# You’re Invited! Our GROUP LIFE June lineup is here☀️

### Join me for a Lab on the art of middling, hear from the organizer behind a cross-country community relay, and go behind the scenes of Lincoln Center’s public wedding

[Priya Parker](https://substack.com/@priyaparker)

May 31, 2026

_What people are saying about Group Life:_

_“Your work fundamentally changed how I think about human connection, purpose, and responsibility inside gatherings. Since reading The Art of Gathering back in 2018, I’ve approached every room differently. Your ideas continue to shape my work, building belonging-centered communities and gatherings across the country. Gratefully here and excited to continue learning!” — Melissa, Group Lifer_

_“Gathering fosters what we need most in the world right now: community. I’m excited to build it, and am grateful for your help.” — Shauna, Group Lifer_

[A few months ago...](#):

This month, we’re going to practice getting a group to have a great conversation without anyone even noticing how the magic happened.

### **Without further ado, our June lineup.**

### **Group Help Labs:**

**GROUP HELP Lab | The Art of Middling: How to Hold the Center of a Conversation**  
When: Wednesday, June 3, at 12 pm ET  
Where: Zoom  
You get seated in the middle of a table, and you realize it’s sort of on you to get the conversation going because of your literal seat at the table. Most of us have felt it: a group conversation that starts well and then slowly... dies. Someone goes deep on a story only they have access to. The logistics creep in. One person takes over. The energy flattens, and nobody quite knows how to revive it. In this GROUP HELP Lab, we'll dig into how to “middle.” For context, watch this _[Curb Your Enthusiasm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m5LK4FTNoo) episode_. To middle is to practice the art of holding the center of a group conversation and keeping it alive. We'll look at what kills a group conversation (the logistics spiral, the catch-up, the dominator), and we'll practice real skills for elevating it. Think of it as facilitation for the dinner (or any!) table.

### **A Live Do Lab | How to be a good conversationalist**
When: Wednesday, June 17, at 12 pm ET  
Where: Zoom  
In our June Do Lab, we’ll take the skills from THE ART OF MIDDLING and put them into practice. Our Group Life Facilitator, [Exa Kutler](https://exakutler.com/#hero), will lead us through live scenarios: What do you do when one person is dominating? How do you redirect a conversation that’s gone flat without making it awkward? How do you formulate a Magical Question in the moment, for this specific group, around this specific story? You’ll go into breakout rooms, try things out in real time, and get feedback as you go. Think of this as a gym session for conversation.

### **Substack Lives:**

**Substack Live with Garrett Bucks | THE BREAKDOWN: A Relay Across America**  
When: Monday, June 8, at 12 pm ET  
Where: Substack  
What does it look like when someone decides, seriously, to rebuild community across an entire country? [Garrett Bucks](https://thewhitepages.net/) is a dad, [writer](https://thewhitepages.net/p/seven-reasons-why-hosting-a-silly), and organizer from Montana, now living in Milwaukee, who has trained over 1,000 organizers through the Barnraisers Project. Now he’s behind the [Declarations of Interdependence Relay](https://jointherelay.org/): fifty gatherings, in fifty states, ending in Washington D.C., all connected by a set of shared commitments — and a wooden box that travels with them.

**Substack Live with Shanta Thake | THE BREAKDOWN: The Wedding at Lincoln Center**  
When: Monday, June 22, at 12 pm ET  
Where: Substack  
In this BREAKDOWN, I’ll sit down with [Shanta Thake](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/03/arts/music/lincoln-center-shanta-thake.html), Chief Artistic Officer at Lincoln Center, to go behind the scenes and into the actual choices: how they designed the ceremony, how they built a ritual from scratch.

June is going to be a good one. Come to one, come to all. I can’t wait to see you there.

As always,  
Priya