MURRIETA -- Seven people -- practically strangers -- sat in the comfiest of seats, sipping coffee from cavernous mugs or small to-go cups and discussing, of all things, creativity.

They didn't stumble onto that topic. Two of them, the evening's moderators, selected that topic for the group as part of the "Conversation Cafe" held weekly at It's a Grind.

The Murrieta coffeehouse, north of Kalmia Street in the Village Walk marketplace, hosts the weekly chat -- which promotes a seemingly anachronistic concept spreading through cafes, restaurants and bookstores nationally: engaging one another in probing or existential subjects with reason, curiosity and sophistication -- as opposed to the bluster, vitriol and ignorance that increasingly accompany those topics, especially politics, the war in Iraq and the economy.

It's almost like a free-form ice breaker among new college freshmen in a dorm -- only Murrieta's group is diverse in not just race and background, but age too.

The topic of creativity surprised a few of them. The previous week's group -- the second session in Murrieta -- tackled "courage" as a subject.

What is creativity, they pondered, passing around a soft ball that signals the ability to speak. Who is creative? Who isn't creative?

They aren't all artists. One of them is a 20-year-old musician who studies film; another paints. A high school teacher studies under a shaman, while the 74-year-old man to his left suspects his creativity flows from his handiness.

Their styles and tastes differ, too.

The musician -- Jaron Eldon of Murrieta -- wore a tightly striped hipster suit, suspenders barely noticeable. His voice barely registers above the music of Coldplay and Sarah McLachlan playing softly from speakers. Across the circle, Jerry Haupt -- the 74-year-old --sits, right leg across left, in gray sweats and a fading green T-shirt.

Yet, they all agree in the power -- the creativity -- of the self.

"We are creative and need to invoke that into the ordinary," said teacher George Ramos of Corona, choosing his words slowly and methodically. "Which means nothing is ordinary, everything is extraordinary."

The six others, listening attentively in a circle around him, nodded.

"I think children are the most creative people you'll ever meet," Eldon said. "And then it starts to die away."

The notion of seven seeming strangers having a meaningful discussion -- just to converse -- flies in the face of modern convention: self-absorbed Americans involved only in their immediate spaces and realities.

"Conversation cafe" is a national trend that could help boost the attractiveness of the local It's a Grind, a franchise recently opened by Bill and Dot Gallahan of Corona.

"How many people drink coffee at 7, 8, 9 or 10 o'clock?" asked shift leader Shawn Freeman, 33, of Murrieta. "Not too many. So, you have to give them a reason to come out."

Conversation cafe is one of several evening activities hosted by It's a Grind, including concerts inside the comfy coffeehouse -- splashed in cranberry paint and tiled in square stones -- and just outside in a little courtyard.

Ramos and Haupt previously noticed signs for the conversation cafe posted at the coffeehouse. So, they returned Thursday evening.

"I cruised through and saw the sign, and thought, 'Interesting concept,'" said Ramos, 49. "This (turbulent) time calls for us to come out of that anonymity."

Contact staff writer Brian Eckhouse at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2626, or beckhouse@californian.com.

"Conversation Cafe," a 90-minute hosted conversation

WHERE: It's a Grind coffeehouse in the Village Walk shopping center north of Kalmia Street

HOW MUCH: Free

INFORMATION: valleytalks@yahoo.com and www.conversationcafe.org.