a one-year-old child, was looking for a space where she could return to her hobbies and make new friends. When she came across Las Chicas de Pilsen, she said the consistency of the group stood out to her.
Rodriguez said having a group she can count on is “big when you’re trying to build that community.”
The book club has read novels like “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” by Erika Sánchez, “Latina Anti Diet” by Dalina Soto, “The Pain We Carry” by Natalie Y. Gutiérrez and “You Sound Like a White Girl” by Julissa Arce. The books are intentionally selected to cover topics such as health and culture.
The group is also planning to incorporate more books, like “Cultura and Cash” by Giovanna Gonza that they read to learn more about financial literacy.
Rodríguez also tapped into her organizational skills and has helped coordinate events for Las Chicas, including a group trip to México City taking place later this year.
“The México trip is going to be a huge opportunity because so many of us as Latinas might have a connection to an outside country, but never give ourselves the chance to explore that country,” Rodríguez said.
The group meets at least once a month. At their recent meeting, each attendee made a vision board of goals for the new year. Almost half of the attendees at the event were there for the first time.
Nicole Constante, from Chicago’s Little Italy area, was one of them. She has been following the group on Instagram for a few months.
“I wanted to meet new people and this activity sounded fun,” Constante said. She added pictures of travel and cooking to her vision board, hoping to fill 2026 with more of those activities.
Sánchez said Las Chicas de Pilsen has helped her build a support system to maintain her sobriety while also dealing with life as an “empty nester,” since her adult children have left home.
“I feel so supported without them even realizing that I’m supported,” Sánchez said.
The group plans to meet in February for a Galentine’s event.
“It’s a lifeline,” Rodríguez said. “We’ve built such a nice community.”
