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Premise @
The Forum 
Enduring Questions Workshop 

An Intergenerational Journey of Learning, Connection, and Reflection.

Explore enduring questions through guided, inter-generational conversations using art—literature, film, and essays—as the foundation for reflection and discovery.

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Enduring Questions Workdhop (1200 x 800 px) (Instagram Post).png

How Does it Work?
 

Convenient and Accessible: The sessions are entirely online, allowing you to participate from the comfort of your home.
 

Thought-Provoking Preparation: Participants receive a short reading, film, or other resource to review ahead of time (no more than 1-2 hours of preparation).
 

Expertly Facilitated Discussions: Each session is led by a skilled facilitator trained to guide meaningful and inclusive conversations that respect and value all voices.
 

Bring a Guest: Forum residents can invite one person at no cost—whether a family member, friend, or community member—to join them, creating a meaningful intergenerational experience.
 

Individual Philosophical Coaching: Each participant also receives a one-on-one philosophical coaching session to dive deeper into their reflections. These sessions are designed to offer clarity, fresh perspectives, and personalized insights based on the enduring questions explored in the workshop or the participant’s own life experiences.

Session Dates & Times? 
Feb 22, Mar 23, Apr 12, Apr 27, May 04
4:00-5:30PM PST 

Group size?  Max. 10

Start Date? February 22, 2025

Format?  This program is online. It will also be offered in-person in Portland and cities across the U.S. in Summer 2025.
 

Workshop FAQ's

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Workshop FAQ's

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Start Date? February 22, 2025
Session Dates & Times? 
Feb 22, Mar 23, Apr 12, Apr 27, May 04
4:00-5:30PM PST 
Group size?  Max. 10
Format?  This program is online. It will also be offered in-person in Portland and cities across the U.S. in Summer 2025.
 

Three Group Sessions

This workshop includes three group sessions. Before we begin, the group will rank and select the enduring questions that matter most to them.

Each session is a guided conversation built around a question and sparked by a story, essay, poem, or film. Sessions are designed to spark deep thinking, meaningful dialogue, and new perspectives.

Ongoing Learning & Connection

Stay connected between sessions through a private discussion group and curated resources—essays, articles, and more—to deepen exploration and keep the conversation going.

Ongoing Learning & Connection

Stay connected between sessions through a private discussion group and curated resources—essays, articles, and more—to deepen exploration and keep the conversation going.

One Philosophical Coaching Sessions

Participants receive a one-on-one philosophical coaching sessions for deeper reflection, clarity, and fresh perspectives—exploring questions from the workshop or their life experiences.

Enduring Questions &
Works We'll Explore in the Workshop

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  • The Ones Who Stay and Fight by N.K. Jemisin &  The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas  by Ursula K. Le Guin
    ⏱️ Preparation: Approx. 2 hours

  • Her (2013) directed by Spike Jonze  Short story: The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster (1909) ⏱️ Preparation: Approx. 3 hours

  • The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy &  The Death of the Moth by Virginia Woolf  ⏱️ Time Commitment: Approx. 2 hours

  • All About Love by bell hooks (selected chapters) ⏱️ Preparation: Approx. 2 hours

  • Erich Fromm's book To Have or To Be? (selected chapters) The Lottery Ticket by Anton Chekhov (short story), ⏱️ Preparation Approx. 2-3 hours

  • Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street by Herman Melville, ⏱️ Preparation time: 2 hours

  • What is Freedom? Hannah Arendt (essay) &  Poems by Langston Hughes: Freedom's Plow, Democracy,  Harlem [Dream Deferred]

     ⏱️ Preparation: Approx. 2  hours

  • The Other by Jorge Luis Borges (short story) Speak, Memory by Oliver Sacks (essay) & On Aging poem by Maya Angelou, ⏱️ Preparation: Approx. 1.5 hours

  • Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self by Alice Walker The Nose by Nikolai Gogol, ⏱️ Total Time to Read Approx. 2 hours

  • Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber, selected chapters, ⏱️Preparation time: Approx. 2 hour

  • Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin The Case for Reparations by Ta-Nehisi Coates, ⏱️ Preparation: Approx. 3 hours

  • The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (film) The Evening and the Morning and the Night by Octavia Butler (short story)  ⏱️ Preparation: Approx. 3 hours

  • Aristotle on Friendship (from Nicomachean Ethics, Book VIII & IX)  Atlantic Article: What If Friendship, Not Marriage, Was at the Center of Life?  ⏱️ 1-2 hours of preparation (~25-30 pages of reading)

Four Group Sessions

This workshop includes four group sessions over four months. Before we begin, the group will rank and select the enduring questions that matter most to them.

Each session is a guided conversation built around a question and sparked by a story, essay, poem, or film. Sessions are designed to spark deep thinking, meaningful dialogue, and new perspectives.

Ongoing Learning & Connection

Stay connected between sessions through a private discussion group and curated resources—essays, articles, and more—to deepen exploration and keep the conversation going.

Two Individual Philosophical Coaching Sessions

Participants receive two one-on-one philosophical coaching sessions for deeper reflection, clarity, and fresh perspectives—exploring questions from the workshop or their life experiences.

Three Group Sessions

This workshop includes three group sessions. Before we begin, the group will rank and select the enduring questions that matter most to them.

Each session is a guided conversation built around a question and sparked by a story, essay, poem, or film. Sessions are designed to spark deep thinking, meaningful dialogue, and new perspectives.

Ongoing Learning & Connection

Stay connected between sessions through a private discussion group and curated resources—essays, articles, and more—to deepen exploration and keep the conversation going.

One Individual Philosophical Counseling Sessions

Participants receive a one-on-one philosophical coaching session for deeper reflection, clarity, and fresh perspectives—exploring questions from the workshop or their life experiences.

Premise @ The Forum

When? Monday, March 19th Information Session @ The Forum
Program starts Sundays, April 6, April 20, May 4 from 2:00-3:30PM PST

Where? Online, Zoom link provided with registration. We offer a "how to use Zoom" tutorial for anyone who may need support. 

Cost? $200, includes sessions for Forum resident and one guest, curated learning resources, and one individual philosophical coaching session. 

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