Symposium Institute

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

You know the words. But have you heard the music hidden inside them?

Shakespeare didn't just write poetry; he composed it. His sonnets are scores waiting to be performed, their meaning inseparable from their sound.

Join us for a free evening exploring the Bard's genius—the rhythm that pulses beneath each line, the pitch that rises and falls with feeling, the way iambic pentameter becomes an instrument in Shakespeare's hands.

No prior knowledge needed—just curiosity and a willingness to listen closely. Come hear the Bard with new ears!

📅 Friday, February 20, 6:00 PM ET
💻 Free online masterclass

Perfect for Shakespeare lovers, poetry curious souls, and anyone who suspects there's more to those fourteen lines than meets the eye.

Register now (free): www.symposiuminstitute.org

-Your Friends at Symposium Institute

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NEW 6-WEEK SEMINAR: Stern, Tristram Shandy

"Did you ever read Laurence Sterne?" — James Joyce (reportedly describing his own creative process)

In 1760, a Yorkshire vicar arrived in London with the strangest book anyone had seen. “The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman” became an instant sensation and remains one of the most creative, influential experiments in the art of the novel.

Released serially and awaited breathlessly over months and years (in the sections we will read each week for the seminar), Sterne offers us a joyful science of storytelling: digressive, self-conscious, gloriously human. He draws from Shakespeare and Rabelais while preparing the ground for Joyce, Woolf, and Proust. Yet for all his typographical squiggles and mental loops, he never denies us the warmth of character.

📖 **6 Tuesdays, January 27-March 3**
🕢 **7:30-9:00 PM ET**

Register now: www.symposiuminstitute.org

We hope you’ll join us!
-Your Friends at the Symposium Institute

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NEW 6-WEEK SEMINAR: Nietzsche on Education

What if culture...not politics, not economics, not even religion, came first? What would education look like then?

In 1872, a young Friedrich Nietzsche delivered five audacious lectures questioning the very foundations of German higher education. Through imaginative dialogue and biting critique, he asks: Can true education survive in an age of mass institutions?

Join us for Nietzsche's *On the Future of Our Educational Institutions*, where we'll read one lecture per week (plus an introduction) and explore Nietzsche's vision of education as transformation, not information.

It's not for everyone, but if you're curious and courageous, you may enjoy this journey that challenges everything we believe about higher education today.

📖 **6 Mondays, January 26-March 9**
🕗 **8:30-9:50 PM ET**

**Register now**: www.symposiuminstitute.org

Hope to see you there!

-Your Friends at the Symposium Institute

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The new year beckons us to begin again...

..to gather around texts that endure, to ask the questions that never quite resolve, to join fellow seekers in the ancient practice of reading together.

The Symposum Institute is thrilled to announce that registration is now open for our January sessions:

**Mondays**: Sail with Homer through the Iliad's sunlit plains, or trace Euclid's geometric harmonies

**Tuesdays**: Wander Borges's infinite library, follow Herodotus across the ancient world, or encounter Newman's vision of liberal education

**Wednesdays**: Ascend with Dante into Paradiso, embrace Shakespeare's sonnets, or dialogue with Plato's Republic

**Thursdays**: Measure with Archimedes, reason with Aristotle, journey through Exodus toward Sinai, or sit with Rumi's mystical verse

**Sundays**: Navigate Thucydides' education in politics, puzzle with Maimonides, or begin your journey into Ancient Greek itself

Each seminar is a pathway we thoughtfully walk together.

New beginnings await!

**Register now**: www.symposiuminstitute.org

With great excitement for the conversations to come,

-Your Friends at Symposium Institute

Home The depth and beauty of the great books reveal themselves when we slow down to give them the time they deserve Pricing | Register for Seminars | Learn More

Greetings, readers of great books!

Winter calls us to gather together by a warm fire for fellowship, tall tales, and to meditate on the eternal questions that sustain us through the long darkness. In that spirit, we're delighted to announce that registration is now open for our Winter Session seminars.

This season, we gather around texts that have shaped minds and souls across millennia:

**Mondays**: Wrestle with Nietzsche's prophetic voice, explore Vergil's epic vision of Rome, or trace the geometric harmonies of Euclid

**Tuesdays**: Wander Borges's labyrinthine imagination, or follow Herodotus through the ancient world

**Wednesdays**: Dialogue with Plato, or revel in the world of Shakespeare

**Thursdays**: Measure reality with Archimedes, or reason with Aristotle's luminous mind

**Fridays**: Revisit the poems of Keats, Tennyson, Wordsworth, Yeats, Poe, and Longfellow

**Weekends**: Encounter the divine with Maimonides, chronicle war with Thucydides, or begin your journey into Ancient Greek

Each seminar is a pathway of discovery we walk together. The table is set. The books await. Your fellow seekers are gathering.

Register now: https://www.symposiuminstitute.org

With great excitement for the conversations to come,

-Your Friends at Symposium Institute

NEW SEMINARS STARTING JANUARY 2026!

In a world obsessed with instant gratification, we're doing something radical: slowing down.

Since 2006, we've been quietly building something special: a community where adults gather weekly to read great books slowly, think carefully, and converse meaningfully.

What our members are saying about our seminars:

• "With the slow-reading 'team approach' you gain so much more understanding through multiple minds at work."

• "Meeting with our group has become one of the highlights of my week, every single week."

• "Joining the Symposium is one of the best things I have done for myself."

No experts. No lectures. Just thoughtful people exploring timeless questions together — from Homer to Herodotus, and Aristotle to Shakespeare.

Whether you're a beginner or seasoned reader, you'll find your place here.

Registration for our Q1 2026 seminars opens soon. Browse seminars and join our community: https://www.symposiuminstitute.org/home

Gratitude is a catalyst that anchors us in the present moment, illuminating what we already possess. It's both humbling and empowering…a neural restructuring disguised as a simple acknowledgment.

While you're counting blessings, your brain is literally rewiring itself: flooding with dopamine and serotonin, quieting stress hormones, and activating reward centers that reshape how you see the world.

So yes, pass the stuffing. But also pass along this truth: every moment of genuine appreciation shared with family and friends isn't just politeness, it's transformation.

We at the Symposium Institute are grateful to share the journey of exploration with you and wish you a transformative Thanksgiving!

Today, we honor the courage and sacrifice of all those who have served.

Throughout history, great thinkers and writers have grappled with the profound questions at the heart of military service: What does it mean to sacrifice for something greater than oneself? How do we balance individual freedom with civic duty? What debt do we owe to those who protect our way of life?

From Plato's Republic to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, from Homer's warriors to modern veterans' memoirs, literature invites us to reflect deeply on service, honor, and the ties that bind us as citizens.

This Veterans Day, we're reminded that reading great books isn't just about understanding ideas; it's about understanding the human experiences behind them, including the profound commitment of those who serve.

To all veterans, we express a deep gratitude for your service and sacrifice. Thank you.

For those who seek to engage with the great minds of the rabbinic tradition, what might we uncover by taking a leisurely stroll through Maimonides' "enchanting forest"?

We invite you to a slow, deliberate reading of Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed. In this seminar, we will read just a few pages a week, giving us space to explore his profound teachings on faith, reason, and scripture together.

The seminar meets on Sundays, 10:30 am-12:00 pm ET, from Oct 5 to Dec 28.

As a special offer, register before this Saturday (10/4) at 7 pm and enter code FB104 in the Comments section of the registration page to receive a 20% discount on All-Access or a 25% discount on one seminar.

Join a community of thinkers to explore this monumental work.

Register now: https://www.symposiuminstitute.org/home

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