The Longest Table: Breaking Bread, Building Connection
On Saturday, October 4, 2025, I attended The Longest Table, a community dinner hosted by the Howard County Library System in partnership with Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland. The concept was simple but powerful: gather with neighbors, share a meal, and engage in meaningful conversation with people you’ve never met before. Watch video highlights below.
The event was held outdoors, with long tables stretching across the courtyard outside the Rouse Company Foundation building. The evening centered on one transformative idea that curiosity and empathy can grow when we share a meal together.
The theme of the conversation was food: how it brings people together, and sometimes, how it can divide us. I loved spending the evening with my new friends: Mae, Sanjay, Melissa, Linda, and Ali. Our conversation ranged from favorite family recipes to the cultural traditions that shape how we cook and eat. By the time dinner was served—family-style platters of teriyaki salmon skewers, grilled veggies, and warm pita—the conversations had deepened, laughter came easily, and it felt as if we’d known each other for far longer than a couple of hours.
Each guest was intentionally seated with strangers to encourage genuine connection, and the discussion prompts made it easy to open up. It was refreshing to talk with people from different walks of life and discover shared experiences through something as universal as food.
Attendees also received a free copy of Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World by Scott Shigeoka, a perfect companion for an event built around connection and curiosity.
Dessert was a slice of birthday cake celebrating 85 years of the Howard County Library System, served alongside vegan brownies… and our table was happy to take the extra brownies! As the sun set over the campus, the crowd lingered. No one seemed in a rush to leave.
Adding to the sense of community and creativity, Howard County Library System (HCLS) recently commissioned a series of public murals called “social engagement stations” as part of its #ConnectHCLS campaign. The installations highlight different Maryland ecosystems from the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Several of the mural panels were displayed at The Longest Table event, adding color, conversation starters, and another reminder that creativity can bring people together just as powerfully as a shared meal.
It was one of those evenings that reminded me of something simple and profound: connection is the real nourishment. I left The Longest Table with a full stomach and a full heart, grateful for the conversations, the shared stories, and the reminder that empathy often begins with something as simple as passing the bread.
@alissaarfordauthorWhat a lovely event tonight at Howard Community College hosted by Howard County Libraries! The Longest Table – a conversation about food with other members of the community! Loved my time at my table with my new friends: Mae, Sanjay, Melissa, Linda, and Ali.
♬ original sound – Alissa Arford | Author BookTok
