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Nearly all of my most fulfilling and exciting experiences, those that have made me feel part of a community or moment, have happened in person. I think the feeling of being surrounded by likeminded people is unparalleled.

Physical affordances are things like stairs and handles and benches. Conversational affordances are things like digressions and confessions and bold claims that beg for a rejoinder. Talking to another person is like rock climbing, except you are my rock wall and I am yours. If you reach up, I can grab onto your hand, and we can both hoist ourselves... See more

Some people like to know exactly what they’re getting themselves into when trying something new. And some people would rather not know, for fear of crippling anticipatory dread. Don’t assume! While your inclination might be to detail exactly what is to come in order to make people more comfortable, consider how you might create tiers of information... See more

the depth of a conversation depends on how deeply seen you feel, not on the topic of conversation

The trick is to surround yourself with people who are free in ways you’re not. In other words, don’t surround yourself with smarter people. Surround yourself with differently free people.

When I host, plan, or participate in intellectual gatherings, my purpose is always this: I want to escape the condemnation of Margo Roth Spiegelman. I want to talk about “anything that matters.”