Intellectual Friends

**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.

CONNECTED – Grove City A casual, people-first networking gathering. CONNECTED – Grove City is a casual, people-first networking gathering. Join us for a relaxed, low-pressure space to meet new people, build real relationships, and have meaningful conversations — no sales pitches required. From 7:30–8:30 AM every 3rd Wednesday of the month at the Grove City Business Center. Coffee & baked goods available for purchase at Pick ’Em Up Joe's. Free street & public lot parking behind the building. Free to attend & open to all!

Join us every other Wednesday during the summer at 5:30pm at Blendon Woods Inclusive Playground. Starts Wednesday June 17th. **Agenda** 5:30-6:15 Kids Play & Dad's Meet 6:15-6:45 Snacks & Father/Son Men's Group Circle \- Simple intro Round \- What are Dad & Son working on? \- Various Topics for Fathers and Sons\(What does it mean to be a man? Etc\.\) 6:45-7 Close. Go get food or keep playing. Mario will lead this group and hold the space. Generally, it is a laid-back, open group that can be modified to accommodate those who show up. If people want to go get dinner after, we can :) It's all about making friends and building a positive community. Mario has led men's groups for several years, sponsored by Speak Your Mind, an Ohio Non-Profit organization with a focus on men's mental well-being. Click here to learn more about SYM: https://linktr.ee/taketimespeakyourmind). All events are non-denominational and donation-based. No one will be turned away for their beliefs or financial position. Suggested donation is $5 per family per meeting (Covers the cost of meetup). **Donation link**: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/angels-for-angels/speak-your-mind **Liability Waiver** to fill out before your first event (Required). This covers the non-profit in the event of any accidents. https://form.jotform.com/242207035182144 Contact Mario with any questions: 808-855-8831 Address: 4265 E. Dublin Granville Road Columbus, OH 43081 Follow signs to the back of the park (Inclusive Playground)

Evolve is all about creating an Authentic Community, Deeper Connections, and Confident Growth. We are a group of entrepreneurial women who connect personally and professionally. We welcome every guest to experience our authentic community with no cliques and no judgment. Come as you are! There's a seat waiting for you. Elevate is an action-oriented connection experience designed to help women entrepreneurs move beyond surface-level networking and into meaningful growth, collaboration, and courageous action. Each session centers around a focused business or personal development topic, followed by intentional breakout discussions that encourage deeper conversations, real relationship-building, and practical next steps. Unlike traditional networking events, Elevate is designed to create momentum. Women are encouraged not only to share ideas, but to actively support one another through accountability, collaboration, brainstorming, and action-based growth. Every meeting is an opportunity to build authentic connections, gain fresh perspective, and leave with a clear action step to implement before the next session. This is a space where women rise together — not through competition or hustle culture, but through encouragement, courage, consistency, and intentional community. \*\*Evolve Women's Collective is a membership based professional women's group. You can find more information at [www.EvolveWomensCollective.com](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.EvolveWomensNetwork.com&sa=D&source=calendar&usd=2&usg=AOvVaw0UekYvD4PoVa7WUlFFVHyp). Feel welcome to be our guest anytime! [Join the Call](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://zoom.us/j/7894682064&sa=D&source=calendar&usd=2&usg=AOvVaw127u1EMKvrsjTOPRaLUJ51)

Who else is ready to sit outside? Join us for a casual chat over coffee & tea at Grandview Grind! Come out and meet some new people, enjoy your favorite drink, and make some new friends!

Welcome to Drunken Philosophy, a casual, curious, social discussion club. Come grab a drink and a seat at The Oracle. **Optional topic for this meetup: Where is everybody?** In 1950 the physicist Enrico Fermi was talking about aliens over lunch and asked a question that still has not gone away: if the universe is so vast and so old, and even a fraction of those billions of stars have planets, where is everyone? By the numbers the galaxy should be crowded with civilizations. Instead we look up and hear silence. That gap between "they should be everywhere" and "we see no one" is the Fermi Paradox. One of the most unsettling answers is the idea of a **Great Filter**: somewhere on the road from dead chemistry to a galaxy-spanning civilization, there is at least one step that is almost impossible to get past. Maybe the filter is behind us. Maybe life starting at all, or simple cells becoming complex, or intelligence ever evolving, is the freak accident, and we already cleared the hard part. Or maybe the filter is ahead of us, and advanced civilizations reliably wipe themselves out before they spread. Here is the part that messes with people. If we ever found life somewhere else, even pond scum on Mars, most people would call it the greatest discovery in history. But it might be the worst possible news. It would mean life is common, the early steps are easy, and the hard step is still in front of us. So the eerie silence overhead might actually be the best sign we could ask for. **Questions to wrestle with:** * Is it better to be alone? Would you rather we find alien life and learn we are not special, or find nothing and quietly improve our odds of surviving? * Where do you bet the filter sits, behind us or ahead of us, and why? * If it is ahead of us, what is it? Nuclear war, climate collapse, AI, something we cannot even picture yet? And can we do anything about a filter we cannot see coming? * Two principles pull opposite ways here. The principle of mediocrity (the Copernican principle, Sagan's "no privileged place in the universe") says we are ordinary, so what happened on Earth probably happened everywhere, which makes the silence scream louder. The anthropic principle says of course we find ourselves somewhere life was possible, since we could not observe anything else, so our being here may say almost nothing about how common life is. Which lens do you trust, and does the silence still demand an answer once you account for observer selection? * And if we did confirm life out there and had to accept we are not special, what would that do to belief in a higher power, and would shedding (or keeping) that belief help or hurt our odds of pulling together as one species? * Does any of this change how you live, or how humanity should be spending its time and money right now? As always the prompt is optional. Come for the conversation, stay for the drinks, and bring your own questions.

Let’s meet and wander the galleries! General admission on Sundays is free.

Welcome to Casual Boardgames, where we enjoy classic tabletop games and social deduction games while bonding over good food, drinks, and great conversations. 
We started this group to meet new people and make new friends, and bonding over games in a relaxed atmosphere is a great way to do that. We currently meet near route 23 and Polaris Parkway, and this is close to areas like Powell, Lewis Center, Worthington, and parts of Westerville and Columbus. 
Feel free to bring your own games or play one of the many games our members bring. If you are inexperienced, we will help you learn. 
Here are just a few examples of the kind of games we play. 
Tabletop/board games: Splendor, Catan, Azul, Dominion, 7 Wonders… 
Social deduction games: Code Names, Chameleon, Werewords… 
IMPORTANT: 
1. While we love playing a variety of games and competing, we are not just about the games. We interact and talk while playing, and this leads to a lot of laughter and fun. If you just want to compete and focus solely on the game, then this is probably not the group you are looking for. 
2. Many people join groups like this and never (or rarely) show up after weeks or months. If you join and never really come, we will eventually remove you from the group as a courtesy to our members. Why? Because limiting group conversations (on the app) to regular members makes communication and planning much easier. Also, while it may be rare, it protects members from people who join because they are interested in following a person instead of having a real interest in our group. If you get removed, it is just because you haven’t come, and we follow this protocol as a courtesy to our regular game players.

Sleep in on Sundays. When you've had your fill of pajama-time, roll out and have some tasty brunch with your fellow Humanists!

Join us for our June Book Club gathering where we will come together to discuss [The Queer Principles of Kit Webb](https://catsebastian.com/the-queer-principles-of-kit-webb/) by Cat Sebastian in a safe and welcoming environment. Make new friends who share your passion for books and connect with fellow LGBTQ book enthusiasts.

# 🌃 Zoom Speed Dating: Indianapolis Singles, One Night _Skip the swiping. Tonight it's live Zoom one-on-ones with Indianapolis singles chosen with you in mind._ **How it all works:** 1. Sign up and answer a few quick personality questions 2. Hop onto Zoom right as we kick off 3. Chat one-on-one through guided rounds 4. Wake up to your mutual matches in your inbox --- **Spot your age, claim your seat:** 💘 **Ages 18-32** → [Grab your spot](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=574&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Indianapolis&groupurlname=cityscape-navigators-park-orienteering-team&ar=18-32&face_v=9.0) 💘 **Ages 30-46** → [Grab your spot](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=574&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Indianapolis&groupurlname=cityscape-navigators-park-orienteering-team&ar=30-46&face_v=9.0) 💘 **Ages 40-58** → [Grab your spot](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=574&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Indianapolis&groupurlname=cityscape-navigators-park-orienteering-team&ar=40-58&face_v=9.0) 💘 **Ages 55+** → [Grab your spot](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=574&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Indianapolis&groupurlname=cityscape-navigators-park-orienteering-team&ar=55+&face_v=9.0) > ⚠️ Quick note — RSVP ≠ registered. Tap your age link below, complete the quiz, and your spot is locked. Capacity is capped. **Tap in, settle back, and let the night surprise you. 🕯️**

**🌹 Speed Dating Night for St. Petersburg Singles — On Zoom** Spend an evening meeting St. Petersburg singles face to face on Zoom, matched by age and personality before you arrive. **What to expect:** - Register and take a short personality quiz - Jump on Zoom when the event starts - Meet singles in guided one-on-one rounds - Get your mutual matches by email afterward **Find your bracket and grab a seat:** → **Ages 18-32** — [Register here](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=573&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=St.%20Petersburg&groupurlname=local-singles-seeking-genuine-connection-brunch-club&ar=18-32&face_v=6.0) → **Ages 30-46** — [Register here](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=573&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=St.%20Petersburg&groupurlname=local-singles-seeking-genuine-connection-brunch-club&ar=30-46&face_v=6.0) → **Ages 40-58** — [Register here](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=573&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=St.%20Petersburg&groupurlname=local-singles-seeking-genuine-connection-brunch-club&ar=40-58&face_v=6.0) → **Ages 55+** — [Register here](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=573&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=St.%20Petersburg&groupurlname=local-singles-seeking-genuine-connection-brunch-club&ar=55+&face_v=6.0) > Note: clicking RSVP alone won't get you in. Register via your age group and take the quiz. Places fill up. See you on Zoom, St. Petersburg. 🌷

# 🎈 Zoom Speed Dating: Columbus Singles, One Night _An evening of face-to-face Zoom rounds, Columbus singles your speed, and your matches landing in your inbox by morning._ **How it all works:** 1. Sign up and answer a few quick personality questions 2. Hop onto Zoom right as we kick off 3. Chat one-on-one through guided rounds 4. Wake up to your mutual matches in your inbox --- **Pick your group below and you're in:** 💘 **Ages 18-32** → [Grab your spot](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=574&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Columbus&groupurlname=cityscape-navigators-park-orienteering-team&ar=18-32&face_v=9.0) 💘 **Ages 30-46** → [Grab your spot](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=574&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Columbus&groupurlname=cityscape-navigators-park-orienteering-team&ar=30-46&face_v=9.0) 💘 **Ages 40-58** → [Grab your spot](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=574&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Columbus&groupurlname=cityscape-navigators-park-orienteering-team&ar=40-58&face_v=9.0) 💘 **Ages 55+** → [Grab your spot](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=574&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Columbus&groupurlname=cityscape-navigators-park-orienteering-team&ar=55+&face_v=9.0) > ⚠️ Don't get caught out: RSVP alone won't seat you. Register via your age group and take the quiz to hold your place. Spots go fast. **Show up curious — the rest is on us. 🌃**

# 💕 Meet Someone New: Fort Wayne Speed Dating on Zoom _A handful of quick, real conversations with Fort Wayne singles — paired to you by age and vibe, all from wherever you're comfiest._ **Four easy steps:** 1. Sign up and answer a few quick personality questions 2. Hop onto Zoom right as we kick off 3. Chat one-on-one through guided rounds 4. Wake up to your mutual matches in your inbox --- **Spot your age, claim your seat:** 💘 **Ages 18-32** → [Grab your spot](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=574&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Fort%20Wayne&groupurlname=cityscape-navigators-park-orienteering-team&ar=18-32&face_v=9.0) 💘 **Ages 30-46** → [Grab your spot](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=574&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Fort%20Wayne&groupurlname=cityscape-navigators-park-orienteering-team&ar=30-46&face_v=9.0) 💘 **Ages 40-58** → [Grab your spot](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=574&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Fort%20Wayne&groupurlname=cityscape-navigators-park-orienteering-team&ar=40-58&face_v=9.0) 💘 **Ages 55+** → [Grab your spot](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=574&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Fort%20Wayne&groupurlname=cityscape-navigators-park-orienteering-team&ar=55+&face_v=9.0) > ⚠️ One thing: hitting RSVP here doesn't reserve anything. You're only in once you register through your age link and finish the quiz — and seats are limited. **Save us a smile, Fort Wayne. 🕯️**

[The Board Walks](http://www.theboardwalks.com/) are for curious people who love deep conversations. If that sounds like you, **bring a thoughtful topic** and join us for a 5-mile walk (10,000+ steps!). **HOW IT WORKS** **Step 1: Bring a topic** Before you arrive, think of **one** topic you want to explore. A question. A thought that's been on your mind. An obsession you want to geek out on. This is your ticket to the event. **Step 2: Circle up & share** We gather in a circle. Your friendly walk host gives a speech to set the tone. Everyone shares: your name, what you're grateful for, and your topic. That's it. 60 seconds. **Step 3: Walk, talk & float** We walk 5 miles. You naturally drift into conversation with 2-3 people at a time, pulled by topics that spark your curiosity. When you're ready to move on, just say: "I'm going to float!" **Step 4: Feel more alive** Two hours flies by. You're back where you started — but you feel different. More alive. More energized. More connected to yourself and others. That's why regulars join 20+ times. *For more details, read our [Orientation Guide.](https://www.theboardwalks.com/orientation)* **HOW TO BRING A GREAT TOPIC** A great topic = something you're genuinely curious about. Recent topics include: * "What are you passionate about right now?" * "What makes a good friend?" * "What's a belief you used to hold that you've completely changed?" * "How do you want to be remembered?" * "What would you do if money wasn't a factor?" Think of your topic like the dish you're bringing to our conversational potluck. If everyone brings an A+ dish (i.e. energizing, uplifting, expansive), we'll all walk away feeling lighter and brighter. **WHAT TO EXPECT** This isn't a fitness event with casual chitchat. It's a walking think tank where we explore life's big questions together, beyond small talk. *If you're looking for light banter or a standard networking event, this probably isn't the right fit.* But if you crave depth, genuine connection, and conversations that make you feel alive? You'll love it here. **FAQ** * Wear casual athletic attire and sneakers. It's a long walk! * We have multiple first-timers at each event. We work hard to create a welcoming, inclusive, clique-free space. * We welcome people of **all** ages, backgrounds, and industries who align with the [intention](https://www.theboardwalks.com/ground-rules) of this space. * Rain or shine, we've been out here nearly every week since July 2022. If the event is cancelled, we'll let you know. * Dogs, babies in strollers, parents, and friends are welcome — please text/email them the event link so they can RSVP and prepare a topic! **LOGISTICS** * If you'll arrive over 10 minutes late, we suggest skipping the event. It's hard to find us once we start walking, and your host can't answer messages during the event. * This walk is designed for everyone to *move together at the same steady pace* (about 20 min/mile). This format works best when the whole group moves in unison. If you have mobility limitations, we kindly encourage you to find an event better suited to your needs. * Read our [Orientation Guide](https://www.theboardwalks.com/orientation) for full details. * If you enjoy the event, send **[this](http://www.theboardwalks.com/)** to a friend or sign up for our **[newsletter](https://theboardwalks.beehiiv.com/)**. We're in multiple cities with more on the way. 🤠👋 **IF YOU WANT TO GO DEEPER...** [The Board](https://stan.store/ellebeecher/p/the-board) is the next step: a high-trust collective for renaissance people devoted to creating, connecting, and building lives that light us up. * This is a global HQ for people who crave big talk, deep connection, and dream collaborations with people across industries. If the walks feel like a spark... The Board is the fire. Apply [here](https://stan.store/ellebeecher/p/the-board).

**🌙 St. Petersburg Singles Night — Speed Dating Over Zoom** Hosted Zoom rounds, St. Petersburg singles your speed, and matches sent the next day. Easy as that. **Here's how the night runs:** - Register and take a short personality quiz - Jump on Zoom when the event starts - Meet singles in guided one-on-one rounds - Get your mutual matches by email afterward **Pick the age range that fits you:** → **Ages 18-32** — [Register here](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=573&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=St.%20Petersburg&groupurlname=manga-k-drama-foodie-language-feast-network&ar=18-32&face_v=8.0) → **Ages 30-46** — [Register here](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=573&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=St.%20Petersburg&groupurlname=manga-k-drama-foodie-language-feast-network&ar=30-46&face_v=8.0) → **Ages 40-58** — [Register here](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=573&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=St.%20Petersburg&groupurlname=manga-k-drama-foodie-language-feast-network&ar=40-58&face_v=8.0) → **Ages 55+** — [Register here](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=573&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=St.%20Petersburg&groupurlname=manga-k-drama-foodie-language-feast-network&ar=55+&face_v=8.0) > Important: RSVP is not the same as registering. Use your age link below and complete the quiz to secure a place. Limited capacity. Register, relax, and let the night do the work. 🥂