Egyptian uprising was defined not only by political effervescence but also by a significant increase in cultural activism. Many aspiring writers and poets saw the revolution as the occasion to redefine the space of literary creation according to the new political frontlines. They took steps in organizing themselves more efficiently outside the purview of crumbling State institutions of culture by setting up literary associations and engaging in informal cultural activities. Political considerations were always present. Experiences of revolutionary commitment, albeit often temporary ones, created political affinities which inevitably translated into literary friendships and sociable cultural exchange structured around the institution of a literary club (nadwa). Yet, evolving revolutionary landscape constantly challenged political affinities prompting writers to develop various strategies to preserve literary friendships. This paper focuses on a literary association created in 2012 by a Muslim Brotherhood’s sympathizer as a non-partisan literary circle. Built on the ethnographic immersion in its organized symposiums and interviews with its old and new members conducted between 2016 and 2019, this paper explores the conditions in which political sensibilities overlay or chafe against other social values and forms of being together, such as social class, respectability, literary capital and, above all, factors of aesthetic affinities and literary expertise. Defined by different social norms and forms of interaction than political activism, such as sociable exchange, courtesy and aesthetic enjoyment, the context of a literary club provides a productive angle to observe the revolutionary closure among non-activist middle-aged Egyptians with literary aspirations. How do members speak about their past political commitments? How do they react to political positions expressed in literary texts that are discussed in a nadwa? By exploring strategies of smoothing out political edges in the context of a literary club, this paper questions the role of politics in creating social bonds during revolutionary upheavals.