Words with friends: year four of Articles Club

29 October 2019

With four years of monthly gatherings under our belt, you might think we’d have run out of things to talk about by now. But therein lies the secret: the articles, in the end, are just a jumping-off point for the free-wheeling and wide-ranging conversation that always ensues. Challenging ideas, exchanging experiences, and laughing (sometimes hysterically) are de rigueur with this group, and I’m so grateful for it.

If you’ve ever wanted to start something like this, do it. And if you just want to follow along at home, read on – I’m sharing a few of the articles we read together in the last year, plus our dinner themes just for fun! :)

How Our Families Shape Us
The Family Stories That Bind Us
Happy Children Do Chores
What Are Your Family Rules?
Meal: mac and cheese bar and salads

Being a Nuanced American:
How Social Media Has Changed How We Consume News
How Feeling Disillusioned Leads to Political Polarization
6 Orienting Questions for the Journey Towards Staying Informed
Meal: A giant charcuterie board

Blogging and Privacy:
We Want Privacy, But Can’t Stop Sharing
When Kids Realize Their Whole Life is Already Online
13, Right Now
Don’t Post About Me on Social Media, Children Say
Meal: Summer salads

Books and Reading:
Can Reading Make You Happier?
How Banning Books Marginalizes Children
Read a Novel: It’s Just What the Doctor Ordered
Meal: Recipes from our favorite chefs and bloggers

Free Inquiry, Education, and Raising Curious Kids
The Coddling of the American Mind (many of us read the book this month, too!)
Meal: Picnic food

Technology and Social Media:
Alexa, Should We Trust You?
I Cut the Big Five Tech Giants From My Life. It Was Hell.
Alexa is a Revelation for the Blind
Meal: Mexican

Women and Girls
This is How March Became Women’s History Month
Why Girls Beat Boys at School and Lose to Them in the Office
Women Aren’t Nags, We’re Just Fed Up
Meal: Spring potluck

Millennial Burnout
How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation
Why Are Young People Pretending to Love Work?
Meal: Italian and chocolate desserts

The FIRE Way of Life
Getting Rich: From Zero to Hero in One Blog Post
What Everybody is Getting Wrong About FIRE
How to Retire in Your 30s with $1 Million in the Bank
Meal: Favorite healthy(ish) recipes

Work and Worth
The Work You Do, the Person You Are
The Dotted Lines
What the Working Class is Still Trying to Tell Us
Meal: Soup, salad, and bread

Becoming a Parent (or Not)
How People Decide Whether to Have Children
10 Amazingly Enjoyable Things About Having Kids
Why So Many American Women are Deciding Not to Have Kids
Meal: Thanksgiving favorites

If you’re so inclined, I’d love for you to share a favorite dinner theme in the comments – we’re always looking for new ideas!

P.S. The beginnings of Articles Club, tips on starting your own, and what we read in our second and third years.

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Jess Thore
October 29, 2019 7:51 am

Baked potato bar with a big salad is a great (and affordable) large group meal. It’s in our regular rotation for a Third Thursday dinners and community group!

October 29, 2019 8:27 am

Four years later, and our articles club is absolutely, positively a highlight of each and every month. The articles and our disucssions, the subsequent life chats, the delicious meals/desserts/drinks, and most importantly, gathering and sharing life with so many dear friends — it’s simply the best. Exceedinly thankful for it all! xoxox

Megan
October 29, 2019 3:36 pm

That’s official: I’m making it one of my 2020 goals to start an articles club! I’ve been pondering the idea for ages, but I think this winter will be the perfect time to kick it off. (Right now, not so much, as Q4 is the busiest for work!)

Kelly Strawberry
October 29, 2019 4:44 pm

I think it’s amazing that Articles Club has been consistently meeting once a month for 4 years! Cheers to the next four and many more! :)

Pressley
October 30, 2019 8:32 am

This made me miss you gals even more! So glad I emailed you all those years ago to join :)

November 7, 2019 10:08 pm

i am interested to know your thoughts on “sharenting” and blogging and privacy in general. If you’re up for it, you should make that a future blog post! Also, how do you gals organize and select the articles?

May 5, 2020 1:25 pm

Thank you so much for including one of my posts here! I’m so flattered :)

xx