Introduction
Last Qixi, we talked about love.
But can we ever make sense of it?
Across the centuries, love has been a recurring subject for writers and artists, giving rise to countless stories.
In The Agony of Eros, Byung-Chul Han describes love as a process of losing the self in the other and returning from that self-forgetting to a changed sense of self. In The Art of Loving, Erich Fromm examines the causes and conditions of love with an almost technical precision, distinguishing falling in love from being in love.
Whatever the explanation, there is courage and romance in the moment when two strangers choose to dismantle the wall between them, commit to one another, and share an inner life.
This Friday evening, let’s return to love.
Philosophy & Society
Read the original article (Chinese) Original Event Information
Date and time: Sep 5, 2025 (Fri) 7:30PM
Location: 958 111th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004 (Elements Apartments)
Discussion: when we talk about love
Capacity: 20 people, including ten observers
— Schedule —
Arrival and seating
Participant introductions: briefly share a recent book, film, program, or piece of music you enjoyed (3 minutes each).
Topic: when we talk about love
Bring a related book, film, artwork, experience, or reflection.
Registered speakers have 5–10 minutes each.
Open sharing
Group photo
— Registration —
https://forms.gle/wifrdXDc2kY8ZAP28
Please use the registration link above.
Registration order is determined by the link above.
After registering, add the assistant on WeChat to join the event group.
📌 Include “book club” in your friend request.
Find the account “别处读书会” on Xiaohongshu.
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About Elsewhere Book Club
Elsewhere Book Club
The name Elsewhere comes from Milan Kundera’s Life Is Elsewhere.
Life Is Elsewhere.
We seem more inclined to imagine a golden age when looking backward or forward. Yet, in my own life, this moment and elsewhere have become inseparable, each giving meaning to the other.
Live fully in this moment. The search for elsewhere also takes place here and now.
I had just arrived in Seattle. In an unfamiliar place, my first impulse was to start a small book club, perhaps to meet others who find steadiness in books and enjoy sustained conversation.
Mount Sumeru within a mustard seed; a mustard seed holding Mount Sumeru.
I hope this small space can give us somewhere to exchange ideas each week.