About

Think Olio is an ongoing experiment in lifelong learning to encourage curiosity, creative living, and face-to-face conversation.

Two men in a bright indoor space with white brick walls and large windows, surrounded by potted plants, chairs, and tools, appearing to work on a project or discuss something.

We started Olio in 2015 when we (Chris & David) met as students with a deep love of the humanities and a belief in lifelong learning outside of institutions.

In 2025, we took the leap and got our own space. Somehow, the Craigslist gods placed us in the heart of Prospect Heights in a shared building full of beautiful healing arts and old-school artists.

Our truest desire is that this can be a space to take a break from capitalism, to experience rest and reset just by the simple acts of being and belonging.

All of our offerings center human activities deeply ingrained in our DNA, like: learning, conversing, making music, storytelling around a fire (we literally have a wood stove), and cracking up until we cry. All of that good stuff.

Sometimes we struggle to define Olio since it’s always evolving and taking on new shapes, but here are some highlights:

  • We blur the line between lectures and house parties

  • Our community naturally filters out a$$holes and attracts NY’s kindest

  • We invite professors, practitioners, artists, and therapists to lead our gatherings and pay them for their time

  • We are multicultural, intergenerational, and someone recently told us they “have met the most interesting New Yorkers at Olio events.”

  • We have really cool custom speakers for deep-listening sessions

No matter what is happening at the Lighthouse, you can expect a warm welcome and a gathering of curious, smiling minds.

We are still a two-person operation without any outside funding and our membership makes all this possible.

Thank you,

Chris & David

About Our Membership

A Brief History

2015

Chris and David meet in a CUNY classroom with 7 other students and a great professor.

Inspired by the amazing conversations, they dream of creating learning experiences like this outside of the classroom.

They invite a favorite professor to teach in their living room, text some friends to attend, and Olio is born!

A group of people seated in a small bookstore or library, engaging with a man who is speaking and sitting behind a table. The room is filled with books on shelves, a drum, and a typewriter, creating an intimate, literary atmosphere.

2016

Think Olio is invited to host a series at Strand Bookstore, and packs the Rare Book Room with Olios on “Women & Madness,” Buffy the Vampire Slayer, & Oscar Wilde.

A woman speaking at a podium in front of a large audience inside a bookstore. The background features tall wooden bookshelves filled with numerous books and string lights hanging from the ceiling. A red oval sign reads "Strand, 18 miles of books, New York City, Est. 1927."

2018

The Olio guys rent a Victorian home in Wassaic, NY, which they lovingly call “OlioHouse” and begin hosting retreats every other weekend for the Olio community.

Group of people gathered indoors, smiling and posing for a photo, with a welcome sign that reads 'Welcome Home Oliohouse'.

2019

Olio brings a group to Cuba for their first-ever international OlioTrip. They also receive a weekly residency at the Strand Bookstore and Nowadays.

A smiling woman with tattoos on her arm, wearing a sleeveless dark top and a red headband, sitting outdoors next to a yellow wall with potted plants in the background.

2020

The Olio community sticks together during challenging times by offering virtual weekly Olios, hosting a 12-hour radio show, and bringing therapists on as Olio teachers.

A person in headphones is standing in a recording studio with a microphone, a computer monitor, speakers, and musical equipment visible. The studio has wooden walls and framed artwork.

2022

Olio returns to NYC with a week-long residency at Chinatown Soup Art Gallery. Having a venue for a week made space to create fun and weird events. Inspired by the flow of community coming in and out each day, the Olio guys begin dreaming of having their own venue in the near future.

A woman in a pink dress is sitting on a window seat, speaking to a group of people gathered in a cozy living room, decorated with potted plants, framed pictures, and a Christmas tree visible through the window.

2024

Returning to the roots of the organization, Olio launches CLUB, empowering anyone around the world to host a living room Olio.

A group of people sitting on a couch and chairs in a living room, engaging in a social gathering or meeting. The room has a large colorful wall art, a white column with vines, and shelves with books and decorative objects.

2025

We love hearing from you. For partnerships, creating new Olios, or any other opportunities to collaborate, reach out to us at hi@olio.rsvp.

The Craigslist gods have blessed our community with The Olio Lighthouse, a home for lifelong learners right in Prospect Heights! Expect intimate lectures, collective co-working, film nights, live music, and whatever else we, as a community, dream up. 

A person stands in front of a room full of seated audience members, speaking into a microphone. The room has a white brick wall, a projection screen, and decorative plants.