Tending to Queer Loneliness | Shared Table Dinner
Shared Table Dinners are a monthly ritual for questions that matter. Around food, presence, and the kind of conversation that doesn't end when you leave the table.
“Conformity requires us to minimize our differences for the greater good. We fear that if we don't conform, we will be abandoned, but there is no loneliness like having people only see you after you've erased yourself.”
― Alok Vaid-Menon, Beyond the Gender Binary
This October, in solidarity with the queer community targeted at CSD Berlin this year, we’re holding space for a conversation we don't have enough — on queer loneliness, and what it means to truly see each other.
Queer loneliness has its own shape. It can live in the body before it has language. It can exist even inside community — the loneliness of partial visibility, of being seen only in parts, of navigating safety and selfhood at the same time. Of building chosen family in the gaps left open.
How do we care for a loneliness that is also structural? How do we show up for each other in a time of violence and uncertainty? What does it mean to be truly seen as you actually are?
LGBTQIA+ folks and allies, this one is for you. 🌈
With love,
Thomas, hosting on behalf of Monika | The Oneliness Project
🍚 What to Expect & Bring
Shared Table Dinners are experience-first gatherings—intentionally designed and gently facilitated, without a fixed script.
We come together around a shared table to eat, listen, and explore questions that matter. The evening invites presence, contribution, and meaningful connection while leaving space for what wants to emerge.
Please bring a vegetarian (or vegan) dish to share — homemade or store-bought, both are welcome. Think: a salad, spread, soup, raw veggies for a platter, a leftover you love, or something sweet! 🍫
This is a vegetarian, alcohol-free dinner. We’ll have delicious Oolong tea and water to enjoy. 🍵
💛 Contribution & Accessibility
Shared Table Dinners are carefully designed, facilitated experiences—hours of prep, cooking, conversation, and care go into making each gathering special.
All contributions are shared equally between C*Space (our community home) and Monika Jiang / the hosting team.
10 € — Your Seat at the Table
You get a spot to join the conversation, share food, and be part of the magic. Minimal, but enough to keep the door open.15 € — Give Back a Little
Covers basic costs and some of the host’s time. You’re helping keep the lights on while showing up fully.20+ € — Sustain Community
For those who want to see Shared Table Dinners continue and grow! Your generosity sustains the space, the hosting work, and allows others to participate at lower contributions.
Choose what feels right, and know that every contribution is part of the community in action. 💛 Thank you!
About the Host(s) 🤸♀️ & Space
Hii! I’m Monika Jiang, a writer, curator, and community builder, and the founder of The Oneliness Project.
I started Shared Table Dinners as part of my exploration into loneliness and oneliness as personal, social, and cultural experiences, and how we can practice reconnection with ourselves, others, and the world. I’ve held spaces across global conferences and festivals, organizations and teams, as well as in intimate, small-group settings.
My gatherings are known for weaving together play, joy, embodiment, and depth of inquiry, using movement, reflection, and thoughtful questions. Take a leap of faith and join to feel for yourself!
C*Space is our main collaborator and community home of all Berlin Shared Table Dinners. As a purpose-driven creative hub housed in a former furniture factory in Berlin-Weißensee, C*Space cultivates curiosity, community, and regenerative ideas through co-working, cultural programs, and gatherings like this. 🟡