The Art of Fighting: The Transformative Power of Conflict
Priya Parker presents *The Art of Fighting: The Transformative Power of Conflict*, a discussion of why disagreement is not necessarily a threat to communities, teams, workplaces, friendships, or other groups. Drawing on her work as a conflict facilitator, extensive research, and real-world examples, Parker offers practical ways to recognize disputes, decide how to address them, and respond when conflicts cannot be resolved.
Parker will discuss the book with Clint Smith, exploring how healthy conflict can help relationships and communities adapt, grow, and develop stronger forms of collective meaning. The conversation will take place at Politics and Prose’s Connecticut Avenue location.
When: Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Showtimes: The event begins at 7:00 p.m.
Venue: Politics and Prose at 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Tickets: Free admission with first-come, first-served seating.
Featured speakers: Priya Parker and Clint Smith
About Priya Parker: Parker is a facilitator, strategic adviser, author of *The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters*, and host and executive producer of the *New York Times* podcast *Together Apart*. Her conflict-resolution work has included race-relations projects at American colleges and peace processes in the Arab world, southern Africa, and India. She studied organizational design at M.I.T., public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, and political and social thought at the University of Virginia. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children.
About Clint Smith: Smith is a staff writer at *The Atlantic* and the author of the narrative nonfiction book *How the Word Is Passed* and the poetry collections *Counting Descent* and *Above Ground*.
Event subject: Nonfiction and conflict resolution.
Accessibility: Requests for accommodations and accessibility questions should be sent to events@politics-prose.com, ideally at least one week before the event. Politics and Prose will make an effort to accommodate requests made up to the event time.
Related book: *The Art of Fighting: The Transformative Power of Conflict* by Priya Parker is available for preorder as a $30 hardcover edition, with publication scheduled for September 8, 2026.
Run time: Not specified.
Age guidance: Not specified.