Finding Your Third Place: Building Happier Communities (and Making Great Friends Along the Way)

An exciting new look at the essential gathering spaces in our society where friendships are formed, relationships are nurtured, and the tapestry of community is woven.

Do you have a third place? Your first place is home, your second place is work, and your third place is where you go to socialize and build friendships. Yet, for several reasons, many people today find themselves without a third place of their own. At a time when our nation is facing an epidemic of loneliness and communities are suffering from a loss of trust, low levels of engagement, despair, and political polarization, what if the answer to many of our problems lies in a simple idea? What if we just need to pay attention to the places where we find ourselves?

Rick Kyte combines storytelling, social science, and philosophy to explore:
• What makes a third place
• Factors that create and support vibrant communities
• The role of hospitality in creating belonging and social connection
• How third places foster friendships and bind us to others in our community
• What it takes to find and create a third place of your own

"Rick Kyte's insight into the vital human experience of connection and friendship is both scholarly and inspiring. The next time I visit my favorite coffee shop, I'm leaving my laptop at home. It's time to look outward and engage more fully with others in our third places." —Amy Dickinson, "Ask Amy" advice columnist and author of The Mighty Queens of Freeville

FEATURED IN VOX AND THE "ASK AMY" COLUMN