Upcoming Online Events
The Agora Foundation is a nonsectarian 501(c)3 non-profit endeavor, providing great books seminars and other educational opportunities to those who are busy with careers, families, and daily responsibilities yet are seeking to further their education. The goal of these offerings is to provide an understanding of the ideas that shape civilizations and to promote civil discourse on complicated subjects. The Agora Foundation has facilitated over 1,000 great books seminars and teacher trainings, covering a wide variety of topics including literature, philosophy, political science, theology, history, art, psychology, and more, featuring ancient and modern texts from around the world. In addition to seminars, since 2014 Agora has produced 39 panels, gatherings, and video interviews, promoting civil discourse on controversial and complicated subjects. Hundreds of these events can be freely viewed and listened to on this website.
Generously funded by The Ahmanson Foundation, Southern California Edison, The Shanbrom Family Foundation, the Ventura County Community Foundation, the WRG Foundation, the Constance Eaton and William Hart Fund, the Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club of Ojai, CIty of Ojai, and private donations, the Teachers for Lifelong Learning Program provides training to high school teachers in this engaging approach to learning, and The Ojai Chautauqua provides panels promoting civil discourse on controversial and complicated subjects.
Upcoming Regular Events
Online Seminar Series
Monday Night Poetry Group
Monday, May 18
5:00-6:00PM PDT
Each online session will focus on a single poem or two shorter ones.No preparation is required— we’ll read aloud and discover the poems together. Each of the seminars is self-contained, so join for any or all that interest you. Whether you're new to poetry or a seasoned reader, these gatherings will deepen your ability to see how poems work their particular magic, revealing the craft behind moments of beauty, surprise and insight.
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May 18 Reading:
On First Looking into Chapman's Homer by John Keats
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Schedule:
5:00 - 6:00PM PDT
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Tutor:
Carol Seferi
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Location:
Online. Register to receive the link.
Onsite Free Community Seminar Series
Eastern Classics - Tao Te Ching
Tuesday, May 19
1:00-2:00PM PDT
Like the west, the east has its own tradition of influential texts that address the perennial questions of human kind. Centering around the bodies of work from China, Japan, and India, this series will focus on the texts of Taoism, Confucius, Buddhism, and Hinduism. We invite you to join us and attendees can feel free to join intermittently.
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May 19 Reading:
The Tao Te Ching - Chapter 45
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Schedule:
1:00 - 2:00PM PDT
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Tutor:
Andy Gilman
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Location:
111 East Ojai Avenue in Ojai, California
Online Seminar Series
The Chemical History of a Candle by Michael Faraday
Saturday, May 23
12:00-2:00PM PDT
"There is not a law under which any part of this universe is governed which does not come into play and is not touched upon during the time a candle burns." Faraday’s famous 1861 six-lecture series, uses the simple, everyday burning of a candle to introduce fundamental scientific principles. We invite you to participate in discussing these six lectures, taking place about one month apart.
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May 23 Reading:
Preface and Lecture One - The Flame, Its Sources, Structure, Mobility, Brightness.
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Schedule:
12:00 - 2:00PM PDT
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Tutor:
Andy Gilman
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Location:
Online. Register to receive the link.
View the Free Onsite Ojai Chautauqua Panel Series
The Future of Ojai - What is Special About Ojai? -
What should be nurtured, protected, or expanded?
Thursday, July 31, 2025
​​The Agora Foundation's Ojai Chautauqua project is embarking on a series of onsite panel discussions that will take place in 2025 and 2026, entitled The Future of Ojai. The goal of the project is to bring together knowledgeable and varied points of view in the spirit of learning, shared inquiry, and civil discourse. Panels will take place about two months apart with each focusing on a different topic such as housing, our economy, sustaining our environment, the state of education, the arts, and more. Events will have different moderators and panelists, representing our diverse community. As with all of our prior events, we hope to bring thoughtful conversation to complicated areas that affect us all, both today and in the future.
All panels will be free and open to the community. This is the first event in the series, intended to set the stage for future offerings.
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Location:
122 East Ojai Avenue in Ojai
Panel Moderator:
Kimberly Rivers - Journalist and Editor
Panelists:
Emily Ayala – Co-Owner of Friend’s Ranch
Andra Belknap - Journalist and Commentator
Atticus Ford-Reyes - Board President of Ojai Unified School District
Andy Gilman - Mayor of Ojai and Agora Foundation Director
Saw Naing - Co-Owner of The Dutchess and Joplin’s
Fabiola Sosa - Mother and Ojai Community Farmers Market team
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Schedule:
5:30-7:30PM PDT​
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The event is at capacity:
While the event is free, seating is limited. If desired, please add your name to the waiting list below. The panel will be recorded and posted.
An Introduction to The Agora Foundation. What is liberal education?
An Introduction to The Agora Foundation's Ojai Chautauqua Panels.