The chairs are where the people go : how to live, work, and play in the city / Misha Glouberman with Sheila Heti.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Glouberman, Misha, 1968-

Contributor:

Heti, Sheila, 1976-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Group problem solving.

Group relations training.

Happiness.

Group games.

Improvisation (Acting).

Physical Description:

xii, 175 pages ; 21 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Faber and Faber, 2011.

Summary:

How should neighborhoods change? Is wearing a suit a good way to quit smoking? Why do people think that if you do one thing, you're against something else? Is monogamy a trick? Why isn't making the city more fun for you and your friends a super-noble political goal? Why does a computer last only three years? How often should you see your parents? How should we behave at parties? Is marriage getting easier? What can spam tell us about the world?

Misha Glouberman's friend and collaborator, Sheila Heti, wanted her next book to be a compilation of everything Misha knew. Together, they made a list of subjects. As Misha talked, Sheila typed. He talked about games, relationships, cities, negotiation, improvisation, Casablanca, conferences, and making friends. His subjects ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous. But sometimes what had seemed trivial began to seem important-and what had seemed important began to seem less so.

The Chairs Are Where the People Go is refreshing, appealing, and kind of profound. It's a self-help book for people who don't feel they need help, and a how-to book that urges you to do things you don't really need to do. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 People's Protective Bubbles Are Okay 3

2 How to Make Friends in a New City 4

3 The Uniqlo Game 6

4 Going to the Gym 7

5 How to Be Good at Playing Charades 9

6 Don't Pretend There Is No Leader 12

7 The Chairs Are Where the People Go 15

8 How to Teach Charades 17

9 Miscommunication Is Nice 20

10 The Gibberish Game 21

11 The Residents'Association 23

12 There Are Some Games I Won't Play with My Friends 36

13 Social Music 37

14 Manners 39

15 How to Improvise, and How Not to Not Improvise 42

16 The Crazy Parts 46

17 Charging for My Classes 48

18 What Is a Game? 50

19 Spam 51

20 Margaux 55

21 Charades Homework 56

22 Harvard and Class 59

23 The Rocks Game 66

24 Some Video on the Internet 68

25 People Who Take My Classes 70

26 Shut Up and Listen 71

27 Is Monogamy a Trick? 72

28 The Conducting Game 75

29 Sitting on the Same Side of the Table 78

30 Seeing My Friends Drunk for the First Time 81

31 A Decision Is a Thing You Make 84

32 All the Games Are Meant to Solve Problems, but Problems Are Unpleasant 89

33 Home Maladies 90

34 Keeping Away People Who Would Be Disappointed 92

35 The Happiness Class 93

36 The Converge/Diverge Game 98

37 Going to Parties 101

38 Kensington Market 103

39 Keeping People Quiet 108

40 Feeling Like a Fraud 110

41 Negotiation 111

42 Fighting Games 113

43 What Experimental Music Is For 118

44 These Projects Don't Make Money 119

45 Seeing Your Parents Once a Week 122

46 Asking a Good Question 123

47 A Mind Is Not a Terrible Thing to Measure 125

48 Doing One Thing Doesn't Mean You're Against Something Else 128

49 Get Louder or Quit 129

50 Why Robert McKee Is Wrong About Casablanca 130

51 Conferences Should Be an Exhilarating Experience 132

52 Improvised Behavior 139

53 Storytelling Is Not the Same Thing as Conversation 140

54 Introducing People in the Classes 141

55 Making the City More Fun for You and Your Privileged Friends Isn't a Super-Noble Political Goal 143

56 Seeing John Zorn Play Cobra 145

57 Impostor Syndrome 148

58 Nimbyism 149

59 Conducting from the Center of a Circle 151

60 Why Noise Music? 153

61 Absenteeism 154

62 Failure and Games 155

63 Why a Computer Only Lasts Three Years 156

64 What Are These Classes For? 157

65 Who Are Your Friends? 159

66 Neighborhoods Change 160

67 Atheism and Ritual 162

68 Social Capital 164

69 Sitting Down and Listening as a Role 165

70 Everyone's Favorite Thing and Unfavorite Thing Are Different 167

71 Finding an Ending 168

72 Wearing a Suit All the Time Is a Good Way to Quit Smoking 169.

ISBN:

9780865479456

0865479453

OCLC:

681499479