Grow, reflect, act together.
The New School is Commonweal’s learning community and podcast. Together, we explore life’s big questions, offering events and publications in Commonweal’s areas of focus: finding meaning in a changing world, growing inner and community resilience, advocating for justice, and stewarding the natural world.
Conversations for meaningful change
Be in the room during conversations with inspiring thought- and action-leaders of our time. Explore life’s big questions in a “slow conversation” setting, reflect on different worldviews, and find connection in a welcoming community.
Our Genuinely Unprecedented Moment in History
Richard Tarnas and Host Michael Lerner
When seeking to understand something as vast, complex, and without precedent as our own turning point in human evolution, we must start with the recognition that, to one extent or another, we’re all seeing through a glass darkly. Yet, the urgency of the crisis and the disorientation accompanying it demands that we try. In this conversation, Richard Tarnas will join Host Michael Lerner to discuss possible insights and perspectives that might help shed light on our situation. | Image: Unsplash
Events that bring us together
Join live gatherings—online or in person—to share stories, reflect, and build community. From famous to quietly fabulous, our speakers and hosts are doing inspiring things in the world, and every voice is welcome.
The Poem as This Moment’s Response
Sunday, December 6
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm PST
In Gallery Commonweal and on Zoom
$25 suggested donation, no one turned away
Jane Hirshfield and Host Michael Lerner
As the winter solstice approaches—a time for contemplation, exchange, and renewal—and Commonweal nears the end of our 50th year celebrations, this conversation with Jane Hirshfield and Host Michael Lerner will attend to how we might best address ourselves to the invitations of precipice and turn: with a spirit of permeability, imagination, and embrace of change.
Evolving in the Wonderment
Sunday, January 17
1 pm – 2:30 pm PST
In Gallery Commonweal and on Zoom
$25 suggested donation, no one turned away
Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer and Host Irwin Keller
Join winter 2027 Visiting Scholar Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer and Host Rabbi Irwin Keller to talk about her new poetry, new book of poems The Wonderment (Wildhouse Poetry 2026), and the worldview that inspires her work and creativity.
Inhabiting the Wonderment
Wednesday, January 20
1 pm – 4 pm PST
In-person only
Join us at Commonweal
$50 suggested donation, no one turned away
Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
In this poetry playshop, join winter 2027 Visiting Scholar Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer to steep ourselves in what is here, inviting other perspectives and using all our senses to explore our aliveness. Our time together will include self-reflective writing, reading and conversing about poems, guided invitations to launch into poetic explorations of your own, conversations about process, and optional sharing.
Lines of inquiry that expand your worldview
Immerse yourself in a line of thought or inquiry at your own pace—building resilience and sparking new insights. Follow the journey of our Visiting Scholars, our favorite topics, and our favorite guests at Commonweal’s New School.
Words that inspire action
From thoughtful articles to creative zines and published books, the spirit of our community is captured in the sharing of ideas, stories, and practices that nurture resilience, wisdom, and care for the world.