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.
Leading Through the Polycrisis: Healing, Resilience, and the Future of Environmental Health and Justice
Gary Cohen, Annie Leonard, and Brandi Jenkins, with Host Michael Lerner
Some leaders have said we are the first generation to understand the full dimensions of the climate crisis and the last generation to do something about it. We are facing new realities when it comes to human health, community health, and planetary health, as well as assaults on democracy, human rights, and denial of our shared history. As leaders, how can we hold the polycrisis without being crushed by the enormity of the personal, political, and planetary challenges? How can we heal ourselves and build resilience in the organizations we need to sustain our movements?
Join us for conversation with Annie Leonard, creator of The Story of Stuff and former executive director of Greenpeace USA; Brandi Jenkins, deputy director of the Beyond Petrochemicals campaign and a 20-year veteran of the EPA; Gary Cohen, Co-Founder of Health Care Without Harm; and Commonweal Co-Founder Michael Lerner in conversation about the long road that has brought the environmental health and justice movement to where we are in this moment.
This event was part of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s 45th anniversary Defying Boundaries celebrations, inspiring public dialogue through a series of nationwide events and conversations with MacArthur Fellows. Sponsors also included the Jenifer Altman Foundation, Marisla Foundation, and The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Global.
Art credit: Jon Marro
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.