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Living, Together: Reimagining Community in the Age of Disconnection
21 writers and organizers on found family, hacking adulthood, and other lessons communal living can teach us about the future of housing in America
Featuring Kristen Arnett, Rhaina Cohen, Kim Stanley Robinson, and more
At age 29, when Samantha Paige Rosen made an unexpected move back home, she was surprised to find how much she loved living with her parents again. Inspired and curious, she began searching for others who had redefined home and community.
The essays and Q&As in Living, Together are about carving out spaces of communal connection and joy in our 3-bed, 2-bath starter home culture. Although they recount life at different stages and in different regions, these stories showcase the delights and tradeoffs of more dynamic shapes of “home.” Across sections on family, intentional community, and what lies beyond housing, readers will hear from voices
Kristen Arnett, whose found family kept her afloat, from weddings to hurricane season and everything in betweenKim Stanley Robinson, who describes the magic of communities that are led by everyoneSarah Thankam Mathews, who founded a pandemic mutual aid group and discovered, like so many of us, how essential connection and care are in times of crisisRodney M. Bordeaux, who explores how strength and unity are inextricably tied to life on First Nations reservations
Communal living isn’t just for cults or millennials with a pipe dream. Amidst the climate crisis, a hostile housing market, and the loneliness epidemic, Living, Together opens a window into how people in the US are thriving through collective care. This book invites us to imagine what new opportunities for connection exist when we push through the walls society has built for us.
Featuring Kristen Arnett, Rhaina Cohen, Kim Stanley Robinson, and more
At age 29, when Samantha Paige Rosen made an unexpected move back home, she was surprised to find how much she loved living with her parents again. Inspired and curious, she began searching for others who had redefined home and community.
The essays and Q&As in Living, Together are about carving out spaces of communal connection and joy in our 3-bed, 2-bath starter home culture. Although they recount life at different stages and in different regions, these stories showcase the delights and tradeoffs of more dynamic shapes of “home.” Across sections on family, intentional community, and what lies beyond housing, readers will hear from voices
Kristen Arnett, whose found family kept her afloat, from weddings to hurricane season and everything in betweenKim Stanley Robinson, who describes the magic of communities that are led by everyoneSarah Thankam Mathews, who founded a pandemic mutual aid group and discovered, like so many of us, how essential connection and care are in times of crisisRodney M. Bordeaux, who explores how strength and unity are inextricably tied to life on First Nations reservations
Communal living isn’t just for cults or millennials with a pipe dream. Amidst the climate crisis, a hostile housing market, and the loneliness epidemic, Living, Together opens a window into how people in the US are thriving through collective care. This book invites us to imagine what new opportunities for connection exist when we push through the walls society has built for us.
208 pages, Hardcover
Published July 14, 2026
About the author
Samantha Paige Rosen
1 book15 followersSamantha Paige Rosen’s writing on identity, the arts, and culture has appeared in the Washington Post, Harper’s Bazaar, Slate, Them, BOMB, Literary Hub, and elsewhere. She earned her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and lives outside of Philadelphia, where she is a freelance writer and editor, a writing tutor and coach, and an amateur potter. Living, Together: Reimagining Community in the Age of Disconnection is her first book.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 2, 2026
This is an excellent collection of essays that the author obtained on the subject of communal living - the various reasons people choose to live in this way, and what their experiences have been. The author unexpectedly moved back home with her parents at 29. While initially a short-term situation, she realized the arrangement provided a lot of benefits for all of them. Beyond financial, they were all able to help each other and lighten the load, while strengthening their relationship,
People shared a wide variety of things that led them to communal living. Like the author, some of these joined other family members to provide financial support, share childcare and other duties, etc. One writer was part of a non traditional romantic relationship. Some evolved during the pandemic, when communities came together to support each other, share resources, care for their vulnerable members. Some were similar to the communes of earlier years, with a focus on growing food, sustainability, etc.
While these types of communities have issues and growing pains, through communication most function very well. Some members of these communities are long term, while others have members join and leave at different times, based on their individual needs.
I was drawn to this for several reasons. When I was first divorced and my kids were grown, I remember joking with friends about some of us living together as we retired - mostly for financial reasons. My daughter lived with me a few times in her younger adult years, with her young daughter. But we’ve discussed the possibility of doing it again in the future. For us, it would require the right house that had separate living spaces, but where it would be easier to see and support each other, as well as providing financial benefits.
More recently there were a few months where I experienced a form of communal living. Mt mom was hospitalized and had some ongoing critical health issues. My brother and sister lived in another state but were retired while I was still working. Over a period of about four months, one or both of them stayed with me. We were all able to support our mom and be her health advocates, but we also provided tremendous support for each other. We typically would come together for dinner and some community in the evenings, but then we tended to go to our rooms… or sit together with our ear buds listening to audiobooks, stopping occasionally to talk. After living alone for many years, I think I especially appreciated this time, but we’ve all commented that it was a good bonding time for us. And we all appreciated being together when our mom died and we had to sort her things.
Who knows if a time will come where I’m in a communal living situation again, but the author showed the many circumstances that this can benefit people. The short essay structure worked really well.
People shared a wide variety of things that led them to communal living. Like the author, some of these joined other family members to provide financial support, share childcare and other duties, etc. One writer was part of a non traditional romantic relationship. Some evolved during the pandemic, when communities came together to support each other, share resources, care for their vulnerable members. Some were similar to the communes of earlier years, with a focus on growing food, sustainability, etc.
While these types of communities have issues and growing pains, through communication most function very well. Some members of these communities are long term, while others have members join and leave at different times, based on their individual needs.
I was drawn to this for several reasons. When I was first divorced and my kids were grown, I remember joking with friends about some of us living together as we retired - mostly for financial reasons. My daughter lived with me a few times in her younger adult years, with her young daughter. But we’ve discussed the possibility of doing it again in the future. For us, it would require the right house that had separate living spaces, but where it would be easier to see and support each other, as well as providing financial benefits.
More recently there were a few months where I experienced a form of communal living. Mt mom was hospitalized and had some ongoing critical health issues. My brother and sister lived in another state but were retired while I was still working. Over a period of about four months, one or both of them stayed with me. We were all able to support our mom and be her health advocates, but we also provided tremendous support for each other. We typically would come together for dinner and some community in the evenings, but then we tended to go to our rooms… or sit together with our ear buds listening to audiobooks, stopping occasionally to talk. After living alone for many years, I think I especially appreciated this time, but we’ve all commented that it was a good bonding time for us. And we all appreciated being together when our mom died and we had to sort her things.
Who knows if a time will come where I’m in a communal living situation again, but the author showed the many circumstances that this can benefit people. The short essay structure worked really well.
September 10, 2026
There’s some really fascinating stories in here, and I loved how different each one felt, but some of the style choices (multiple q&a’s specifically) felt like we lost out a slightly different version of this idea that might’ve been more interesting
November 9, 2026
WOW. This collection of essays got me taking notes!! So nice to have examples of untraditional ways of living that resonate with my desires for building community. Would recommend to anyone curious about the subject - some essays hit harder than others but would still recommend the whole collection :-)
August 8, 2026
So many great ideas, so glad we are not all traditional in our living arrangements, and that options exist for happiness, and support of our fellow humans.
A quote from the book that stuck with me " kindness is better than being right"
A quote from the book that stuck with me " kindness is better than being right"
June 30, 2026
A really spectacular anthology that moves through diverse and complex modes of making a life with others. This collection explores and expands upon the idea of how to make a life alongside others, and showcases a beautiful variety of perspectives on the topic.
August 19, 2026
I loved the variation throughout this book. It truly ran the gamut. And I loved hearing about people who are different than me both in their beliefs and the ways they live their life. It also made me realize that my living situation is unique and cool too and made me value that more.
Highly recommend!
Highly recommend!
September 9, 2026
Unsurprisingly, loved this. Maybe someday I'll actually start a non-culty commune instead of just talking about it and wishing for it. Ha! Dreams.
August 19, 2026
Interesting look at various definitions of community and what it means to live together. Gave me a new perspective on this concept outside of typical social norms/constructs. Read it with my book club and this prompted a lot of great discussion!
August 19, 2026
Good collection of essays and interviews on different ways of living in community and showing up for people
July 20, 2026
This is a great anthology of stories dedicated to showing others the benefits of banding Together, living more communally. At a time where I am living alone and feeling the weight of cooking, cleaning, maintenance, and keeping up with my own hobbies, I absolutely understand the benefit of others living and helping with one another.
July 25, 2026
I love this book, and was honored to interview some of the contributors for Electric Literature. The whole interview is here: https://electricliterature.com/the-un...
But as a general summary of what to expect, I’ll share these words from the interview’s introduction:
“It’s an anthology about living communally, and editor Samantha Paige Rosen uses the term very broadly. The essays and Q&As cover roommates and group houses, but also traditional Native American communal living and a writers’ residency held at a couple’s home in Los Angeles, to name just a couple examples.
As different as the living scenarios are, I was most struck by what the essays have in common. By making the deliberate choice to share space intimately, in ways that are unconventional by our modern Western standards, each contributor is essentially seeding community into their lives. And throughout the pages, acts of tenderness and generosity spring up like wildflowers—people caring for aging parents, others helping to raise children that aren’t their own. The resulting book is a rare read: one that’s unflinchingly honest about our current world (including the financial inequities and hardships that often drive people to live communally), but that will also leave you feeling hopeful for the future.”
But as a general summary of what to expect, I’ll share these words from the interview’s introduction:
“It’s an anthology about living communally, and editor Samantha Paige Rosen uses the term very broadly. The essays and Q&As cover roommates and group houses, but also traditional Native American communal living and a writers’ residency held at a couple’s home in Los Angeles, to name just a couple examples.
As different as the living scenarios are, I was most struck by what the essays have in common. By making the deliberate choice to share space intimately, in ways that are unconventional by our modern Western standards, each contributor is essentially seeding community into their lives. And throughout the pages, acts of tenderness and generosity spring up like wildflowers—people caring for aging parents, others helping to raise children that aren’t their own. The resulting book is a rare read: one that’s unflinchingly honest about our current world (including the financial inequities and hardships that often drive people to live communally), but that will also leave you feeling hopeful for the future.”
March 30, 2026
A beautiful collection of essays about different ways in being in community, outside of straight-nuclear family structures. I will be thinking about these stories for a long time.
July 24, 2026
Real Rating: 4.25* of five
The Publisher Says: 21 writers and organizers on found family, hacking adulthood, and other lessons communal living can teach us about the future of housing in America
Featuring Kristen Arnett, Rhaina Cohen, Kim Stanley Robinson, and more
At age 29, when Samantha Paige Rosen made an unexpected move back home, she was surprised to find how much she loved living with her parents again. Inspired and curious, she began searching for others who had redefined home and community.
The essays and Q&As in Living, Together are about carving out spaces of communal connection and joy in our 3-bed, 2-bath starter home culture. Although they recount life at different stages and in different regions, these stories showcase the delights and tradeoffs of more dynamic shapes of “home.” AAcross sections on family, intentional community, and what lies beyond housing, readers will hear from voices like:
Kristen Arnett, whose found family kept her afloat, from weddings to hurricane season and everything in between
Kim Stanley Robinson, who describes the magic of communities that are led by everyone
Sarah Thankam Mathews, who founded a pandemic mutual aid group and discovered, like so many of us, how essential connection and care are in times of crisis
Rodney M. Bordeaux, who explores how strength and unity are inextricably tied to life on First Nations reservations
Communal living isn’t just for cults or millennials with a pipe dream. Amidst the climate crisis, a hostile housing market, and the loneliness epidemic, Living, Together opens a window into how people in the US are thriving through collective care. This book invites us to imagine what new opportunities for connection exist when we push through the walls society has built for us.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: I live alone. I have always loved living alone. Company suits me only when I can't hear, see, or smell them (smokers need to be treated for their addiction!) when I don't want to. (Which is almost always.) However, age and disability require I compromise by living in congregate care so the things I genuinely can no longer do but that need doing are still done.
Because I live in New York City, that is not an impossible dream, and I wake up each and every day happy and comfortable...and very aware of my extreme good fortune.
So there's my essay for this collection of them on the topic of living in and among others. It is a fascinating topic, living arrangements always are. The essays within the collection are going to appeal in varying degrees. Different writers approach the topic differently, and sometimes unexpectedly based on their larger bodies of work.
I'm convinced the topic of housing all of us is never going to be less than contentious. Capitalism's deep, invasive weed roots are going to wrap around everyone involved in its systems' minds. I hope reading this collection of essays will convince a few to stand outside the building their lives have been spent within to take a fresh, sunlit view of the needs, the wants, and the realities of fair, just, reasonable access to housing.
*snort* Not bloody likely in a world where healthcare is rationed by money, but a boy can dream.
The Publisher Says: 21 writers and organizers on found family, hacking adulthood, and other lessons communal living can teach us about the future of housing in America
Featuring Kristen Arnett, Rhaina Cohen, Kim Stanley Robinson, and more
At age 29, when Samantha Paige Rosen made an unexpected move back home, she was surprised to find how much she loved living with her parents again. Inspired and curious, she began searching for others who had redefined home and community.
The essays and Q&As in Living, Together are about carving out spaces of communal connection and joy in our 3-bed, 2-bath starter home culture. Although they recount life at different stages and in different regions, these stories showcase the delights and tradeoffs of more dynamic shapes of “home.” AAcross sections on family, intentional community, and what lies beyond housing, readers will hear from voices like:
Kristen Arnett, whose found family kept her afloat, from weddings to hurricane season and everything in between
Kim Stanley Robinson, who describes the magic of communities that are led by everyone
Sarah Thankam Mathews, who founded a pandemic mutual aid group and discovered, like so many of us, how essential connection and care are in times of crisis
Rodney M. Bordeaux, who explores how strength and unity are inextricably tied to life on First Nations reservations
Communal living isn’t just for cults or millennials with a pipe dream. Amidst the climate crisis, a hostile housing market, and the loneliness epidemic, Living, Together opens a window into how people in the US are thriving through collective care. This book invites us to imagine what new opportunities for connection exist when we push through the walls society has built for us.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: I live alone. I have always loved living alone. Company suits me only when I can't hear, see, or smell them (smokers need to be treated for their addiction!) when I don't want to. (Which is almost always.) However, age and disability require I compromise by living in congregate care so the things I genuinely can no longer do but that need doing are still done.
Because I live in New York City, that is not an impossible dream, and I wake up each and every day happy and comfortable...and very aware of my extreme good fortune.
So there's my essay for this collection of them on the topic of living in and among others. It is a fascinating topic, living arrangements always are. The essays within the collection are going to appeal in varying degrees. Different writers approach the topic differently, and sometimes unexpectedly based on their larger bodies of work.
I'm convinced the topic of housing all of us is never going to be less than contentious. Capitalism's deep, invasive weed roots are going to wrap around everyone involved in its systems' minds. I hope reading this collection of essays will convince a few to stand outside the building their lives have been spent within to take a fresh, sunlit view of the needs, the wants, and the realities of fair, just, reasonable access to housing.
*snort* Not bloody likely in a world where healthcare is rationed by money, but a boy can dream.
August 27, 2026
This anthology focused on community and communal living is heartfelt and visionary. I appreciate all the different authors who contributed to this. The essays and interviews are all relatively short and easy to read, and all grapple with making intentional choices around how we live our lives, both in terms of physical housing and social networks.
This collection is divided into three thematic sections: “Family Homes”, “Intentional Communities”, and “Beyond Housing”. Beyond Housing was by far my favorite, mainly because of the variety. In the other two sections, there are some topics that show up across multiple authors’ works, which definitely speak to a common lived experience, but did become repetitive. There were some really interesting common through lines of navigating disability, polyamory, queerness, and faith in these arrangements.
Even though there are so many different ways to live in community, I was inspired by the arc in a lot of these stories where the author learns to prioritize the dynamics that empower them. I really enjoyed Rhaina Cohen’s essay about adult housemates and Jewish traditions. There was an interview with Suanne Carlson, the executive director of Homes on Wheels Alliance, which was a lifestyle I had never heard of before. Gabrielle Korn wrote about offering a spare room as an artist residency, instead of just putting it on AirBnB. Jake Montano had a great essay about drag houses and specifically an Asian American drag house in San Francisco.
And of course, I am a huge fan of Sarah Thankam Mathews. I heard about this book through the fact that she had an essay included. Her essay talks about her experience organizing the mutual aid group Bed Stuy Strong right at the start of the pandemic. I appreciate that we got to see how her current perspective on the experience differs from how she wrote about it more in the moment. I resonated with and got a lot out of her description of just how difficult it can be to put so much into a community. It was important to me to read a measured description of the tolls that come with living and working with other people, and to still always choose community.
This collection is divided into three thematic sections: “Family Homes”, “Intentional Communities”, and “Beyond Housing”. Beyond Housing was by far my favorite, mainly because of the variety. In the other two sections, there are some topics that show up across multiple authors’ works, which definitely speak to a common lived experience, but did become repetitive. There were some really interesting common through lines of navigating disability, polyamory, queerness, and faith in these arrangements.
Even though there are so many different ways to live in community, I was inspired by the arc in a lot of these stories where the author learns to prioritize the dynamics that empower them. I really enjoyed Rhaina Cohen’s essay about adult housemates and Jewish traditions. There was an interview with Suanne Carlson, the executive director of Homes on Wheels Alliance, which was a lifestyle I had never heard of before. Gabrielle Korn wrote about offering a spare room as an artist residency, instead of just putting it on AirBnB. Jake Montano had a great essay about drag houses and specifically an Asian American drag house in San Francisco.
And of course, I am a huge fan of Sarah Thankam Mathews. I heard about this book through the fact that she had an essay included. Her essay talks about her experience organizing the mutual aid group Bed Stuy Strong right at the start of the pandemic. I appreciate that we got to see how her current perspective on the experience differs from how she wrote about it more in the moment. I resonated with and got a lot out of her description of just how difficult it can be to put so much into a community. It was important to me to read a measured description of the tolls that come with living and working with other people, and to still always choose community.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Really enjoyed this anthology and the way it moves through all these complex ideas of family, community, and what it means to connect as humans. Especially in the wake of COVID social isolation and the continued rise of isolation among generations, I found myself feeling hopeful at what these writers are offering here.
This book is full of contributors I know and love (Hannah Grieco, Sarah Thankam Mathews, Gabrielle Korn, and Kristen Arnett, to name a few!) but also new voices from spaces outside the literary sphere who are re-seeing and re-thinking how we can exist and support each other outside of traditional family and housing structures. LIVING, TOGETHER is about more than different ways to see cohabitation. It connects these voices in a unique choir of queerness, mutual aid, and community support that feels nothing short of revolutionary in our current political climate.
I have personally been yearning for more in-person connection, away from screens and the quick-trigger of online discourse. What I’ve learned here is that maybe all it takes is some personal initiative to really create (and keep) that community.
Thank you to the editor for the advanced copy!
This book is full of contributors I know and love (Hannah Grieco, Sarah Thankam Mathews, Gabrielle Korn, and Kristen Arnett, to name a few!) but also new voices from spaces outside the literary sphere who are re-seeing and re-thinking how we can exist and support each other outside of traditional family and housing structures. LIVING, TOGETHER is about more than different ways to see cohabitation. It connects these voices in a unique choir of queerness, mutual aid, and community support that feels nothing short of revolutionary in our current political climate.
I have personally been yearning for more in-person connection, away from screens and the quick-trigger of online discourse. What I’ve learned here is that maybe all it takes is some personal initiative to really create (and keep) that community.
Thank you to the editor for the advanced copy!
August 19, 2026
One of the most soul-nourishing books I've read in recent memory. I found myself crying happy tears every few chapters, and every time I picked it up it up to read a few pages, I set it back down with a renewed faith in humanity. Sam did a fantastic job finding a wide range of people living in close community with others, and every story was a reminder that these types of ongoing relationships with other people can be empowering, frustrating, beautiful, inconvenient, necessary and, honestly, the meaning of life itself. It made me more open to accepting challenges that come from cultivating a close community and more aware of the wonderful things those relationships bring.
As an unexpected side effect, reading this on the New York City subway always made me feel more tolerant of the presence, noises and smells of people around me. Do yourself a favor and read this book: It may cause a powerful mindset shift.
As an unexpected side effect, reading this on the New York City subway always made me feel more tolerant of the presence, noises and smells of people around me. Do yourself a favor and read this book: It may cause a powerful mindset shift.
September 22, 2026
40th book of 2026
Living, Together explores how people are rethinking home, family, and community in response to loneliness, housing pressures, and a desire for stronger social connection. The book is an anthology of essays and Q&As from 21 writers and organizers, each describing different forms of communal living and collective care. The pieces cover found family, multigenerational living, intentional communities, mutual aid, and other alternatives to the traditional single-family household.
ALC from @librofm Educator Program.
Living, Together explores how people are rethinking home, family, and community in response to loneliness, housing pressures, and a desire for stronger social connection. The book is an anthology of essays and Q&As from 21 writers and organizers, each describing different forms of communal living and collective care. The pieces cover found family, multigenerational living, intentional communities, mutual aid, and other alternatives to the traditional single-family household.
ALC from @librofm Educator Program.
August 23, 2026
overall enjoyed this! it was super unique: an anthology of essays and Q&As by different authors about very different things all oriented around the idea of living with others/community/combating loneliness. all essays were written well, some i just didn’t love some of the aspects of them (zionism, US military). some were just more interesting to me. i didn’t like the audiobook narrators voice tho, which def made me like the book less i think
September 29, 2026
A profound exploration of the many ways we can create community -- and why it's important. We are disconnected, and Living, Together encourages us to seek connection for not only our own betterment but for the betterment (and delight!) of those with whom we develop relationship. I love the variety: Stories about living in households, living on the road, living in cohousing, living in affiliation groups like the Rice Rockettes.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Wonderful collection that showcases many different ways of co-living and community connection! The essays and interviews are all from fantastic authors--a few I'd already known and loved like Kristen Arnett and a ton of new writers that I'm excited to read more from!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
A stunning anthology that collages bold and innovative approaches to communal living in an era of profound disconnect and isolation. This is a book that will make you feel less alone, that puts so many approaches to living in front of you and shows you just how abundant life and our social networks can be.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews