YOU’RE INVITED: Our February GROUP LIFE Lineup ✨

This month’s GROUP HELP Sessions + Substack LIVES with theater directors and mahjong aficionados

I’m watching Minneapolis with hope and heartbreak. I shared a story on Instagram from a pastor in Minneapolis describing a tiny moment in a protest where – tensions rising, air thick with anger and grief – two women quietly walking around offering cups of herbal tea to people. It’s been powerful to see the singing and public art and collective sledding and dancing and all the ways Minneapolitans are modeling through their gathering a different way to be.

This month, for our February GROUP LIFE lineup, we’ll be going behind the scenes of powerful community rituals, breaking down the art of civic gathering, and learning from some of our most effective gatherers — introverts.

Without further ado, our February lineup.

GROUP HELP Sessions

These GROUP HELP Sessions are for paid subscribers (aka GROUP LIFERS). If you want to join us (and please do!), become a GROUP LIFER here.

GROUP HELP Sessions are my bi-weekly live workshops where we spend an hour sharpening one essential skill of group life. It’s my way of sharing the tools I usually teach inside organizations with anyone looking to deepen their gathering, hosting, and facilitation skills.

GROUP HELP Session | The Art of Civic Gathering

When: Wednesday, February 4 at 12pm ET

Where: Zoom

I keep hearing the same refrain again and again: I want to do something, but I don’t know where to start. In this session, we’ll focus on civic care and action through gathering. How do you design spaces where people can show up, feel oriented, and move from concern to action? What does it look like to gather in ways that are grounded, generous, and sustainable? This webinar is for anyone feeling the pull to respond to the world with others, but wanting clearer footing.

GROUP HELP Session | The Introvert’s Guide to Hosting Meaningful Gatherings

When: Wednesday, February 18 at 12pm ET

Where: Zoom

When I was conducting research for The Art of Gathering, I was surprised by how many spectacular hosts told me they were introverts. That they prefer to stay out of the spotlight, have a lower social battery, are often “on the outside of things.” I was curious why so many people who hosted gatherings others adored seemed to identify as introverts. I asked one, and she said to me: “I’m so uncomfortable at most gatherings I go to. So I create the gatherings I wish existed in the world. And others seem to like them, too.” In this session, I’ll teach what I call the shy host’s guide to designing for everyone (and why your social overwhelm may just be your superpower).

To join these GROUP HELP Sessions, make sure you’re a paid subscriber (aka GROUP LIFER). RSVP to each of the calendar invites above. We’ll send the Zoom link to join to all GROUP LIFERS on the morning of the webinars.

---

Substack Lives

These live conversations are free and open to ALL subscribers.

The replays will be available only to paid subscribers. Thank you for supporting this work. You can become a GROUP LIFER here.

Substack Live | THE BREAKDOWN: Theater of War with Bryan Doerries

When: Thursday, February 5 at 12pm ET

Where: Substack* (Instructions below on how to access these for newbies!)

For our special series THE BREAKDOWN, I’m thrilled to be joined by Bryan Doerries, the creator of Theater of War, one of the most affecting, and power civic grief rituals I know of This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from someone who has spent decades designing civic gatherings that meet people in moments of moral and emotional reckoning. We’ll talk about how Theater of War works, how it has evolved, and what it takes to sustain a gathering that people continue to return to. I’ll be sharing more about Theater of War on Substack this week, so stay tuned.

Substack Live | THE BREAKDOWN: How mahjong is taking a unique civic role in the US and how you might start your own group with Veronica Chan and Evan Toretto Li

When: Wednesday, February 19 at 12pm ET

Where: Substack* (Instructions below on how to access these for newbies!)

I noticed that one of my favorite local Chinese restaurants had started hosting mahjong on Sunday dumplings for regulars. I commented that this was a brilliant use of their space, and that they were activating their beautiful restaurant, Nin Hao, in a really smart way. It turns out that owner, Evan Toretto Li, partnered up with Veronica Chan, a Brooklyn-based host and teacher behind Soft Side Social Club, to launch and teach mahjong. Join me for a BREAKDOWN with Veronica and Evan of how mahjong afternoons at his restaurant have become a repeatable community ritual. What started as a one-off experiment that drew twenty-six people on a Friday afternoon to Nin Hao, has grown into something people wanted to return to, and then recreate themselves. I’ll break down how this works and translate the choices Veronica and Evan have made into practical moves you can use, whether you want to learn mahjong, host a similar ritual, or are a small business thinking about using your space to bring in group life.

*To join any of these Substack Lives, add them to your calendar using the links above. Make sure you’re subscribed to GROUP LIFE so Substack can email you the link when we go live on the day of. If the email doesn’t show up, just head to priyaparker.substack.com and the video will be playing on Group Life. Click on the video to join us.

---

Winter months can be hard, and it can feel easier to retreat. My hope is that these webinars and live conversations spark something in you to step back into your community and host the kind of gathering you’d actually want to attend. These sessions are a place to practice, ask questions, get inspiration, and learn from one another along the way.

I can’t wait to be with you all this month.

As always,

Priya