Instagram story viewer> @theunderlinedlife> Posts

Jo Almanzor

@theunderlinedlife

139

followers

3

following

Welcome to #TheUnderlinedLife
where scholarship, stories, & specialty coffee converge.
Let’s learn from each other’s ways of seeing the wor(l)d. 👀

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Discussions that start with the text and reaches out to reality is the kind that can turn the act of reading a book into a learning experience. #TheUnderlinedLife relishes in the discussions that welcome honest and raw insights—bouncing off ideas until they transform into conversations.

This is @beas_coffee_library during the Pilot Session on Uketsu’s “Strange Buildings” on her take on the wonderful way our minds can trick us, protect us, and keep us alive.

Drop a book you can’t just NOT talk about in the comment below and we just might have a session on that to bring like-minded readers in on the conversation. 👀 by @theunderlinedlife

34

0

2 months ago

Close reading is a skill that can be learned. With guidance and exercises, the ability to closely pay attention can be applied not just to texts but to the world around us. Last Saturday’s pilot session held at @pocketmakati challenged guests to see details that made sense in the text but can also be found true in the world we experience today.

Here is @hen.rikuu sharing his thoughts on the power of witnessing and being witnessed. When dealing with the genre of mystery and the unfolding of the truth, noticing details can be a helpful tool that anyone can benefit from.

Comment down below your current favorite book and we might just do our next session on that! 👀 #TheUnderlinedLife by @theunderlinedlife

16

1

2 months ago

#TheUnderlinedLife Pilot Session held at @pocketmakati last night was an inquisitive approach to what the genre of mystery and horror in Uketsu’s “Strange Buildings” can change about how we see things. It’s one of the many things a good book discussion can lead to when it is facilitated well and where people feel safe to genuinely share their thoughts. ✨

Here’s @pij.jpeg on the problem and promise of memories.

If you missed the session, we might do a rerun on a weeknight. Just drop an emoji below. 👀 by @theunderlinedlife

15

0

2 months ago

Fair Warning: The discussion is going to be better than the ending.

This session isn’t just “did you like the book?” We’re going deep on two ideas: margins (the space nobody explains in a house or in a person) and motives (why someone actually needs to hide something). We’ll talk about where the book pulls this off, where it doesn’t, and why mystery and horror have been fighting over this exact problem since Edgar Allan Poe.

You don’t need a lit degree. You just need to be someone who likes asking “okay…but why?” a little too much. Led by an actual literature professor, hosted with actual good coffee, and capped at a small group so the conversation stays real.

Seats are limited — registration details are found in the link in bio.

Comment “UNDERLINED” and we’ll send you a copy of the book for free. 👀 by @theunderlinedlife

19

0

2 months ago

If you’re the kind of person who enjoys reading floor plans, or rearranges furniture in your head before you’ve even seen the space, or has opinions about why a hallway feels like it’s in the wrong place, then we need to talk about this book.

“Strange Buildings” turns architecture into an entire crime scene. Every clue lives in the shape of a room. The whole novel is basically asking what a space confesses about the person who designed it.

It’s a genuinely interesting formal experiment using diagrams as the primary evidence instead of description, and it opens up a real discussion about how form and structure carry meaning.

Whether you’re a writer, a designer, an architect, or just someone who likes taking things apart to see how things work, bring your opinions. We’re open to arguing about whether the ending earns its own premise.

📍 @pocketmakati
🗓️ Aug 12 (Wed) and a rerun on Aug 15 (Sat)
Register through the link in bio

👀 Comment “UNDERLINED” and we’ll send you a copy of the book for free. by @theunderlinedlife

13

2

3 months ago

The pilot session of #TheUnderlinedLife is on a book that’s basically a true-crime case file made of floor plans, eleven strange buildings, one writer collecting reader-submitted horror stories, and an architect who reads blueprints the way detectives read alibis.

If you’ve never finished a novel in your life but you’ve spent an unreasonable amount of time on true crime shows, heist documentaries, or unsolved-mystery spirals at 1am, this is for you.

No prior reading experience required other than Uketsu’s “Strange Buildings”. No fear of “not getting it” or finding the text likable. Just come curious.

Register through the link in bio.
Get a copy of the book for free by commenting “UNDERLINED” below. 👀 by @theunderlinedlife

10

1

3 months ago

Green flags only, no notes:
✅ Led by an actual literature professor
✅ Hosted at an actual cafe
✅ 2 drinks included in your ticket or a drink and pastry for those who love pairings
✅ Capped small group, so you’re not one of 40 people nodding along
✅ ₱1,500 instead of ₱1,800 because it’s the pilot and you’re getting in early

If your current book club is a group chat that says “let’s finally start” every month and never does, this is the upgrade.

#TheUnderlinedLife is part reading habit, part therapy, and part really good coffee. Bring a curious mind and we’ll bring the discussion questions.

Pilot seats are capped on purpose. This isn’t a “come whenever” kind of thing. Pull up. Tap the link in bio to lock your seat at the pilot price before it goes back up. Comment “UNDERLINED” and we’ll send you a copy of the book for free so you can read before the session launches. by @theunderlinedlife

23

0

3 months ago

One of the biggest goals of #TheUnderlinedLife is to launch a series called “The Non-Reader Starter Kit”, where a list of readings are curated to ensure that anyone who’s ever wanted to experience the feeling of finishing reading a book can finally meet that goal. Those who are interested in the series can take this first book as a starter—to honestly assess which parts of the text encouraged or discouraged them to finish it. Yes, that means you’re not required to actually like the reading. You’re encouraged to think about what makes a reading material difficult and be open to discussing it, in the hopes of overcoming it.

Join the conversation and register through the link in bio. See you @pocketmakati on August 12 or 15! 👀

PS. If you want a copy of Uketsu’s “Strange Buildings” so you can join the session, comment UNDERLINED below and we’ll send you one for free. by @theunderlinedlife

37

0

3 months ago

You used to be that “accomplished my XX reading goals this year” person. But then work happened. Group chats replaced your time for reading. The stack on your nightstand became a very expensive coaster.

No judgment—this happens to the best of us. But here’s the sign to dust off those reading muscles and without the guilt trip.

#TheUnderlinedLife is a small, curated book club led by an actual literature teacher from a university (not a vibes-based booktok influencer), hosted in a creatives-centered cafe, over actual good coffee.

No pressure to have “smart” takes. No homework beyond the book. Just people who also miss thinking about something other than Slack.

This is the Pilot Session, which means: tiny groups, first dibs, and you get to say “I started my return to reading with this text and in this moment. I was there.”

📖 Uketsu’s “Strange Buildings”
📍 @pocketmakati
🗓️ A weeknight, August 12 (Wed), and a weekend rerun, August 15 (Sat); both at 7PM
🎟️ ₱1,500 (*refundable for those who miss the extra push; details in the form)

Slots are genuinely limited. No marketing scarcity here as the space can only comfortably seat 10 people.

Ready to remember what it felt like to actually finish a book? Tap the LINK IN BIO. Need a copy of the first text? Comment UNDERLINED below and we’ll get you one on the house. 👀 by @theunderlinedlife

27

0

3 months ago

One of the hardest parts about adulting is having to develop and learn things by yourself. This is why many habit-forming activities offer the presence of a coach, mentor, or trainer. In #TheUnderlinedLife’s case, reading (and thinking!) is treated as habit (as it is!) and offers you the presence and patience of someone who will push you, reinforce you, and challenge you to meet your own personal goals of honing your abilities.

Former students know how quizzes look and feel like so the refund is the closest to a discount that the host can offer them. Yes, reading tests help create an environment where attendees can feel a healthy amount of pressure to get them to actually take their own progress seriously, while sessions are done in casual, comfortable spaces. Food and drinks are also part of the fee to ensure that we have the space all to ourselves.

Link will be up last week of July and the pilot session will launch in August!

PS. Do you think you’ll perfect the pilot session’s quiz?👀 by @theunderlinedlife

9

0

3 months ago

Who is Jo? #TheUnderlinedLife is curated and facilitated by an actual literature teacher whose methods might be unconventional for the typical classroom but are vouched for by former students. This means that sessions are to be led not just by a fellow bookworm but also one who understands how it is to design a reading list that gives attendees an opportunity to track their own progress and assess their own learning as readers and thinkers. There’ll be activities, positive reinforcements (or negative ones if you see it that way), and genuine discourse. What’s important is that there’s someone willing to journey with you through a learning experience and is patient enough to push you where you can still find growth. 👀 by @theunderlinedlife

14

2

3 months ago

This idea took years of experience and planning. From actually teaching in higher education institutions to casually translating concepts to everyday conversations in cafe settings, #TheUnderlinedLife is a book club that aims to help people develop the habit of reading. Sessions range to excite bookworms but also to offer training people who have never finished a book to finally learn the skill of reading well. In a few weeks’ time, registration will open and sessions await. So stay tuned and also invite even your non-reader friends who are curious about developing the habit of reading to follow this account! 👀 by @theunderlinedlife

18

0

3 months ago