The Table Where We Meet: Lessons Learned from Dinner with 1000 Strangers

We all want to be known. Most of us just don't know how to begin.

When Jess Janz found herself craving deeper conversations―but trapped in a world of small talk―she took a leap. What started as a casual idea in a hair salon soon became Dinner With Strangers: a growing movement where guests gather around a table, introduce themselves without ever mentioning work, and share who they are beyond the job title. No scripts, no expectations―just curiosity, courage, and a seat at the table.

In The Table Where We Meet, Jess reflects on what she's learned from hosting dinners with more than a thousand strangers across North America. With essays that are both tender and practical, she explores what it means to belong, how to ask better questions, and why connection requires us to risk being truly seen. Alongside her insights are unforgettable stories―funny, heartbreaking, deeply human―that reveal how much we all have in common when we finally let our guard down.

This is a book for anyone who's ever felt alone in a crowd, tired of surface-level chatter, or unsure how to bridge the gap between isolation and intimacy. The Table Where We Meet is a guide, a memoir, and a quiet revolution―one dinner at a time.

Jess Janz is an essayist, poet and community facilitator whose work examines identity, softness, and the collective ache that binds us together. In 2017, she founded the wildly popular Dinner With Strangers, a monthly event that convenes disparate people around the table for beautiful meals and gutsy questions in cities across North America. She has also facilitated dinners for a range of prominent corporate clients including Wealthsimple, The W Hotel, Staub, and Altea Active Club. Her work has been published in respected outlets such as Thought Catalog and Simplify Magazine.

Jess lives in Toronto, Canada, with her own company and her worry, for which she is learning to make a soft bed.