About this episode
My motivation for this episode is personal. One of my resolutions this year is to spend more time hosting and to make those gatherings more meaningful.I think a lot of us wish we had better social lives and a stronger feeling of community around us. But it’s hard. We’re busy, we’re tired, and social planning and hosting can feel like just more work. So I asked Priya Parker on the show to help.Parker is the author of “The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters” and a wonderful Substack, Group Life. She’s also a conflict resolution facilitator. And she just thinks about gathering and hosting in a different way from anyone else I’ve ever met. For her, it’s about more than just throwing a great dinner party; it’s about how we build community across differences, all the way up to how gathering can help create a better politics. The way Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign thought about community and built community among its volunteers was partly based on her work and advice.This episode is a bit of a break from politics — but also not. Because pulling the people we love closer and spending more time together rather than alone are as essential as any political or civic discipline could be right now.This conversation contains strong language.Mentioned:In Defense of Politics by Bernard CrickI And Thou by Martin BuberThe Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai“Adorable Little Detonators” by Allison P. Davis“The Accused” by Katie J.M. Baker“The Black Thought Project” by Alicia Walters“Zohran’s Smile” by Anand GiridharadasBook Recommendations:The Politics of Ritual by Molly FarnethOn Repentance and Repair by Danya Ruttenberg
