Our Current Moment
Discover more great classes on our current moment – available on demand, anytime.
Explore classes from our past seasons focused on our current moment. Learn more by viewing a personal video introduction to each on-demand session.
Then, get a ticket – or a Multi Pass – and start learning right away.
View the first five minutes of this two-hour class from award-winning author and professor Nicholas Buccola, right here on Substack.
Then, check out the archive of Nicholas’ class, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about the meaning of love from the life and thought of James Baldwin.
View the first five minutes of this 90-minutes class from entrepreneur, professor, MacArthur Fellow, and President Obama’s first appointment to the National Council on the Arts, Aaron Dworkin, right here on Substack.
Then, check out the archive of Aaron’s class, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about the life-changing power of diversity in the arts.
View the first five minutes of this 90-minutes class from film-maker and producer James Fox, right here on Substack.
Then, check out the archive of James’ class, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about all that’s certain – and all that remains unknown – in light of the U.S. Defense Department’s continuing investigation into decades of unexplained UFO encounters.
View the first five minutes of this 90-minutes class from writer, editor, speaker, and broadcaster Pauline Frommer, right here on Substack.
Then, check out the archive of Pauline’s class, and discover the Five Things She’s Learned about the ways in which new places and experiences teach us that the person we are at home isn’t the only being we can, or should, be.
View the first five minutes of this 90-minutes class from multi-award winning journalist and author Janine di Giovanni, right here on Substack.
Then, check out the archive of Janine’s class, and discover the Five Things She’s Learned about understanding and surviving the moral injury individuals suffer when forced to witness an event that goes against their moral core.
View the first five minutes of this 90-minutes class from writer, author, and professor Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr., right here on Substack.
Then, check out the archive of Eddie’s class, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about keeping connected to the voices and visions of our country’s past – and about James Baldwin’s America and its urgent lessons for our own.
View the first five minutes of this two-hour class from U.S. Marine Corps veteran, writer, and teacher Phil Klay, right here on Substack.
Then, check out the archive of Phil’s class, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about American citizenship – what it means, the obligations it places upon us, and the uglier way our shared ideals sometimes work in practice.
View the first five minutes of this two-hour class from hospice and palliative care specialist Dr. BJ Miller, right here on Substack.
Then, check out the archive of BJ’s class, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned anew about living and preparing for death after this year of shared loss, challenge, and renewal.
View the first five minutes of this 90-minute class from Powered by People founder and former Texas State Congressman Beto O’Rourke, right here on substack.
Then, check out the archive of Beto’s class, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned anew about the common concerns and ideals that connect individuals and communities everywhere across America.
View the first five minutes of this 90-minute class from speaker, researcher, and UCSF Clinical Professor Andrew Penn, right here on substack.
Then, check out the archive of Andrew’s class, and discover the Five Things he’s learned about the ways that psychedelic-assisted therapy is revolutionizing medical treatment for hard-to-treat illnesses including addiction, anxiety disorders, depression, and PTSD.
View the first five minutes of this 120-minute class from Pulitzer Prize winning critic and author Jerry Saltz, right here on Substack.
Then, check out the archive of Jerry’s class, and discover the Five Things he’s learned about all that happens each time we encounter a work of art – and why great art never stands apart, or alone.
View the first five minutes of this two-hour class from Pulitzer Prize winning critic and author Jerry Saltz, right here on Substack.
Then, check out the archive of Jerry’s class, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about the remarkable advances that have refashioned art and the art world – and why today we’re living in one of the most momentous moments in art since the Renaissance.
View the first five minutes of this 90-minute class from best-selling author and former Republican strategist Stuart Stevens, right here on Substack.
Then, check out the archive of Stuart’s class, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about his old party and its role in the coordinated forces working to end American democracy as we know it – and what we must do today to fight back.
View the first five minutes of this 120-minute class from Adobe Research Lab veteran Matt Strain, right here on Substack.
Then, check out the archive of Matt’s class, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about the ways artificial intelligence is helping writers find new ways to develop their ideas and cultivate their creativity.
View the first five minutes of this 90-minute class from Adobe Research Lab veteran Matt Strain, right here on Substack.
Then, check out the archive of Matt’s class, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about getting started in the emerging, exciting world of artificial intelligence.
View the first five minutes of this 90-minute class from journalist and author James James Surowiecki, right here on Substack.
Then, check out the archive of James’ class, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about how the Internet is reshaping the way we learn and think – and why, for all of its promise, social media seems to be creating as many problems as it solves.
View the first five minutes of this 90-minute class from acclaimed producer, executive, professor, and author Jonathan Taplin, right here on Substack.
Then, check out the archive of Jonathan’s class, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about the tenuous link between media and democracy – and what the continuing convergence of media, technology, and politics means for artists, and for us all.
View the first five minutes of this 90-minute class from retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel Alexander Vindman, right here on Substack.
Then, check out the archive of Alexander’s class, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about this critical time in history from his years engaging with Russia’s military and political leadership.
View the first five minutes of this 90-minute class from ex-Republican political strategist, co-founder of the Lincoln Project, and best-selling author Rick Wilson, right here on Substack.
Then, check out the archive of Rick’s class, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about what we can do right away to ensure that America survives – and about the perspective you need to make sure your time and your attention are focused on all we need to do together.
View the first five minutes of this 90-minute class from investigative journalist Larissa Zimberoff, right here on Substack.
Then, check out the archive of Larissa’s class, and discover the Five Things She’s Learned about how technology is reshaping our food and reimagining our food system – and what these changes mean for people who love food.
Visit myfivethings.com to view personal video invitations from these and other writers, thinkers, and artists we admire – and to get special discounted pricing with our Five Things I’ve Learned Multi Pass.
