Dear reader, welcome to your nurturing, passionate dialogue community.
Our program is designed to bring critical reading of literary texts together with warm, expert-facilitated, and meditative dialogue.
Our Passion
In the age of AI, book bans, declining literacy, and social media overstimulation, the participants of our cohorts are invited to take a big exhale and deeply read books together — books that are both urgent and timeless works of literature.
Our Process
Our book cohorts are small-group spaces where we combine academically rigorous ways of reading with joyful and collaborative forms of learning — to build a community with passion, not pretension, that nurtures a deep and sustained reading practice.
Our Cohorts
Attentive, meditative Socratic dialogue and close textual analysis does not have to feel pretentious or be intimidating. And smart analysis does not have to be reserved for only those who have studied literature or read constantly.
We’ve designed a rigorous reading experience, while creating small-group containers for genuine connection, authentic expression, and generous dialogue within each and every book cohort.
Book Cohort Tracks
We offer separate book cohort tracks for high school students and adult readers, with personal coaching/tutoring available for high school students, and age-specific offerings for each group.
The Books We Teach
We specialize in teaching specific books, using our discussion-based teaching philosophy and small cohort size to facilitate meditative, collaborative dialogue. This list is ever-growing as we grow.
You can claim a seat for as many book cohorts as you would like to attend. You can also let us know if there’s a book you’d like to see added to our course list.
More coming soon!
More coming soon!
More coming soon!
More coming soon!
More coming soon!
More coming soon!
More coming soon!
More coming soon!
Session Elements and Structure
Example Session Format
1:00PM — Arrive and Settle In
1:05PM — Recall
1:15PM — Opening Question
1:15PM — Discussion
2:20PM — Summarizing
2:25PM — Closing Prompts
*These are example session times. Specific times are different for each cohort, so make sure to check specific cohort pages for full details!
1:00PM — Arrive and Settle In
Cohort members will join the call on time, get settled, and make sure videos and microphones are working. This will be a warm, open time for everyone to very briefly share how they are doing and enter into the space in a grounded, attentive way.
1:05 - 1:15PM — Recall
Each session begins with a 5 to 10-minute exercise called Recall, which aims to help students access knowledge solely from memory.
We will share words, phrases, ideas, questions, and moments that we remember off the top of our minds — without the need to layer on interpretation.
This exercise aims to build knowledge and demonstrate initial comprehension of the reading, while also connecting us as a team.
1:15PM — Opening Question
After we’ve done a few rounds of Recall and everyone has had the chance to speak, we’ll begin with an Opening Question.
This is an open-ended question that the instructor will ask the cohort.
It provides a doorway into the text, and will always be connected to a key learning objective.
1:15PM — Discussion
We will begin to make statements and observations, ask questions, and present our interpretations of the text.
Cohorts will practice building on ideas, encountering agreements and disagreements, and making collective decisions to transition the conversation into new threads. Each student will have the opportunity to not only contribute, but to lead the group into an idea.
The instructor is there to serve as an attentive, expert guide on the text and on the art of the dialogue. They will affirm key ideas and movements and help the group work through “hot and cold” moments, all while giving the cohort agency to direct where the conversation goes next.
2:20PM — Summarizing
In the final 10 minutes of each session, we will bring the discussion a close and summarize what we’ve discussed — tracing where the dialogue led to the most exciting moments of learning, and noticing where it felt challenging or stagnant.
This is a moment where the instructor will invite each student to contribute a thought.
The goal is to build metacognitive awareness, without any judgement, on our individual and collective process and contribution.
2:25PM — Closing Prompts
In the final few minutes, the instructor will offer three well-designed prompts based on the age/cohort type and the content of that session’s reading:
An academic writing prompt (e.g., a research essay).
A creative writing prompt (e.g., a persona poem or a text-to-life essay).
A research activity prompt (e.g. dig up more on the origins of words, texts, ideas, and key concepts we explored).
Our Philosophy and Methodology
Small Cohorts of Seven People Only
Devoted Reading that Seeks to Deeply Know the Text
Deep Listening and Generous Dialogue
Collaborative Learning that Embraces “I Don’t Know”
Text in Conversation with Art and Life
Empowered Speaking that Expands and Builds Confidence
Keep reading about our methodology and teaching philosophy →
Your Instructors
Lauren Frey, M.A. (she/her)
Founding Director, Instructor
Julian Mammano (they/them)
Founding Instructor
Teaches:
X
Marisa Lainson, MFA (she/they)
Founding Instructor
Teaches:
X
Ready, steady, close read.
Join our community to grab your seat in an upcoming book cohort!
Frequently Asked Questions
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Joining a cohort is simple! Explore our current Book Cohort offerings and book your seat directly on our website. As soon as. you have booked, you will be added t our online Circle community. If you see a book that we teach but do not yet see a course scheduled, join our Subscriber or follow us list to receive updates on openings.
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No, there are no requirements to join (e.g., a transcript, test scores, or letters of recommendation). We are a very warm and welcoming program that also demands rigor and real presence and engagement from our cohort participants. We require that students commit to reading the entire text, participating, and attending all the sessions (except when absences are absolutely necessary). See more specifics under our Program Policies.
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We currently do not offer scholarships at this time. However, we are price-conscious, and it is our goal to be able to offer scholarships to students in need as soon as possible.
We offer a 10% discount to all students who apply well before the deadline — please visit each cohort page for specific discount deadlines.
We offer additional discounts and early access to upcoming book cohorts to all of our alums.
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No grades! To receive the Certificate of Completion, students must complete the reading and attend all the sessions. If students do not fully participate—for instance, if they end up skipping a session without proper notice or reason, or if they have evidently not done the reading—they will not receive the certificate. See our Program Policies on Participation for more of the heart behind this policy.
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No. As an independent program, we provide extracurricular, supplemental training for students. For high school students, think of us as a program where solo study meets community dialogue, where private reading meets individual mentorship. The program should not be used to replace regular high school classes, although this process will absolutely support the mastery of texts that appear on advanced placement and college-entry examinations.
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The conversations we have in session can absolutely support content knowledge, critical thinking skills, and writing and analysis required in English classes and beyond. The mission of this program is to support that academic work, not replace it, by deepening the student’s reading experience and knowledge of core texts through the work of long-form dialogue.
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Book clubs are often free and wonderful places to read books and meet new people. However, sometimes the emphasis can be more on the social experience, and the level of rigor in dialogue is inconsistent.
Think of The New Commons more like a yoga studio model than a book club: it’s a place to truly exercise your mind, and practice the craft of dialogue and inquiry in real-time, under the guidance of experienced instructors who have studied literature in depth, with advanced degrees and/or years. of professional experience in education.
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