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Lancaster, Pennsylvania

The Society of Curious Minds

Monthly guided conversations & live podcast. Hundreds of intriguing questions over coffee & snacks.

Reserve a seat How it works
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”— William Shakespeare
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Gatherings

The next gathering

Registration required Lancaster

A Monthly Guided Conversation

Gather once a month with a kind, thoughtful community for deep discussions and philosophical meanderings. Each month we meet to have intriguing dialogue in a quiet space reserved just for you.

When
Saturday, October 24 · 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Theme
Empathy, Respect & Tribalism
Where
Urban Arts House · 430 W Orange Street, Lancaster, PA
Provisions
Coffee & light bites
Cover
$20.00
Student or starving artist?Request a 50% promo code Former attendee? Once a year, send us a short video interview.Send it with WeTransfer (free) ↗Get your next gathering free
Reserve a seat Directions

Tickets are sold through Ticket Tailor. Every gathering needs a reservation, so we know how many tables to set.

Conversation prompts

This month’s questions

This month’s theme is Boundaries of the Known. These are some of the questions waiting on the tables.

  1. Have you ever had an experience that was impossible to convey in words? Is this purely a biological experience, or something more?
  2. If time were an illusion, do you think the past, present, and future are all happening at the exact same moment right now?
  3. What if you never experience your own death?
  4. When coincidences happen, do you think they are meaningful signs from the universe, or just random math and statistics?

Now available

Take some curiosity home

White V-neck T-shirt with the Society of Curious Minds badge on the chest

T-Shirt

Stay curious. Stay comfortable.

With your ticket
$20
At the gathering
$25
White mug with the Society of Curious Minds badge

Mug

Stay curious with every sip.

With your ticket
$12
At the gathering
$15

Add one to your order when you reserve your seat and it’s waiting for you at the gathering. You can also buy one there on the day, at the higher price.

How it works

Three hours of real conversation.

Once a month, a room in Lancaster fills with people skipping the usual small talk for something a bit more interesting. You don’t need to know anyone and you don’t need to prepare. You bring the curiosity; we bring the questions.

The Society was founded by Jocelyn Reed. It is a discussion space — not a platform for recruiting, selling or advancing an agenda.

  1. I

    Arrive & settle

    Check in, take a coffee, find your first seat. By attending, everyone agrees to the Code of Conduct.

  2. II

    The live podcast

    The first fifteen minutes are a live podcast recording. The guest is a past attendee who applied for it. Nobody is picked from the audience, so if you’d rather just listen, settle in and enjoy it.

  3. III

    Guided rounds

    Small tables and as many questions as you like each round. A prompt opens the conversation; cue another whenever you’re ready. Where it goes is up to the table.

  4. IV

    Rotate

    Between rounds the seating changes, so you keep meeting new people.

The Podcast

Recorded live, at the start of every gathering

Fifteen minutes and one guest, recorded in the room before the first round begins. Every guest is a past attendee who applied to be on it. No one is put on the spot, and introverts are welcome to simply listen.

Episodes are on their way. Coming soon

Be the guest

Anyone who has attended a gathering can apply to be the podcast guest. Write to us and we’ll send you the application.

Ask for an application

The Code of Conduct

What everyone agrees to before they sit down

What people bring to these tables is their candour.
This is how we keep that safe.

Code of Conduct

To create a space that is thoughtful, welcoming, and safe for all participants, everyone attending agrees to the following:

Respect & Engagement

  • Treat all participants with respect, curiosity, and goodwill, even when disagreeing.
  • Engage in good faith: listen to understand, not simply to respond.
  • Allow space for others to speak; avoid dominating conversations.
  • This is a discussion space, not a platform for proselytizing, recruiting, or advancing personal, political, spiritual, or commercial agendas.

Personal & Emotional Boundaries

  • Participation is voluntary. No one is obligated to share personal experiences, beliefs, or emotions beyond what they freely choose.
  • Respect emotional boundaries. Avoid pressuring others to disclose, diagnosing others, or attempting to “fix” or advise fellow participants.

Privacy & Confidentiality

  • To preserve a sense of safety and openness, please do not record conversations or take photos of others without their explicit consent.
  • What is shared in conversation should be treated with care and discretion.

Alcohol & Substances

  • This is an alcohol free space. Please help us maintain a safe community for those in recovery, as well as for our attendees under the age of 21.

Age & Supervision Policy

  • Attendees under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at all times during the event

Physical Boundaries & Safety

  • Physical contact of any kind (including hugging or touching) should occur only with clear consent.
  • Harassment, discrimination, intimidation, or personal attacks of any kind will not be tolerated.
  • If you feel uncomfortable, please speak with the organizer.
  • By attending, participants agree that the organizer is not responsible for injuries, losses, or damages related to participation in the event.

Venue & Property

  • Participants are financially responsible for any damage they cause to the venue or its contents.
  • Please treat the space and its furnishings with care.

The organizer reserves the right to ask anyone to leave at any time to maintain the safety, integrity, and spirit of the gathering.

Current version · 24 August 2026 Agreed to by everyone attending

Bring it to your city

Want to host a gathering?

Lancaster is where the Society began. If you’d like to bring Curious Minds to your own city, we’d like to hear from you.

Get in touch

For venues & partners

Our home

Gatherings are held at Urban Arts House, 430 W Orange Street, Lancaster. For partnerships, press or anything else, write to us.

Write to us

Contact

Questions? Write to us.

jocelyn@societyofcuriousminds.org

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jocelyn@societyofcuriousminds.org

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