Conversations & Events

To be clear about the kind of conversations my work supports, it may help to say what it does not aim to be.

• I am not a reading coach or a literacy specialist.
• I do not teach speed-reading, comprehension techniques, or study hacks.
• I am not a linguist, orthographer, or language technician.
• I do not run workshops on grammar, vocabulary, or exam performance.
• I am not a motivational speaker or a productivity guru.
• I do not deliver inspirational keynotes or packaged programs.
• I am not interested in turning books into tools for personal branding.
• I do not speak in slogans, frameworks-for-sale, or five-step formulas.
• I am not in the business of certainties, prescriptions, or intellectual comfort.
• And I am not here to tell people what to read, or how they should read.

What I offer instead are conversations that take thinking seriously - using books as a medium to examine judgment, attention, meaning, and the conditions under which they survive.

If that sounds demanding, it is.
If it sounds slow, it is meant to be.

And if it feels unnecessary in a world that prefers speed and simplification, that may be precisely the point.

While my conversations may be entertaining and interesting, they are not designed to instruct, or motivate. They are designed to shift how people think - quietly, durably, and without coercion.

Participants can expect:

• Clarity without simplification
  Complex ideas are unpacked without being diluted. The aim is not agreement, but orientation - helping people see what matters, what doesn’t, and why.
• A slower cognitive pace
  The room is deliberately decelerated. This allows attention to settle, questions to surface, and thinking to deepen - especially in environments accustomed to speed and certainty.
• Better questions, not readymade answers
  These conversations sharpen judgment by reframing problems, exposing assumptions, and inviting participants to sit with uncertainty productively.
• Connection between books and lived experience
  Books and ideas are used as reference points, not authorities - helping participants trace how thinking travels across work, study, leadership, loss, and responsibility.
• Frameworks that support thinking, not scripts that replace it
  Participants leave with mental scaffolds - ways of structuring thought that can be returned to, adapted, and challenged over time.
• Intellectual seriousness without intimidation
  The tone is rigorous but humane. No posturing. No performance. No pressure to impress.
• A sense of companionship in thinking
  Perhaps most importantly, these conversations remind people that sustained thought is still possible - and that it does not have to be lonely.

What remains after the event is not a takeaway slide or a set of instructions, but a subtle recalibration - of attention, judgment, and the willingness to think slowly when it matters.

I'm yet to do a speaking calendar or packaged offerings. Instead, each conversation is shaped by its context, its participants, and the questions they bring into the room. My audience thrives most when I'm engaged in Q&A sessions.

I know that rereading is often more important than finishing. That pleasure is not the enemy of seriousness. That attention cannot be bullied into existence - it must be invited.

For institutions interested in hosting a conversation, you can reach out here at conversations@theartoftheread.com