Priya Sharma

My family played cards after Sunday dinner, but nobody ever explained the rules to the children. I became the person who reads the manual so no one else has to—and then spent ten years building a shelf of games that make strangers talk to one another.

I choose three games for each group and teach every rule out loud. No homework, no two-hour setup, no expert at the table making you feel slow. The prizes are peculiar souvenirs from my travels and are absolutely not worth cheating for. People cheat anyway.

I keep score carefully and lose with theatrical grace.