Save the Date?

No column today: I did more than the usual amount of mediating this week, and I’m all out of reasonableness. :-)

Instead, I just want to flag that a few of us will be gathering on Monday, October 26 at 5pm PT/8pm ET to talk about The Breakup. Set in 2045, this novel explores the aftermath of a second civil war, including the painstaking process of dividing America into two separate countries.

It’s funnier than it sounds.

If you’d like to join the chat, please email me, and I’ll send you the Zoom link. Also, if you really, really wanted to talk about this book with us, but the time we’ve chosen is no good for you, please let me know. We are not too big for our boots and will likely reschedule around you.

Gather Round

This coming Monday, a few of us will be discussing the book The Breakup. Join us if you feel like it: October 26, 2026 5pm PT / 6pm MT / 7pm CT / 8pm ET Via Zoom In the great tradition of my local book club: you do not have to have done

On Working Small

A couple weeks ago, one of you spotted the phrase “compulsion to reconcile” and asked, knowingly but not unkindly, if I am still serving as a mediator. I am. I continue to work through my local Dispute Resolution Center (DRC), and I continue to love it. Why? 1. Because it

The Bright Side of Imminent Destruction?

It does inspire a certain togetherness. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am relentlessly hopeful. I have a deep faith in the agency and ingenuity of human beings. Especially when we, the people of Earth, are pulling in the same direction, we can do extraordinary things. Remember

Three Things You’ve Told Me in No Uncertain Terms

First, some context: my subscriber base is verrry modest. There are (on Substack) exactly 246 of you. I know many of you in real life. I am related to some of you. I write each week not to tell you—or anyone—how to think about things but instead to

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Gather Round

On Working Small

The Bright Side of Imminent Destruction?

Three Things You’ve Told Me in No Uncertain Terms