Conversation Cafes

I think if I had unlimited resources and didn't have to worry about the bottom line, I would simply open a business that was geared toward inviting people in to have conversations. I guess like a cafe or coffee shop, but the emphasis on the people. If I could do anything for a living, I think it would just involve meeting people, hearing what they have to say, and then stepping back to process it and try to make things happen.

The problem is, I have yet figure out how to turn that into a reliable source of income.

So, when I came across this article this morning, Conversation Cafe at Yes! Magazine, I was intrigued.

A few blurbs from the short article,

Conversation Cafés are intended to restore something missing from our culture; to nudge us towards the classic American values of generosity, safety, friendliness, creativity, pragmatic decision making—in short, democracy.

I envisioned intimate, reflective conversations that increased participants' capacity to engage in respectful and inquisitive conversations at home, work, and in social situations. Could a “culture of conversation” be built, or coaxed into being?

Conversation Café hosts are social liberators—and the function can go far beyond a small table in a coffee shop. “If you want to change the world, throw a better party.”

So, according to this article, Conversation week is March 24-30, 2008.

Maybe something is in order here?