How it started…

I first started hosting Think and Drinks in the spring of 2015 when I was still in grad school. The first session was with some 30 or so people crammed in my living room (which was definitely not large enough to hold 30 people) on the wildly well-defined and specific topic of ... “Capitalism.” It was both wonderful and chaotic, lasting much longer than the two hours I had planned for.

These sessions continued throughout my time in grad school, usually with some take out and cheap Trader Joe’s wine. As the topics, the format and the participants evolved, I began to understand a bit more about how other people saw the world and why they thought the way they did. What did some of my white, male friends have against affinity groups? How did people really feel about the (then nascent) Black Lives Matter movement? Why did some of my friends and I have such fundamentally different world views and where did our differences come from?  

A lot has changed since 2015. Brexit. Trump. George Floyd. COVID. The world in 2020 feels more polarized, partitioned, and angry than it did back in school. And yet, as our sessions moved from Boston to Washington DC to New York and to now over Zoom, Think and Drinks have continued to be my favorite weekend activity. No matter how much or little I prep for a session, I come out with a new perspective: a connection I hadn’t made before, an idea I hadn’t considered, a viewpoint I understand better.

I’m not trying to “solve” our polarized political climate or break our echo chambers through these Think and Drinks (although that would be really great!) For me, there’s value in setting aside dedicated time to challenge my own beliefs and assumptions and to acknowledge the complexities of many of the issues we deal with today. It’s like a workout class where I practice suspending judgment and engaging with curiosity rather than immediately jumping to conclusions.

The value of these sessions may be different for everyone. Some tell me they like meeting new, intelligent people; others really like learning more about certain socially relevant issues; I think my husband might be joining mostly to make me happy. Whatever it is, I hope you come to enjoy Think and Drinks as much as I do.