Can you believe it’s August? My family and I have been savoring summer. I read Megha Majumdar’s A Guardian and A Thief, which I could not recommend more. I watched the World Cup final with a Brazilian friend heavily rooting for Spain. Anand and I saw the dazzling Kerry Washington in a piercing revival of Whoopi Goldberg’s The Whoopi Monologues, which felt as fresh and relevant as ever 40 years later. I read Lena Dunham’s Famesick, and remembered why she really is a voice of a generation. I jumped into multiple bodies of water. I watched my kids on a Slip ‘N Slide (I did not join). I played rounds of my current favorite game, Priorities. I made BLTs with my kids. I picked up my flute and jammed with my son. And I finished, for the third time, reading the mesmerizing final draft of my husband’s brilliant new book (not out yet but can finally pre-order!), Man in the Mirror.
I also recorded my audiobook, which, though that may not sound like slowing down, hear me out. Every day I drove to this little cottage in Upstate New York, where a delightful and beloved audio engineer named Robert helped me into a glass-box studio, where I got to hear my words aloud rather than just on the page. We’d take lunch breaks, sit in the garden, and talk about life. (He let me rest my voice and told me the secrets of a perfect PB&J sandwich. Hint: it involves Teddie’s All Natural Super Chunky Peanut Butter and potato bread.)
And I tucked in with my friends and family and rested, so that I could begin to prepare for the launch of The Art of Fighting. A launch is a weird thing. But at its core, it’s actually many, many, many people choosing to spend their headspace and talents and love helping you get an idea out into the world. Like most things worth doing, it’s basically organizing and gathering and organizing and gathering. And tomorrow, we have a fun book launch-related announcement about how we can meet IRL, so keep your eyes peeled. 👀
This GROUP HELP Lab is for paid subscribers (aka GROUP LIFERS). If you want to join us (and please do!), become a GROUP LIFER here. It’s the price of a sandwich per month, and my accessible offering to individuals.
Note: We’re only doing one lab this month because of summer travel. I hope you enjoy your time off.
GROUP HELP Lab | Intro to Healthy Heat: Learning to Fight Well WITH PRIYA PARKER
When: Wednesday, August 19 at pm ET
Where: Zoom
The communities and groups that last aren’t the ones that never fight; they’re the ones that fight well. In my new book, The Art of Fighting, I call this ability “healthy heat.” And for the first time, I’m teaching this core concept in a workshop. Healthy heat is the ability to hold relevant, tense conversations with care long enough to be generative and clarifying. In many groups and organizations, when conflict rises, we oscillate between avoidance and burning the house down. However, the groups that grow and thrive (and, frankly, last) are the ones that allow healthy heat. This month, we’ll unpack the components of healthy heat and practice how to recognize it in yourself, your relationships, and your teams.
These labs take place on Zoom. RSVP above. We’ll email the Zoom link to paid subscribers the day before. On the day of the session, click on the Zoom link to join—no additional registration required. If you arrive early, you’ll enter the waiting room, and we’ll begin at 12 pm ET. You’re welcome to join or leave at any point during the hour. If you can’t attend live, we’ll send the replay to all Group Lifers the following Sunday. You can become a GROUP LIFER here.
These LIVE conversations are free and open to all!! The replays, however, are a benefit of a paid subscription. Thank you for supporting this work and our team. You can become a GROUP LIFER here.
Good Things x The Art of Gathering with Samin Nosrat
When: Monday, August 17 at 12 pm ET
Where: Substack
Y’all, if you don’t know the work of Samin Nosrat, you’re in for a massive treat. Her book, Salt Fat Acid Heat, is a staple in our home. And she’s now out with her new Good Things Cookbook Club Kit. Come hang out with us as we dive into her work (hint: it’s about food as a medium to connection). We’ll get into her Monday dinners, a weekly meal that turned into a ritual, then a community, then one of the most meaningful parts of her life. And how something as ordinary as a weekly dinner can become sacred just by showing up for it again and again, and how simple it is to create that kind of community through repetition.
The Breakdown: Hosting The World Cup in NYC, with Ellyn Canfield, Executive Director of NYC World Cup Operations, and Maryam Mudrick, Director of NYC World Cup Activations
When: Tuesday, August 25, 12 pm ET
Where: Substack
What does it take for a city to be a great host? In this conversation, the NYC World Cup team (as in the actual city officials within the mayor’s office!!) shares how they thought beyond the stadium and built a playbook that empowered neighborhoods, businesses, cultural institutions, and community organizations to participate in authentic and far-reaching ways. From citywide branding and transit campaigns to free watch parties, affordable tickets, 24/7 soccer fields, and a very popular jersey, we’ll explore how they helped transform a global sporting event into a hometown celebration.
To join, click the link above to add the event to your calendar. On Tuesday at 12 pm ET, when it begins, Substack will also send an email with a button to join. It will take you directly to the live video on Substack, either in the Substack app or in your web browser. If you can’t find the email, go to priyaparker.substack.com at 12 pm ET, and you’ll see the video streaming at the top of the page. If you miss it, we’ll email the replay to all Group Lifers after the conversation. You can become a GROUP LIFER here.
What a lineup! I’m so thrilled to get to do this with y’all.
As always,
Priya
P.S. And look out for a big announcement tomorrow, Monday, Aug 3rd at noon EST. 📣
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