Hi again, my lovely readers!

This is a quickie intro. I’ve got nothing of note for you this week, except for these lovely gatherings. As a reminder, submit your events here and your ads here.

Want to be a New Yorker of the Week? Apply here! Your odds of being featured are great, especially if you’re a single man.

Now, onto the GIF and the good stuff:

Holistic therapy for Couples and Individuals

I work with couples navigating disconnection, conflict, or feeling stuck in the same patterns. My approach is grounded in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and somatic practice, helping people slow things down and get underneath reactivity. I work with couples through challenges in communication, intimacy, sexuality, and trust, and also see individuals across diverse relationship structures and identities.

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Gatherings

Double check details before you go, and contact the organizers with questions! The Joy List does not run these events.

Monday, May 18: Apartment-Sized Art Party for Singles

Create art that helps you connect! Join us after-work for a creative evening of making miniature art you can commute home with. A low-pressure night of connection, (maybe bad) art making, and good drinks with good people who also happen to be single.

$18, 6:30–8:30 PM, 311 E 60th. Info here.

Monday, May 18: UWS Chapter: Audiobooks & Crafts!

Come join us on the UWS for our chapter's inaugeral Audiobooks and Crafts event! What better way to keep our hands busy while we listen to our books than with art! You are encouraged to bring your own knitting, crocheting, embroidery, origami, coloring, sketching, journal decorating, or anything else your heart desires! Our venue hosts at Hex & Co. simply ask we keep paint, glue, or anything particularly messy contained or to a minimum. Supplies will also be on hand for friendship bracelet making if you don't have a craft at home to bring!

$25-$30. 6:30 PM. Hex and Co. Info here.

Tuesday, May 19: Contact Improvisation Basics Class

Contact Improv is a fun non-gendered partner dance form. The technique focuses on giving and supporting weight, and coordinating with gravity and momentum, to create spontaneous relational dances that fly and fall through space. It is both a come-as-you-are practice (meaning anyone can join) and a skill-based practice (why people keep coming back and getting stronger). Come to improve your body awareness, learn to listen through the skin, and make new friends!

$20, 6:30–8:30pm, 100 Grand St, 2nd Floor. Info here.

Wednesday, May 20: Whimsical Wellness Educator Mini Retreat!

Meet education changemakers across NYC to learn together new Whimsical Wellness tools and practices to finish the year strong and renew your energy on the education journey! This retreat will include mini-roundtables on Bringing the Whimsy to Wellness, Connecting Moments to Movements, The Mindful Playground plus a delectable dinner :) Each participant will receive an official Whimsical Wisdom Certificate, and a Whimsical Mental Health Kit + a few wellness surprises. Brought to you by the Swing Set Institute.

$0–$24, 5:30–8:30pm, 389 5th Ave, 9th Floor. Info here.

Thursday, May 21: Critical Thinking Club

2 comedians and a philosophy professor debate the theme, "Should New Yorkers have more sex, yes or no?" Then, audience members get in groups of 4-6 and share their perspectives with the help of guided prompts. It's silly, no-stakes, and you'll learn a critical thinking framework and get the chance to practice with open-minded neighbors. Come solo, or bring your friend(s) who needs to get better at thinking!

$10, 6:30–8pm, 12-16 Vestry St, Fabrik NYC. Info here.

Thursday, May 21: "Baile Inolvidable" - Bad Bunny | One-Day Choir

Gaia Music Collective's One-Day Choir series is an opportunity to sing in a choir for one day only. A celebration of song and the connective power of singing in harmony. An opportunity to build community, make some new friends, and raise our powerfully diverse voices as one.

No auditions. No commitment. No judgment or need for perfection.

Just the joy of creating something bigger than ourselves with a room full of beautiful humans!

Donation-based. 6:30 PM. 1000 Sutton St. Info here.

Friday, May 22: Fresh Picks: A Market to Transform How You Source Your Food

Fresh Picks is a curated marketplace and panel bringing together the local food makers and distributors who are building a more sustainable, accessible, and delightful food system in New York. This is an evening designed for anyone curious about eating more locally and sustainably whether you're a longtime CSA member or someone who's been meaning to start shopping their neighborhood farmer's market.

You'll spend the evening learning about options for eating locally grown and produced food from the founders and organizations who are changing the game to make it easier and more delightful to access including Farm to People, Seasonal, and Groundcycle. Every registered guest will receive a market tote packed with seasonal produce and locally made products from the organizations in the room – ready to take you through Memorial Day Weekend!

$45–60, 6–8pm, Fabrik DUMBO, 20 Jay St Suite 218. Info here.

Saturday, May 23: Sensory Play: Daylight Edition

Join us at the beautiful Hit Me Up space for a sultry afternoon of sensory exploration. Drift between immersive stations designed to tease the senses, awaken touch, and spark delicious curiosity. Stations will include: Cuddles, Electro, Chocolate Art, Guided Touch, Tarot, Live Music.

$50 (sliding scale), 3pm, 120 Walker St, Floor 6. Info here.

Sunday, May 24: If Books Could Kill (unofficial) Listener Meetup

Join a listener-organized meetup for fans of the books and culture podcast "If Books Could Kill" at Bohemian Beer Garden in Astoria. Spend the Sunday of MDW with like-minded people you're likely to have a lot in common with right away. Tables at Bohemian Beer Garden are available first-come, first-serve, so please arrive closer to the start of the event.

Free, self-pay for drinks, 12:30–3:30pm, 29-19 24th Avenue, Astoria. Info here.

That's it for this edition. Sending hugs.

Stay cool,

Jillian