Online Learning: Seminars
Our seminars are everything you love about learning with Classical Pursuits — focus on the text, emphasis on exploring meaning together, and a leader who asks questions to get you thinking — in virtual form. Online or in person, you’re part of a convivial community that gathers to read, watch, listen to and discuss compelling literature, art, music and film. Study works that move, unsettle and inspire.
Sign up for multiple seminars and save! Learn more about our Frequent Reader program.
Classical Pursuits offers a rare experience in continuing education. We deliberately differ from courses where a lecturer is teaching you about a topic. While our practiced leaders give context and help participants “think out loud”, the real teacher is the book, poem, painting or piece of music you’re studying.
At Classical Pursuits, we are always learning in community. We work together toward deeper understanding. If this kind of learning is new for you, know that you are not alone! We are always welcoming first-time participants, and can offer extra support to help you get started. Click here for more tips on preparing for seminar discussion.
You don’t need any previous study or specialized knowledge to participate in any of our seminars. The only prerequisites are to do the reading and come with a sense of curiosity.
Online Learning: Presentations | Thursdays at 2 p.m. Eastern | Free!
More presentations announced soon.
Friday Flash Fiction | Fridays at 5 p.m. Eastern | Free!
Join Classical Pursuits director Melanie Blake or longtime San Francisco Great Books Council leaders Louise DiMattio or Louise Morgan for a one-hour discussion of a classic or contemporary short story, with a selection that changes weekly. Explore a range of authors and genres. Bring your favourite drink and enjoy chatting with other readers.
How to join Friday Flash Fiction: Email our admin assistant Raashi if you do not already have the recurring Zoom link. Please keep the Zoom link handy.
- April 26: “The Mission of Jane” By Edith Wharton
- April 19: “The Lost Phoebe” By Theodore Dreiser
- April 12: “The Enormous Radio” By John Cheever
- April 5: “Gimpel the Fool” Translated by Saul Bellow
- March 22: “To Room Nineteen” by Doris Lessing
- March 15: “A Day’s Work” by Katherine Anne Porter
- March 8: “Flowering Judas” by Katherine Anne Porter
- March 1: “The Cracked Looking Glass” by Katherine Anne Porter
- February 23: “He” by Katherine Anne Porter
- February 16: “Dry September” by William Faulkner
- February 9: “Going to Meet the Man” by James Baldwin
- February 2: “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury
- January 26: “A Mother” by James Joyce
- January 19: “Counterparts” by James Joyce
- January 12: “Grace” by James Joyce
- January 5: “The Sacrificial Egg” by Chinua Achebe
- December 8: “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” by ZZ Packer
- December 1: “Miss McEnders” by Kate Chopin
- November 17: “The Saint” by V.S. Pritchett
- November 10: “The Story of the Siren” by E. M. Forster
- November 3: “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” by Ernest Hemingway
- October 27: “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe
- October 20: “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” by Katherine Anne Porter
- October 13: “Three-Ten to Yuma” by Elmore Leonard
- September 29: “The Destructors” by Graham Greene
- September 22: “Luella Miller” by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
- September 15: “The Boy Without a Flag” by Abraham Rodriguez
- September 8: “The Guest” by Albert Camus
By participating in any Classical Pursuits program, you are agreeing to abide by our code of conduct.