THE COMPANY WE KEEP
June 13, 2026  2:00 – 3:30 PM ET (eastern time, USA) 

We are shaped by the families we were born into and the friends we have chosen along the way. We become who we are in their presence—and in their absence. How can the right telling details and scenes illuminate the relationships we’ve had with others, and the relationship we have with ourselves? We’ll ponder the people in our hearts. We’ll build a list of attributes. We’ll make a sketch. We’ll consider the value of list making at the start of the writing process. We’ll turn to writers like Virginia Woolf, Oliver Soden, Patti Smith, Maira Kalman, Hua Hsu, George Hodgman, Gail Caldwell, and Seamus Deane for inspiration. By the end of the session, you will have settled on the attributes that define a someone important to you and created, in that way, a foundation for a broader story.