The Art of Gathering

Parker defines gatherings as collective ventures that build and affirm connections between attendees. These connections are meant to help attendees work collaboratively toward a shared purpose. However, Parker urges organizers to play an active, authoritative role in planning and facilitating gatherings. Throughout The Art of Gathering Parker strives to explore this dynamic between collaborative and directorial forces in successful gatherings.

She suggests that the energy that comes from people openly sharing and bonding is best captured in an environment of spontaneity. Examples she provides throughout the book to support this point include her 15 Toasts technique, the mock cage match she coordinated for an architectural firm’s debate, and conversation games like Werewolf. In addition, forming a collaborative spirit requires taking active steps to encourage connections between people, such as talking to people outside of one’s given group of friends and acquaintances. This takes conscious effort, Parker acknowledges, and The Art of Gathering describes practical methods that can help foster this kind of open interaction, like a dinner party invitation that advises “you cannot talk to the person next to you, you can only talk to the entire table” (112). Examples of