Philly Book Launch Party/Potluck: LIVING, TOGETHER by Samantha Paige Rosen
About this Event
Overview
Join the Philadelphia Ethical Society, H&H Books, Samantha Paige Rosen, Rhaina Cohen, Alex Alberto, and your favorite Philly organizations for an evening of ideas, community, and food to launch the anthology LIVING, TOGETHER: REIMAGINING COMMUNITY IN THE AGE OF DISCONNECTION!
About the event
Philadelphia Ethical Society, H&H Books, and Philly-based writer Samantha Paige Rosen present an evening of literature, ideas, and community to celebrate the launch of the anthology ! The book features 21 writers and organizers–including, Rhaina Cohen, Alex Alberto, Kristen Arnett, Jonathan Escoffery, Kim Stanley Robinson, and more–on chosen family, hacking adulthood, and other lessons communal living can teach us about the future of housing in America.
The event will include:
- short readings from the anthology by Samantha Paige Rosen and contributors Alex Alberto (Entwined) and Rhaina Cohen (The Other Significant Others)
- a Q&A with a focus on practical tips and ideas around communal living and creating community, moderated by Philadelphia Ethical Society leader Philip Lindsay
- a potluck and give/ask boards, designed to foster connection with fellow community members
- appearances by community organizations, including Philly Ethical Society, South Philadelphia Community Fridge, and more TBD
H&H Books will have books for sale at the event, as well as distribute the copies Living, Together purchased in tandem with event tickets.
Tickets are required to attend this event. For more information about tickets, visit the FAQ section.
Please sign up to bring something to our potluck through this sign up sheet so we know what gaps we need to fill in!
For information about accessibility, visit the FAQ section.
All profits will benefit the Philly Ethical Society, South Philly Community Fridge, and the other organizations in attendance.
If you aren't feeling well, please stay home! We love you and wish you well, but we want to protect our attendees. Check out Philly Ethical Society's Sunday Platforms and monthly potlucks for a similar event experience!
About the Book:
At age 29, when Samantha Paige Rosen made an unexpected move back home, she was surprised to find how much she loved living with her parents again. Inspired and curious, she began searching for others who had redefined home and community.
The essays and Q&As in are about carving out spaces of communal connection and joy in our 3-bed, 2-bath starter home culture. Although they recount life at different stages and in different regions, these stories showcase the delights and tradeoffs of more dynamic shapes of “home.” Across sections on family, intentional community, and what lies beyond housing, readers will hear from voices like:
- Kristen Arnett, whose found family kept her afloat, from weddings to hurricane season and everything in between
- Kim Stanley Robinson, who describes the magic of communities that are led by everyone
- Sarah Thankam Mathews, who founded a pandemic mutual aid group and discovered, like so many of us, how essential connection and care are in times of crisis
- Rodney M. Bordeaux, who explores how strength and unity are inextricably tied to life on First Nations reservations
Communal living isn’t just for cults or millennials with a pipe dream. Amidst the climate crisis, a hostile housing market, and the loneliness epidemic, Living, Together opens a window into how people in the US are thriving through collective care. This book invites us to imagine what new opportunities for connection exist when we push through the walls society has built for us.
“A town hall of real luminaries on a seriously under-pondered subject, Living, Together is the book I did know I needed but haven’t yet seen anywhere. These essays are rigorous, funny, authentic, and informative; I came away feeling 10 percent more hopeful about how we will possibly live now and 10 percent less dead inside.”
—Emma Copley Eisenberg, author of Housemates
“If you desire a life that breaks from the well-worn path of marriage and kids and a big house in the burbs, that is less a reflection of society’s defaults and more of a work of art—one that reflects your creativity, desires, and grandest vision of what makes a good life—then you must read this book.”
—Dr. Marisa G. Franco, author of Platonic
About the Editor:
’s writing on identity, the arts, and culture has appeared in the Washington Post, Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, Slate, and elsewhere. She’s written about everything from the crazy cat lady stereotype to ADHD and running late to why Friday Night Lights is actually a queer TV show. Sam earned her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and lives outside of Philadelphia, where she is a freelance writer and editor, a writing tutor and coach, and an amateur potter. Living, Together: Reimagining Community in the Age of Disconnection, is her first book. Follow her newsletter, 10 Percent Less Dead Inside, for news, events, and writing about things that spark joy.
About the Evening’s Conversation Partners:
is a queer author, publisher, and filmmaker. Their memoir, Entwined: Essays on Polyamory and Creating Home, explores their decade-long journey toward a non-nuclear family. They wrote and produced the award-winning short film, Coming Out Polyamorous for Thanksgiving, which is now streaming on YouTube. Alex grew up in Québec and currently lives in upstate New York with their partner, metamour, and kids.
is an award-winning producer and editor for NPR’s documentary podcast, Embedded. Her work, often focused on social connection, has aired on numerous podcasts and radio shows, including Hidden Brain, Invisibilia, and All Things Considered, and her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The New Republic and elsewhere. The recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Cohen is a graduate of Northwestern University and Oxford, where she was a Marshall Scholar. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, friends, and her friends’ children.
leads the Democracy Innovation Hub at the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College. Over the past three years, the Hub has hosted annual national gatherings for advocates and practitioners of citizens’ assemblies in the United States. These gatherings led to the first major use of sortition in New York City in 2023 as well as an assembly planned for Ft. Collins, Colorado. Philip co-taught the course “Democratic Innovation and Citizen Lotteries: from Ancient Athens to the French Climate Assembly,” which is available online. He also organizes the “Doing Democracy Differently Teacher Fellowship” which trains educators on how to bring deliberative democracy into the classroom.
About Philadelphia Ethical Society:
The Philadelphia Ethical Society is a community dedicated to ethical action in service of the common good. Our building on Rittenhouse Square is a hub for civic life and the arts in the city, home to hundreds of organizations and clubs. Our weekly Sunday "Platform" talks feature guest speakers and performances by local musicians and are free and open to the public. We operate a summer-camp in Chester County for children to experience the wonders of nature and learn how to swim. We rent our space for weddings, concerts and conferences, and provide discounts for groups with a social mission.
About South Philadelphia Community Fridge:
South Philadelphia Community Fridge is a community-centered, volunteer-based organization dedicated to giving all Philadelphians access to fresh and healthy food, combating food insecurity and inequality in our city through mutual aid. Studies show that nearly 1 in 5 Philadelphia families struggle with hunger, and food pantries' demand for fresh produce has increased 3x since 2019. We partner with local grocers and restaurants to stock this fridge with perfectly good produce, pantry staples, and prepared foods that would otherwise be thrown out. South Philadelphia Community Fridge is fiscally sponsored by The Hack Foundation.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00 to USD 39.19
