Coffee & Books

[Exceptionally at ramram cafe, inside the PBZ Altstadt library, while Strauhof is closed for the summer!] Join us for an opportunity to enjoy, discuss and learn from excellent writing. We'll have a semi-private room at The Alehouse, with three reading and discussion slots and an opportunity to meet other writers. A few notes for prospective writers: 1. You aren’t required to share your own work and should feel encouraged to attend simply to enjoy and discuss the work of others, if you prefer. 2. All genres, formats, and styles of creative writing welcome, noting that the focus will be on discussing English-language fiction (or creative non-fiction). Poetry is likely to be better suited to the marvellous Zürich Poetry Club. 3. All abilities are welcome, from those just starting out to those who have already made progress in their writing, from hobbyists to professionals. 4. There will be three reading slots for each session, allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Please indicate in the comments for the event if you would like to share something. 5. If you would like to share your writing with the group, you can do so either by reading aloud or allowing group members to read directly. You can expect to read for 5-7 minutes (approximately 600-1000 words) with 15-20 minutes provided for discussion afterwards. 6. If possible, please bring sufficient copies of any writing that you would like to present, so that everyone can read it themselves. You can also request written feedback. 7. Improving as a writer requires both guidance and encouragement, so you can expect the discussion to be constructive and courteous - we all know how challenging it can be. We hope that you will be able to join, and look forward to seeing you there!

It is not unusual to hear scholars say that modern political philosophy is but a footnote to Plato’s Republic. In this foundational work, (Plato’s) Socrates and his interlocutors embark on a daring thought experiment: to define "**Justice**" by building an ideal city, Kallipolis, from the ground up. But a just city requires **just people**, and just people are such “by design”. Plato asks two questions. What does culture pour into us from the outside — and who are we becoming because of it? And what must the soul look like on the inside — so that those who lead us protect the city rather than devour it? Using selected passages from Books II, III, and IV, we will move from ancient Athens to the present day to discuss two specific challenges: **The Problem of the Poets and the Role of Culture**: In ancient Greece poets set the standards for culture. Their stories didn't just teach values, they gave citizens heroes to become. Who are our modern poets? Are they news outlets, algorithms, influencers, and screenwriters, who decide, at scale, which lives look admirable, heroic, and which virtues are worth the effort? What kind of citizens and leaders are they actually forming — and would we accept Plato's conclusion that the city cannot afford to leave this to chance? **The Paradox of the "Noble Dog"**: The Guardian (Plato’s chosen rulers class) must be "high-spirited" ([thymos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thumos)) to defend the city, yet "gentle" to protect its people. This is not a question of technical competence, but of character. How does a society train leaders who are powerful enough to act, but disciplined enough not to devour the state? Plato wrote the Republic two and a half thousand years ago. The questions it raises have not been answered since, and may matter more now than ever. Join us in the attempt to think through Plato’s theory! Come and think them through with us. Prior reading is useful but not required. **Preparation:** Reading The Republic is a huge enterprise, but you can prepare for this event with these links: Easy Path (articles) * 0–5 minutes: [The Britannica entry](https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Republic) for a quick synopsis. * 5–20 minutes: Chapter‑by‑chapter [walkthrough](https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-republic/summary) of the dialogue’s main episodes and themes Deeper Dive (videos, 45-50 minutes each) * [Books I-II](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVQKbQVc2_w&list=PL8D95DEA9B7DFE825&index=4) * [Books III-IV](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oxMP8_pWLw&list=PL8D95DEA9B7DFE825&index=5) * [Book V](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXthvnZ8ghw&list=PL8D95DEA9B7DFE825&index=6) You can find a free PDF version of the English text [here](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1497). **For Philosophical Minds Zurich theme events in general:** At our theme events, we begin with a brief topic introduction, followed by engaging discussions in small groups. It’s all about conversation, not just listening. Also, please note, we keep the atmosphere relaxed and informal—**there’s** **no pressure to speak in front of anyone**. **Important:** When you register for the event, please commit to it and don't be a NO SHOW. Presumably, when the ancient philosophers decided to go to an event, they kept to it.
 We look forward to seeing you. **Payment:** You can pay at the venue (Twint/Revolut/Cash). Thus, if you want to register at Meetup just click attend - no more needed ;). We look forward to seeing you.

⚠️ [>>Ticket needed (click here)<< ](https://link.social-circle.ch/y5z5) or **[tickets.social-circle.ch](https://tickets.social-circle.ch/)** 🎉 **Pub Quiz Night** 🎉 Join us for a night full of **mind-bending questions**, **unexpected twists**, and **more laughs than right answers** (probably). Whether you're a trivia wizard or just really good at pretending you know stuff, this night’s for you! Join our whatsapp group for updates on this event: [https://link.social-circle.ch/p2q8](https://link.social-circle.ch/p2q8) 📍 **Location:** BOHO 💰 **Price:** 15.- (includes tasty snacks + a prize for the winning team 🍾) 👥 **How Teams Work:** 🔹 Got a crew? Awesome, bring your squad and show us what you've got! 🔹 Looking to mingle with singles? We’ve got you! → Think 2 girls + 2 guys = the perfect cocktail of brainpower and awkward icebreakers 🔹 Not single? No problem! We’ll still team you up with some brilliant minds and maybe a few terrible guessers for balance 🏆 **What’s in it for you?** Glory, bragging rights, and the sweet, sweet taste of Prosecco-fueled victory. 💬 **Come for the trivia, stay for the chaos.** Spots are limited, so grab your seat before your smarter friend does! 🎟️ ​P.S. Pictures might be taken during the event, if you do not want it please let the organizer know. Tickets are non-refundable. **Want more events like this? Join our WhatsApp community:** [https://link.social-circle.ch/DxeS](https://link.social-circle.ch/DxeS)

**Queer & Inclusive Bootcamp – Wednesday! 🏋️‍♀️✨** Want to move, feel strong, and share a fun, inclusive experience? Join our **Wednesday Queer Bootcamp**! 💪 **What to expect:** * Varied exercises for all fitness levels * Strength, cardio, and mobility * Group motivation and positive energy 🌈 **Why join us?** * A **safe and inclusive space** to move at your own pace * Connect with the queer community while staying active * Feel good in your body and mind 📍 **Location:** Kernstrasse 41, 8004 Zürich, Schulhaus Kern 🕒 **Time:** 18:30–19:30 🎟 **Sign-up / Info:** [WhatsApp ](https://chat.whatsapp.com/L4fvo1RmDob7Z6rZ5y48mX?mode=gi_t) **Languages:** EN-DE‑PT‑FR 🗣️ Everyone is welcome!

**All You Can Eat:** 18:00 – 21:30 **🍗✨ Midweek never tasted this good ✨🍗** Why wait for the weekend when Wednesday brings the feast? At Lady Hamilton’s Pub, it’s all about good food, great music, and even better company. 🍗 Juicy chicken wings 🥟 Flavor-packed samosas 🥠 Crispy spring rolls ➡️ **All you can eat.** No limits. No stress. 💸 **Just 20 CHF per person** 🎶 Throwback hits & party classics all night 🥂 The perfect mix of chill vibes and lively energy Grab your crew, bring your appetite, and make Wednesday your new favorite night!

📚 Zurich Book Market – A Cozy Haven for Book Lovers Imagine walking into a room full of books, the smell of stories waiting to be discovered, and people who love reading just as much as you do. That's exactly what we're creating. Join us for a one-of-a-kind book fair in the heart of Zurich, where bibliophiles come together to browse, swap, discover, and celebrate the magic of reading. ✨ What to expect: 🛍️ Books for sale — from beloved second-hand copies with character, to brand new titles and rare special editions from Fairyloot and Illumicrate. Think stunning collector's editions, beautiful foiled covers, exclusive artwork — the kind of books that are as gorgeous on your shelf as they are to read. 📖 Genres — Fantasy, Romantasy, Fiction, Romance. Mostly bestsellers, with a carefully curated selection from indie authors you'll be glad you discovered. 🌍 Languages — Primarily English, with a selection in French and Spanish. 🎁 Blind Dates with Books — wrapped in kraft paper with only a few mysterious clues. Pick one and fall in love with a story you never expected. 💌 Leave a Book for a Stranger — bring a book you loved and leave it behind for someone else to find. Pay it forward, one story at a time. 📸 Meet local Bookstagrammers — connect with Zurich's book community, discover new recommendations, and maybe find your next reading buddy. Whether you're hunting for your next obsession, looking to give your books a new home, or simply want to spend a few hours surrounded by stories and like-minded people — this is your place. All are welcome. Bring your tote bag. Come as you are. 📍 Schamendingerplatz | 🗓️ 6th of June, 2026 | Entry: Free

Welcome to the June meeting of the book club! For our second book, we’ll be reading *The Door*, a powerful novel by Hungarian author Magda Szabó. First published in 1987, it tells the story of the complicated relationship between a writer and her enigmatic housekeeper, gradually opening into larger questions of power, intimacy, pride, class, loyalty, and self-deception. We’ll meet in English for a friendly, open discussion. No academic background is needed — just read the book, bring your thoughts, and join the conversation. These first books have been chosen by the organizer to help get the club started. Once the group is actively underway, future reads will be selected through member nominations and voting. Looking forward to seeing new and returning readers in June!

You know those spontaneous chats with a colleague by the water cooler or with an acquaintance you bumped into in town, where strangers gather around a random topic — and somehow, something sticks? A thought, a story, a spark that gets you wondering, reflecting, and feeling a little more alive? ✨ That’s the spirit of our monthly coffee gathering, **A Cup of Serendipity** — a reminder that connection can’t be scripted, only sparked with good company and good chemistry 🪄. **Join us for a morning of spontaneous conversation and connection!** There’s no topic, no script — just space for ideas and stories to flow freely, shaped by whoever’s present. The only thing planned is the time and place. The rest is up to us, where the conversation takes us. To keep the circle casual and intimate — a space where everyone can speak and listen — we’re limiting the number of participants. So please RSVP early to secure your spot!

Welcome to the **Task-Buddies** event of the **Zürich Productivity Circle**, where we bring together like-minded individuals to work on personal goals and share the experience of growth in a supportive community. Maybe you are building a business or side hustle, studying for a course, learning a new (programming) language, figuring the tax system out, writing code, prose, or poetry, researching new stocks for your portfolio, tackling your German homework, or upskilling for your job. In all of these cases and more, this is the perfect space for you. In fact, productivity does not end there. Even if you just want to read a psychology book to resolve a personal struggle, sketch a mountain, listen to podcasts, organize your week, respond to unanswered emails and messages, enjoy a novel, or just reflect and meditate, you are very welcome here. For any task that adds positively to your life and can be done sitting down with others (exception: anything noisy/disruptive/disrespectful), you will fit into the events. We will meet at a work-friendly café in Zürich and follow the agenda below. **Agenda:** * **Introductions and food (20-30 mins):** Start with a round of introductions to get to know each other and share what we'll be working on, buy our food and drinks. * **Productive Work Session (1-2 hours)** Dive into your individual tasks in a focussed, distraction-free environment. * **Collective Break and Socializing (\~15 mins):** Take a planned break to stretch, chat, get more coffee, and share insights about your projects. * **Continued Work Session (1-2 hours):** Get back to your tasks with renewed focus and motivation. * **Wrap-Up and Reflections (15+ mins):** Conclude with a reflection on what we accomplished, share productivity tips or questions, discuss plans for future meetups, stay back for more chit chat if you like. **What to Bring:** * Your project or task materials (laptop, charger, books, sketchpad, pen, etc.) * Respectful and kind demeanour * A positive attitude and a willingness to share and learn **Note:** Please ensure that your tasks are suitable for a quiet, communal setting. We aim to maintain a respectful and conducive environment for everyone. **Venue Courtesy:** Out of courtesy for the venue, please order something drinks for yourself. This helps support the café and ensures we can continue to use their space for our meetups.

**⚠️ [>>Ticket needed (click here)<<](https://link.social-circle.ch/SdSb) or** **[tickets.social-circle.ch](tickets.social-circle.ch)** 🍵 An Afternoon of Serenity: Tea Ceremony with Felix Step away from the digital noise and join us for a curated experience in mindfulness and tradition. **Tea Ceremony with Felix** is more than just a tasting; it’s an invitation to slow down, breathe, and appreciate the nuance of the present moment. Guided by Felix’s expertise, you’ll explore the intentional art of tea preparation, focusing on the harmony between vessel, water, and leaf. Whether you are a seasoned connoisseur or simply curious about the ritual, this session offers a peaceful sanctuary to recharge. 📲 Join our WhatsApp chat to keep up with the event: [https://link.social-circle.ch/WSqZ](https://link.social-circle.ch/WSqZ) *(if you run into trouble open it in WhatsApp Web on your desktop)* **Event Highlights** * **The Ritual:** Observe and participate in a traditional pouring ceremony designed to heighten the senses. * **Curated Selection:** Taste hand-picked, premium loose-leaf teas, each with its own unique origin story and flavor profile. * **Mindful Connection:** Enjoy a quiet, contemplative atmosphere perfect for reflection or gentle conversation. * **Expert Guidance:** Learn the history, etiquette, and "why" behind the tea-making process from Felix. Join our WhatsApp newsletter: [https://link.social-circle.ch/DxeS](https://link.social-circle.ch/DxeS)

[Columbus library link to book](https://cml.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S105C3351321) Location: The Goat River South 219 S High St, Columbus, OH 43215 Street parking is free on Sundays [Menu](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/686d3ed16745133042482c5f/t/68ff654dbb03b96875430bde/1761568077220/all_brunch-20250311.pdf) Book summary: On a hot day in Bethlehem, a twelve-year-old Palestinian-American girl is yelled at by a group of men outside the Church of the Nativity. She has exposed her legs in a biblical city, an act they deem forbidden, and their judgement will echo on through her adolescence. When our narrator finally admits to her mother that she is queer, her mother's response only intensifies a sense of shame: 'You exist too much,' she tells her daughter. Told in vignettes that flash between the U.S. and the Middle East--from New York to Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine--Zaina Arafat's debut novel traces her protagonist's progress from blushing teen to sought-after DJ and aspiring writer.

Big Ohio Book Con "A convention for book lovers all over Ohio (and beyond)! Author panels, signings, bookish vendors, meet & greets, and more!" Featuring more than 100 authors, more than 50 bookish vendors, and plenty of exciting activities throughout the event! Travel with fellow book lovers or meet us at the event. Park for free at the Medina Convention Center, 735 Lafayette Rd., Medina, Ohio 44256, then hop aboard one of the free shuttles whenever you’re ready for your next bookish adventure! The convention spans three neighboring locations, giving you even more to explore and enjoy.

**Our June novel is: *The Eights* by Joanna Miller** **This month’s novel is set during World War I. It’s a 20th-century historical fiction story about friendship and war, with coming-of-age elements and a slightly haunted tone. The book is 384 pages in print and 10 hours and 9 minutes on audiobook.** Oxford, 1920. For the first time in its one-thousand-year history, Oxford University officially admits female students. Burning with dreams of equality, four young women move into neighboring rooms in Corridor 8. Beatrice, Dora, Marianne, and Otto—collectively known as The Eights—come from all walks of life, each driven by their own motives, each holding tight to their secrets, and are thrown into an unlikely, unshakable friendship. Dora was never meant to go to university, but, after losing both her brother and her fiancé on the battlefield, has arrived in their place. Politically-minded Beatrice, daughter of a famous suffragette, sees Oxford as a chance to make her own way - and some friends her own age. Otto was a nurse during the war but is excited to return to her socialite lifestyle in Oxford where she hopes to find distraction from the memories that haunt her. And finally Marianne, the quiet, clever daughter of a village pastor, who has a shocking secret she must hide from everyone, even her new friends, if she is to succeed. Among the historic spires, and in the long shadow of the Great War, the four women must navigate and support one another in a turbulent world in which misogyny is rife, influenza is still a threat, and the ghosts of the Great War don’t always remain dead.

Early-bird coffee and conversation at [Crimson Cup Coffee Shop - Clintonville](https://www.crimsoncup.com/about/location/clintonville)!

Join us for Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn! Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the unsolved murder of a preteen girl and the disappearance of another. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family's Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story-and survive this homecoming.