Art of Gathering Book Club
Have you ever had a meeting go poorly? Completely missed the mark on a gathering? Are you a better host or a better guest? What makes things work or not work?
These are some of the questions our Hey Neighbor book discussion group explored on April 9th when we met to talk about The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker.
In her book about how we meet and why it matters, Parker explores the elements that make gatherings succeed and the ways they can fail if we aren’t conscious of our role as hosts. She writes about the power of deciding why you are really meeting, how to choose whom to invite, how to be generous with your authority as a host, how to handle logistics, the joy of creating an alternate world, and the importance of ending well. For most of us who decided to read this book together, there were plenty of valuable takeaways, no matter how often we lead meetings or host parties. We enjoyed bringing our own experiences to the table and sharing some of the lessons we’ve learned from our own gatherings. It was a lovely exploration of some of the most successful shindigs in our neighborhoods, as well as reflections on what makes it difficult to bring people together these days.
If you are interested in more of Parker’s suggestions for gathering with intention you can download her New Rules Gathering Guide for free from her website. The 22-page guide includes five rules to help you rethink your next get-together, suggestions from her book, and planning prompts to help you think through all the important details.
We ended our evening interested in reading together again, talking about dreamy gatherings like progressive dinner parties and secret picnic societies, and thankful for the time to gather in a beautiful community space to talk about connection. Many thanks to Kangaroo Coffee and their team at the Hillside Coffee House for the space and hospitality. Keep your eyes peeled for notice of a fall book discussion, and email Heather@heyneighbors.org if this is something that you want to be involved with or if you have a suggestion for the next read.
