This series has been a marvelous revelation.
Some books once read, now reread with great delight and more understanding (Don Quijote, the novel of novels, and The Revolt of the Masses), what with so many charming fellow inquirers with whom to talk about them.
Others lying long neglected on a list or a shelf to be read, but never read, now read with delight and understanding (Camoes’ epic Lusiads).
Others still, either unheard of or of only dim name recognition because of their famous author, also read in the manner of a voyager sailing into the unknown with good and trusty companions (Abel Sanchez, among several others, by Unamuno).
The geography of Iberia is curious: a south-is-west peninsula flanked by the sea on the one side and the ocean on the other.
Iberia situates itself between Europe’s Inner and its Outer, bordering those other Roman descendants France and Italy. But unlike France and Italy, Iberia borders another continent by a distance less than separates the two shores of the Chesapeake Bay in North America, a bay once given another name by Spanish explorers even before the English arrived.
Iberia lies somehow between East and West, North and South, between civilizations, eras, religions, yet straddling kingdoms and contradictions.
For better or worse – and there’s probably a lot of both –, much of what set the modern world in motion began in Spain and Portugal. The authors who have thought most seriously about that – who can forget the tear-jerkingly funny and heartbreaking ruminations on the same in Quijote? –, and about the effect of it on Europe and the world, have usually come from there.
It’s a touch unfortunate that with the waning of Spanish grandeur, the ongoing contributions of Iberian writers have gone neglected as the center of political power and scientific discourse moved elsewhere, i.e., mostly north.
If we want to see how central insights may come from the apparent periphery, we might want to follow the flight patterns of Minerva’s owl rather than those of mundane trends, how ever much attention the latter demand of us.
Miguel Cervantes, Don Quijote de la Mancha
- 36 week reading pathway from April – December 2025
- Two free seminars in March (see below)
- For Lorca’s Poet in New York (April-June 2025), see below!
The Quest for Impossible Dreams in a Practical World
Join us for a 36-week journey through Cervantes’ groundbreaking novel—a revolutionary work that blends comedy and tragedy to explore the eternal tension between idealism and reality.
Why Don Quijote Speaks to Our Time
When an aging gentleman becomes so enchanted by tales of chivalry that he reinvents himself as a knight-errant, Cervantes creates a story that resonates powerfully with our modern questions about identity, truth, and the power of imagination.
Through Don Quijote’s adventures, we witness:
- The conflict between noble ideals and harsh realities
- The transformative power of storytelling and self-invention
- The beauty and danger of seeing the world as it could be rather than as it is
- The profound friendship between dreamer and pragmatist
In Quijote’s famous battle with the windmills—”Look there, friend Sancho, where more than thirty monstrous giants appear”—we see a man who may be mad but whose vision challenges us to question our own perception of reality and to consider what truths might lie in our collective illusions.
Why Read Don Quijote Slowly?
The first modern novel rewards careful attention. Through slow reading, we:
- Appreciate Cervantes’ revolutionary narrative techniques that birthed the modern novel
- Explore the complex interplay between comedy and profound philosophical inquiry
- Discover how Quijote’s quest speaks to our own search for meaning in a disenchanted world
From the hilarious mishaps at country inns to the deeply moving final chapters, Don Quijote offers an incomparable exploration of how we create meaning through stories and how imagination can transform both ourselves and others.
Join our community of readers as we explore this magnificent novel, discovering why it’s considered the foundation of modern fiction and why its questions about idealism, reality, and human dignity remain so urgently relevant today.
“Freedom, Sancho, is one of the most precious gifts that heaven has bestowed upon men.”
36-Week Pathway Details:
Pathway Duration: April 8th – December 2025
Meeting Day: Tuesdays 8 pm Eastern | 7pm Central | 6 Mountain | 5 Pacific
Meeting duration: one hour and thirty minutes
Meeting frequency: weekly
Tutors: Reynaldo Miranda and Jason Happel
Limited to 15 participants to ensure quality conversation
No prior experience with Don Quijote is required—just a willingness to read carefully and think deeply
Cost:
Subscribe to the Symposium Slow Reading Program
$250 Quarterly/$750 Annual
Your single subscription unlocks the full Symposium experience:
- Complete access to all slow reading pathways, from Homer to Kant
- Monthly one-on-one liberal arts consultations to guide your learning
- Join any seminar, anytime—explore multiple texts simultaneously
- Connect with a community of thoughtful readers and dedicated learners
- Recordings available for missed sessions
Reclaim the lost art of careful reading in a world of endless distractions. Join us in creating space for wisdom to develop naturally through sustained engagement with humanity’s greatest works.
Free Seminar: Don Quijote Translation Workshop (See below for more information and to register!)
Federico García Lorca’s Poet in New York
Surrealism and Soul in the Modern Metropolis
In the summer of 1929, New York City had become the center of global business, the city of the future, and the Harlem Renaissance was in full swing. That summer a still young, and heartbroken European playwright, poet, musician, and painter, Federico Garcia Lorca, arrived in New York for the first time to study at Columbia. In the fall, from “the Black Thursday” of 24 October through the “Black Tuesday” of 29 October and beyond the NYSE crashed through the floor. This great depression spread quickly to the rest of the world. Lorca arrived in New York on 25 June 1929 by way of Paris, London, Oxford, and Southampton. He departed New York for Havana, Cuba on 5 March 1930 by way of New Orleans and Miami, and arrived there two days later. He sailed out of Cuba to Cadiz, Spain on 12 June 1930. During his stay in New York, he spent some time in upstate New York and Vermont.
Join us for a 12-week journey through Lorca’s revolutionary poetic masterpiece—a shattering vision of modernity that merges surrealist technique with profound cultural critique and personal transformation.
Why Poet in New York Speaks to Our Time
When Spain’s most celebrated young poet encounters the overwhelming machinery of American capitalism during the Great Depression, the result is a work that resonates powerfully with our contemporary anxieties about alienation, technological dehumanization, and cultural disintegration.
Through Lorca’s visionary verses, we witness:
- The struggle to maintain humanity in the face of industrial modernity
- The collision between ancient cultural traditions and the relentless advance of technology
- The search for authentic connection in an increasingly fragmented world
- The liberation and alienation of the displaced outsider
In poems like “Dawn” and “New York (Office and Denunciation),” we encounter a voice that speaks with uncanny prescience to our own experiences of urban life, environmental crisis, and cultural dislocation.
Why Read Poet in New York Slowly?
This revolutionary collection rewards careful attention. Through slow reading, and paying attention to what’s there, on the page, we:
- Appreciate Lorca’s radical poetic techniques that
- blend surrealism, documentary observation, and deeply personal vision
- Explore the complex interplay between Spanish cultural traditions and North American modernity
- Discover how Lorca’s outsider perspective reveals both the promise and peril of technological progress
- Trace the psychological and spiritual journey of a poet transformed by his encounter with New York
From “The King of Harlem” to “Ode to Walt Whitman,” Poet in New York offers an incomparable exploration of modernity’s impact on the human spirit and imagination.
Join our community of readers as we explore this magnificent collection, discovering why it’s considered one of the most important poetic works of the 20th century and why its questions about cultural identity, technological alienation, and the search for authentic connection remain so urgently relevant today.
“I was lucky enough to see with my own eyes the recent stock-market crash, where they lost several million dollars, a rabble of dead money that went sliding off into the sea.”
Poet in New York represents a pivotal moment in Lorca’s artistic development and in the broader evolution of modernist poetry. Written during his nine-month stay in New York in 1929-1930, the collection captures the poet’s response to the mechanized chaos of urban America and the devastation of the Wall Street Crash.
The collection stands at the intersection of multiple traditions: Spanish folk culture, European surrealism, and American modernism. Lorca’s encounter with Harlem and its vibrant Black culture also profoundly shapes his vision, resulting in some of the most powerful poems about race and marginalization in modern literature.
In this reading pathway, we will engage with Lorca’s shattering vision of modernity, examining how his unique poetic voice—combining surrealist technique with deep emotional resonance—speaks to our own experiences of alienation and our search for connection in an increasingly technological world.
12-Week Pathway Details:
Pathway Duration: April 8th – December 2025
Meeting Day: Tuesdays 3pm EST
Meeting duration: one hour and thirty minutes
Meeting frequency: weekly
Tutors: Reynaldo Miranda and Miryam Bujanda
**Limited to 15 participants** to ensure quality conversation
**No prior experience** with Lorca or Spanish poetry is required—just a willingness to read carefully and think deeply
Cost:
Subscribe to the Symposium Slow Reading Program
$250 Quarterly/$750 Annual
Your single subscription provides access to carefully curated reading pathways spanning Western civilization’s most influential works, from Homer to Kant. This comprehensive program is designed for those seeking sustained intellectual engagement with humanity’s enduring ideas.
In today’s fragmented world of constant notifications and fleeting attention, Symposium creates a sanctuary where people come together to explore humanity’s deepest questions. What might otherwise be a solitary encounter with great texts becomes instead a collective journey of discovery, where understanding deepens through conversation and shared reflection.
Subscribe to Slow Reading Pathways
Free Seminar Opportunity #1:
Don Quijote Translation Workshop
Free One-Night Seminar
Discover the Perfect Translation for Your Journey with the Knight of La Mancha
Which Don Quijote will you meet? The one who tilts at “windmills” or at “giants”? The hero of a “sad countenance” or a “rueful figure”?
Join us for an illuminating evening comparing the finest English translations of Cervantes’ masterpiece alongside the original Spanish text. No Spanish knowledge required—we’ll guide you through the nuances that make each translation unique.
- In this free 60-minute seminar, you’ll:
Sample key passages from 3 major translations spanning 400 years - Discover how translators’ choices shape your reading experience
- Learn what’s gained and lost in each translation approach
- Find which version best suits your reading style and interests
Whether you’re preparing to join our 36-week Don Quijote pathway or simply want to enhance your independent reading, this workshop will equip you to make an informed choice about which translation will be your companion on the road to La Mancha.
When: Tuesday, March 18th | 7:00-8:00pm EST | Where: Online
Registration required: [link]**
“For if he like a madman lived, at least he like a wise one died.” — But how will your translator render these famous last words?
Free Learning Opportunity #2:
Words to Voice: Tim Pabon’s Epic Journey Narrating Don Quixote
Free 45-Minute Interview with Question Period: Discover the art, challenges, and joys of bringing Cervantes’ masterpiece to life through narration
What does it take to transform 40 hours of written text into captivating spoken narrative? How do you maintain the distinct voices of Don Quixote, Sancho Panza, and dozens of other characters across hundreds of pages?
Join us for a fascinating conversation with acclaimed literary audiobook narrator Timothy Pabon about his monumental recording of Cervantes’ “Don Quixote” and his experiences with slow, thoughtful reading through Symposium’s pathways.
In this free 45-minute interview, you’ll discover:
- The intensive preparation behind narrating a 400-year-old Spanish classic
- Technical challenges and vocal strategies for a 40-hour recording project
- How Timothy approaches character voices and narrative pacing
- The parallels between audiobook narration and Symposium’s slow reading pathways
- What Timothy learned about Don Quixote that can only be discovered through total immersion
Whether you’re an audiobook enthusiast, a literature lover, or curious about bringing classics to life in new formats, this conversation offers unique insights from someone who has journeyed intimately with one of Western literature’s most beloved characters.
When: Tuesday, March 25th | 7:00-7:45pm EST | Where: Online
Registration required: Sign up below
“I wanted to render him in a way that honors both his madness and his wisdom.” — But how did Timothy navigate the famous knight’s complex personality across many hours of narration?
Sign up for a FREE seminar
