A January Full of Stories, Connection, and Community in Monfalcone

​​January offered us a grounding reminder of why this community exists in the first place. Not to produce events or fill calendars, but to create a shared space where stories act as bridges,  between people, between experiences, and between the private act of reading and the collective warmth of being together.

Stories, for us, are not only found on pages. They live in conversations, silences, laughter, and the moments when people feel safe enough to share.

From Screens to Shared Space

We began the year by stepping away from our screens and meeting in person. What unfolded felt less like an organised event and more like a homecoming. For many of us, it was the first time we were putting faces to names we had come to know through messages, reflections, and shared reading journeys.

We talked about books, but also about what draws us to them. Some of us read to escape the world; others read to better understand it. We realised that this diversity of motivations, this gentle friction, is what makes our collective voice richer and more alive. Different reasons, one shared space.

This spirit of discovery carried into our January book discussion around Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park. What began as a literary conversation soon turned into a deeper reflection on what it means to be “different” within rigid social structures.

Through the protagonist’s queer experience and his layered relationships, fleeting partners, chosen families, and the complex bond between mother and son, we were immersed in the realities of contemporary Korean society. Yet what stayed with us most was how familiar these struggles felt.

Despite cultural distance, the emotions resonated deeply. We were reminded that stories rooted in experiences far from our own often reveal something profoundly universal. They show us that vulnerability, longing, and the search for belonging speak a shared language.

From Reading Together to Being Together

As January flowed into February, we shifted from the emotional weight of literature to something lighter and more tactile: our first-ever Swap Day.

On a soft Sunday afternoon, members of our local community gathered to exchange books and clothes. What could have been a simple swap turned into a moment of shared care. Between stacks of novels, racks of garments, and a shared aperitivo, conversations unfolded naturally , unstructured, warm, and unhurried. It was one of those afternoons where people linger. Where time slows. Where connection happens without being planned.

By the end of this period, we realised that nearly sixty community members had been actively engaged in just one month, across in-person gatherings and our digital spaces, which continued to hum with the same support and curiosity we felt offline.

In the quieter moments that followed, we sent out a survey to better understand how this initiative is landing in your lives. One response, in particular, stayed with us. A young girl from our community shared a reflection so honest and moving that it stopped us in our tracks. We’ll be sharing her words with you very soon.

Her reflection captured the essence of what we are building better than anything we could write ourselves.