Last year I read a book called The Art of Gathering, how we Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker.

I was expecting some useful tips on how to phrase invites, fold napkins, come up with clever

themes for dinner parties.

But what I got was something far more radical.

Every gathering, Priya wrote, is an opportunity to create a world that we wish existed.

So I interviewed Priya for this podcast in January, back when we could

conduct conversations face to face, remember that? And I learned more.

Priya's personal story is extraordinary. As a child she shuttled back and forth between her father's

family who were evangelical Christian cattle ranchers and her mothers who were

Indian-born atheist academics. It should come as no surprise that Priya would go on

to study conflict resolution and apply her knowledge

to helping people reach across their differences

and gather in ways that create meaning and connection.

Then the pandemic came along and the lockdown and now gathering isn't just hard

at least where I am it's against the law.

From Wundery, I'm Rufus Griskum,

and this is a special coronavirus edition of the next big idea.

It's part six of a seven- series we're calling rethinking big ideas.

We're calling people we spoke with in season one and asking them to help us understand

the moment we're in now.

There is no one I'd rather speak with now than Priya.

In April, she launched a podcast with the New York Times called Together Apart,

...