Stefani Pine of Zip It Events
So last January I went to Free Candy, a monthy live talk show at the Hartford Coffee House. Yes, there’s a talk show in a coffee house and no it is not broadcast on TV or radio. Weird, I know. But kinda cool.
Anyway, one of the guests was Stefani Pine of Zip It Events. Stefani puts on social events were no one is allowed to speak. They, instead, communicate with written notes. Weird, I know. A social event with no talking. Demented and sad, but social. And kinda cool.
Last month was Silent Bowling. Me and my sister went and bowled a couple of games with a bunch of total strangers without speaking to them. One of the guys in our lane was not only deaf but a very serious bowler. This of course gave him a double advantage ar silent bowling and he kicked everybody’s ass in both games.
He told us he was deaf at the start of the evening, which I guess was a good thing to do in case there was an emergency. It just struck me as odd that he would tell us he was deaf at the begining of an event about silence. It’s kinda like telling someone you’re blind over the phone.
There’s something very Utne Reader about socializing in silence. It’s even more Utne Reader than adult kick ball. But that’s cool. At least it’s different.
In NYC, there were events called “Quiet Parties”. It was a very hipster thing to do for a few of the winter months, and then it just sort of dropped off the radar. Of course, these parties were most often held at a bar with a back room (access = admission fee). You passed notes to people you found interesting. Talking was not permitted, unless you were in a designated area (usually the actual bar). It was an interesting respite from all the noise of New York, but most people that live there really like to hear themselves talk. *shrugs*