Hi! I hope you’re either having a relaxing day or getting your Thanksgiving/holiday ducks in a row this weekend (I’m definitely in the latter camp). I’m popping in with an exciting update based on what many of you shared after this recent issue of the newsletter:

You’re interested in organizing gatherings and book club meetups in your cities—and I’m here to help you make that happen.

Today, I’m thrilled to announce a special new perk for my dear paid subscribers: our very own, dedicated chat space!

What makes this chat special?

Our existing Substack chat will stay open for general chatter and recommendations. It’s not going anywhere!

But the new chat is hosted on Geneva—a platform designed for organized, vibrant community discussions. Think of it as Slack, but cozier and built for connecting over shared interests.

Here’s what Geneva offers:

• Separate “rooms” for organized conversations: Meetups, book recs, travel, TV/podcasts, “mom stuff,” buy/sell/trade, and more.

• Easy event hosting: Planning a book club meeting? Organize it in the meetups room!

• Direct messaging: Chat with other Downtime readers 1:1.

• Special features: Like audio-only chats for cozy discussions.

My hope for this space

Community is more important than ever, and I believe Downtime readers are some of the coolest, smartest, and most thoughtful people out there. I’d love to help connect you with each other IRL to share ideas, book discussions, and more.

How to join

1. Make sure you’re a paid subscriber to Downtime.

2. Click the button below (behind the paywall) to request access. Use the same email address you subscribed with.

3. I’ll manually approve your request as soon as I can (it might take a few days; thank you for your patience—this one-woman operation is doing her best!).

Not a paid subscriber yet?

Now’s the perfect time to join: I’m offering 20% off annual subscriptions through December 1st—my last sale of the year. That’s just $4/month!

Get 20% off for 1 year

As a paid subscriber, you’ll also get:

• 2-3 extra newsletters each month.

• Access to the full archives.

• Entry into giveaways.

• And more perks coming in 2025.

Most importantly, your subscription keeps Downtime running and supports everyone who helps me bring it to life—editors, designers, photographers, and more. 💛 Plus, I’m so close to reaching an exciting subscriber milestone, and hitting it before the end of the year would mean the world to me!

How to organize book club meetups in the chat 📚

If you’d like to host a meetup, post in the “meetups” room with your city and any relevant details (e.g., book club, civic engagement, etc.). Some readers prefer to share their personal email addresses to coordinate further. I recommend meeting in a public space, such as a café or restaurant, for safety. If the chat room gets too busy, I can set up city-specific rooms to keep things organized.

Some quick notes:

• For global readers: Unfortunately, Geneva isn’t yet available for EU/UK users due to privacy laws. I’ll let you know as soon as that changes. For now, please continue to use the Substack chat!

• Community guidelines: This chat will be largely member-moderated. I trust you to foster a positive space—thank you for keeping things running smoothly.

✨ Ready to join? Click the button below to access the Geneva chat! ✨

(button is behind the paywall!)...