The Independent Picture House is excited to start a brand new Book Club! Join the IPH community in a common read, discussion, and screening to look at the ways literature can make an impact on page and screen. This very first IPH Book Club will look at Sam Greenlee’s satire The Spook Who Sat By The Door along with a screening of Ivan Dixon’s 1973 adaptation.

The discussion will take place on Friday, April 24 at 5pm. The IPH Book Club Discussion is free to attend, but registration is required. The discussion will include Natiki Pressley and Doris Nomathandé Dixon.

A classic in the black literary tradition, The Spook Who Sat by the Door is both a satire on the civil rights problems in the United States in the late 1960s and a serious attempt to focus on the issue of Black militancy.  Dan Freeman, the “spook who sat by the door,” is enlisted in the CIA’s elitist espionage program. Upon mastering agency tactics, however, he drops out to train young Chicago Blacks as “Freedom Fighters” in this explosive, award-winning novel.

As a story of one man’s reaction to ruling-class hypocrisy, the book is autobiographical and personal. As a tale of a man’s reaction to oppression, it is universal.

Sam Greenlee (1930–2014) was a highly acclaimed, internationally recognized poet, novelist, playwright, screenwriter, producer, director, actor, and teacher. He was named Chicago’s Poet Laureate and brought a global perspective to his work, shaped by his service in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Information Agency Foreign Service. In addition to The Spook Who Sat by the Door, he wrote Baghdad Blues and three distinguished poetry collections, leaving an enduring imprint on American literature and political thought.

Natiki Hope Pressley is a visionary leader whose work bridges education, media, and cultural legacy. She began her academic journey at Howard University and earned her MBA from Alliance University. With more than 20 years of experience in education, finance, and public relations, she designs and leads transformative initiatives that empower underserved communities. As the founder of SGJ Legacy, she honors the legacy of her father, Sam Greenlee Jr., while elevating marginalized voices through storytelling and innovation, guided by a deep commitment to faith, purpose, and justice.

Doris Nomathandé Dixon, daughter of director Ivan Dixon, is a recently retired banking executive who began her career in the film and television industry. She continues to engage with film projects on occasion and directed the documentary Lincoln Academy: A Retrospective 1948–1950, an homage to the Black boarding school her father attended in North Carolina. She is currently honored to have dedicated her efforts to preserving and now sharing the striking restoration of her father’s 1973 film classic, The Spook Who Sat by the Door.

Natiki Hope Pressley will be signing copies at this event. Purchase a copy here.

After the discussion, join us for a screening of THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR (1973) on Saturday, April 25 at 5pm; which will include a post-screening discussion. Learn more here.