On Wednesday 19th August 2026, from 7.30-9.30pm, Stroud Radical Reading Group will host a discussion of classic feminist science fiction novel “Woman on the Edge of Time” by Marge Piercy. We will meet at Borderless Books, 4 London Road, Stroud, GL5 2AG. Entry is free but please bring some cash if you can afford to donate to cover venue costs.

What would it be like to live in a classless society, oriented around ecological wisdom, community, androgyny, and respect for madness?Marge Piercy explored these ideas and more in Woman on the Edge of Time – first published in 1976. Piercy emphasises the potential future egalitarian society described, Mattapoisett, as the result of collective struggle and dependent on continued collective action. Piercy argued her novel wasn’t utopian “because it’s accessible. There’s almost nothing there […] not accessible now.”

The book is available from Borderless Books with a 10% discount. Below in our resources section you can find free text, audio and video resources. There is also more information about the books and Stroud Radical Reading Group events.

Anyone interested in the book can join us. We do our best to make the sessions welcoming to people who have not been to reading groups or similar settings like university seminars before. We recommend reading the book but you don’t need to in order to come along and listen or ask questions. You also do not need to have attended any of our previous sessions.

Content warnings (submitted by Storygraph users):

• Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Medical trauma
• Moderate: Domestic abuse, Abortion, Addiction
• Minor: Suicide, War, Racial slurs

More information about the book:

“Connie Ramos, a woman in her mid-thirties, has been declared insane. But Connie is overwhelmingly sane, merely tuned to the future, and able to communicate with the year 2137. As her doctors persuade her to agree to an operation, Connie struggles to force herself to listen to the future and its lessons for today….” (Storygraph)

About the author:

“Marge Piercy (born March 31, 1936) is an American progressive activist, feminist, and writer. Her work includes Woman on the Edge of Time; He, She and It, which won the 1993 Arthur C. Clarke Award; and Gone to Soldiers, a New York Times Best Seller and a sweeping historical novel set during World War II. Piercy’s work is rooted in her Jewish heritage, Marxist social and political activism, and feminist ideals” (from Wikipedia)

Resources

• Read the first 15 pages of the book (approximately), as a free excerpt from PenguinRandomHouse
• Listen to the first two chapters of Woman on the Edge of Time free – Google Play audio sample (embedded below)
• Watch a 90 minute interview with Marge Piercy from 2021, including her reflecting on why Woman on the Edge of Time continues to resonate today (embedded below)
• Watch Marge Piercy read her poetry – on a show with Audre Lorde doing the same – in 1976, the year Woman on the Edge of Time was published.
• Woman on the Edge of Time entry on Wikipedia

About our events

Stroud Radical Reading Group events are free to attend, though we will make a collection to cover venue hire costs – please bring some cash if you can afford it (a few pounds would be great).

We try to create a comfortable discussion space for everyone, including people who have not been part of a reading group or been to university. We do not want the sessions to feel like school – the idea is that everyone has something to contribute, even if primarily through finding the discussion texts difficult and having questions with other attendees can attempt to answer.

To ensure marginalised people feel welcome, we encourage care and thoughtful contributions that respect people’s identities and lives. We are an LGBTQ+ inclusive and anti-racist space.

Anyone is welcome to listen to the discussion, though we encourage contributions only from those who have read at least some of the book we are discussing.

About the venue

The venue for this session is Borderless Books – an independent bookshop established in February 2026. The shop is “particularly passionate about international literature, including fiction in translation, memoir, and travel writing.” It is based in central Stroud, close to the train station and bus station, with nearby stands to lock bikes (Sub Romms), and parking for cars nearby at Brunel Mall multistorey or the Parliament St car park. There is step-free access to the ground floor where we will meet. There is a toilet, air conditioning, and basic folding chairs. Please get in touch if you’d like to get more of an idea of what the sessions are like or if you have any accessibility needs.

There is an opportunity for more informal discussion after the session in the Ale House pub (around the corner) for anyone who wants to continue chatting after 9.30pm.