Truth be told, I love small intimate gatherings, with good food, great background music and honest conversation. Maybe it's a side effect of getting older or maybe in this tech rife society it's my subconscious' way of calling out to connect with others on a more visceral level. Back home in London, my friends and I were very good at getting together oft - just 4 or 5 of us - eating a simple yummy spread and dessert, oh my of course dessert { this was where I first encountered affogato, yum! } and talking to the wee hours about love, life, hopes, dreams, fears and music.

It's fair to say that those encounters, unplugged from technical devices and connected to each other, formed a lot of my personal principles and ideas down to this day. The importance of realising that one is not the centre of the universe and that there is much to be learned from the problems and joys of others and how they choose to handle it. The reassurance of knowing that those times spent together are ones that you will remember with affection for years to come.

<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/kewlstuff/kinfolk.jpg" alt="kinfolk" width="450" height="293" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">screengrab via <a href="http://www.kinfolkmag.com/">kinfolk magazine</a></span></p>

It's with those fond memories that I was especially happy to learn about a new magazine set to hit the web in July, Kinfolk: A guide for small gatherings. With a <em>focus on small-scale gatherings – catching up over coffee, dinner with friends, entertaining company at home. Kinfolk's goal is to promote a traditional approach to strengthening social networks and friends, opening doors, sharing tables, in the most creative and unconventional ways. </em>

My excitement stems not just from knowing there are others out there who believe in the importance of personal contact in small settings and are going to present ways to make such encounters even more meaningful, but also because the founder of this magazine is Nathan of <a href="http://www.hearblack.com/">HearBlack</a> fame, one of my most favourite blogs to look at and read. Hearblack is rampant with heartfelt visuals, personal anecdotes and a simple yet pleasing aesthetic. If that's anything to go by, Kinfolk should be a refreshing oasis of unique content in an online world glutted with 'samey' regurgitated articles.

The mag goes live in July, but in the meantime visit the <a href="http://www.kinfolkmag.com/">Kinfolk site</a> for more info. Can you recall your most favourite small gathering?