The Connecticut Forum

Because you wanted more Neil deGrasse Tyson and Neil...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:09:14 -0400

Because you wanted more Neil deGrasse Tyson and Neil Gaiman…

A new clip on religion, science and the “god of the gaps.”

From the 2012 “Vision & Brilliance” Forum with Tyson, Gaiman, Neri Oxman and moderator John Dankosky.

Announcing our 2013-2014 season! Visit ctforum.org for panelist...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:47:37 -0400

Announcing our 2013-2014 season!

Visit ctforum.org for panelist announcements and other updates.

Congrats to former panelist Carrie Brownstein on...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:38:52 -0400

Congrats to former panelist Carrie Brownstein on “Portlandia” being renewed for two more seasons!

Brownstein talked about “Portlandia” and her funny family on stage when she was at The Forum with John Hodgman and Baratunde Thurston in May.

"Because of the transmission of identity from one generation to the next, most children share at..."

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 08:58:05 -0400

“

Because of the transmission of identity from one generation to the next, most children share at least some traits with their parents. These are vertical identities. Attributes and values are passed down from parent to child across the generations not only through strands of DNA, but also through shared cultural norms. Ethnicity, for example, is a vertical identity.

[…]

Often, however, someone has an inherent or acquired trait that is foreign to his or her parents and must therefore acquire identity from a peer group. This is a horizontal identity. … Being gay is a horizontal identity; most gay kids are born to straight parents, and while their sexuality is not determined by their peers, they learn gay identity by observing and participating in a subculture outside the family. Physical disability tends to be horizontal, as does genius.

[…]

I had been startled to note my common ground with the Deaf, and now I was identifying with a dwarf; I wondered who else was out there waiting to join our gladsome throng. I thought that if gayness, an identity, could grow out of homosexuality, an illness, and Deafness, an identity, could grow out of deafness, an illness, and if dwarfism as an identity could emerge from an apparent disability, then there must be many other categories in this awkward interstitial territory. It was a radicalizing insight. Having always imagined myself in a fairly slim minority, I suddenly saw that I was in a vast company. Difference unites us. While each of these experiences can isolate those who are affected, together they compose an aggregate of millions whose struggles connect them profoundly. The exceptional is ubiquitous; to be entirely typical is the rare and lonely state.

”

- Fantastic read: “Horizontal” vs. “vertical” identity and how love both changes us and makes us more ourselves (via explore-blog)

From Andrew Solomon, who will be a Forum panelist in 2014.

Does Jonah Lehrer, disgraced writer for the New Yorker and...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 09:43:20 -0400

Does Jonah Lehrer, disgraced writer for the New Yorker and former Forum panelist, deserve a second chance?

Lehrer had a thriving journalism career before he was found out for plagiarism, and he has been out of the public eye ever since. His publisher recently announced that he will be releasing a new book on love due out in 2014.

(Above, Jonah Lehrer, on stage at the “Creative Minds” Forum in 2011.)

Additional reading: In a recent New York Times op-ed, Joe Nocera argues that Lehrer hasn’t earned this second chance.

What do you think?

Anne-Marie Slaughter: Do You See the World As a Ladder or a Web?

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 09:22:29 -0400

Anne-Marie Slaughter: Do You See the World As a Ladder or a Web?:

A great piece from former panelist Anne-Marie Slaughter about power and gender.

"Gay is not something we do,” he says. “It’s something we are. I’m not just..."

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 12:32:02 -0400

““Gay is not something we do,” he says. “It’s something we are. I’m not just gay when I’m making love to my husband. I’m gay all the time. I’m gay right this minute talking to you, and it … affects how I relate to the world, how I relate to people.””

- Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church.

Bishop Robinson will be a panelist at our October 5 Forum, Being Gay.

(Listen to the entire Fresh Air interview here.)

Andrew Solomon’s TED Talk: “Love, no matter...

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:11:00 -0400

Andrew Solomon’s TED Talk: “Love, no matter what.”

In this moving and heartfelt talk, Solomon explores the question at the crux of his renowned book, “Far From the Tree” : How do parents love and accept children who are drastically different from them? The talk was released earlier this week and already has over 160,000 views.

Take a look and see why we are extremely excited to welcome Andrew to the March 2014 Forum, “An Honest Look at Mental Illness.”

The start of what promises to be much more thinking about nerds...

Fri, 31 May 2013 12:51:41 -0400

Next season will wrap up with a Forum called “Nerd Fest: Why Nerds Rule the World.” So I’ve been thinking: what makes a nerd?

It’s the things they like, yes, but also their way of seeing the world. It’s a kind of effervescent, unbridled, unselfconscious enthusiasm. You can “nerd out” about just about anything; it’s not just relegated to comic books and Star Wars.

What are you nerding out about these days?

And is it just me, or are we embracing the nerdery in a way that we haven’t before?

Posted by Jamie @ The Forum

New behind-the-scenes video, featuring the hilarious John...

Wed, 29 May 2013 10:16:44 -0400

New behind-the-scenes video, featuring the hilarious John Hodgman, from the recent “Funny Smart People” Forum.

This clip has it all: life advice, the Hartford Whalers, a shirtless Hodgman and heartfelt moments.

On stage at The Forum: John Hodgman strips, reveals his love for...

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:30:31 -0400

On stage at The Forum: John Hodgman strips, reveals his love for The Hartford Whalers!

The Daily Show’s John Hodgman reveals his love of the Hartford Whalers logo design and ditches his shirt and tie for a Ron Francis Whalers shirt live on stage at The Connecticut Forum. Panelists Carrie Brownstein and Baratunde Thurston decide to record and tweet the whole thing! The three comedians participated in The CT Forum’s “Funny Smart People” Forum on Saturday, May 4, 2013 with moderator Colin McEnroe. The event was Hosted by Connecticut Humanities.

explore-blog: Patti Smith, reconstructionist. Pair with Carl...

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:18:42 -0400

explore-blog:

Patti Smith, reconstructionist. Pair with Carl Sagan on books.

will there be an uploaded recording of the 'smart funny people' forum?

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:40:07 -0400

We post clips on our YouTube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ctforum&oq=ctforum&gs_l=youtube.3..35i39l2j0l4j0i10j0l3.6829.7627.0.7802.7.6.0.0.0.0.118.294.1j2.3.0…0.0…1ac.1.11.youtube._vH8s5Zpcks - we have already posted some and will continue posting there over the coming weeks.

We post some full Forums on The Forum Channel at www.theforumchannel.tv, but this particular Forum is not scheduled to go up in the near future.

Thanks!
The CT Forum

Is that the mod squad? John Hodgman, Baratunde Thurston, Carrie...

Thu, 09 May 2013 09:38:09 -0400

Is that the mod squad?

John Hodgman, Baratunde Thurston, Carrie Brownstein and moderator Colin McEnroe at the “Funny Smart People” Forum.

New behind-the-scenes video: Carrie Brownstein at “Funny...

Thu, 09 May 2013 09:34:25 -0400

New behind-the-scenes video: Carrie Brownstein at “Funny Smart People” from May 4, 2013.

Carrie Brownstein on the List of the Twenty-Five Most Underrated Guitarists | | Rolling Stone

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:13:37 -0400

Carrie Brownstein on the List of the Twenty-Five Most Underrated Guitarists | | Rolling Stone:

Statistics show that the average rock fan spends roughly 4.7 hours per year arguing over who’s the greatest guitarist of all time see: Rolling Stone’s…

Unveiling the final of our three limited edition posters for the...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:35:00 -0400

Unveiling the final of our three limited edition posters for the “Funny Smart People” Forum on Saturday, May 4 with Baratunde Thurston, Carrie Brownstein and John Hodgman.

A gift of $50 gets you your choice of one of these posters, signed by the panelist.

More information on the upcoming Forum, here.

Another one of our special, limited edition posters for our May...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:33:03 -0400

Another one of our special, limited edition posters for our May 4 Forum with Carrie Brownstein, John Hodgman and Baratunde Thurston.

A gift of $50 gets you a signed copy!

More about the “Funny Smart People” Forum here.

"People would often ask, ‘What does it feel like to be a woman playing music?’ and I would say, ‘This..."

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:33:09 -0400

““People would often ask, ‘What does it feel like to be a woman playing music?’ and I would say, ‘This is what it feels like. You asking me this question is exactly what it feels like to be a woman playing music.””

- Carrie Brownstein (via wheniwasapainter)

carrie-brownstein: shinywen: by David Wiley Life. And when...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:59:00 -0400

carrie-brownstein:

shinywen:

by David Wiley

Life.

And when in doubt… put a bird on it!