Penny U at Town Hall: Imagining Tomorrow’s Work: Conversations about the nature and future of work

Monday, October 20, 2014

Imagining Tomorrow’s Work: Conversations about the nature and future of work

In monthly conversations this fall, Penny U asks: How are the concepts of jobs and work changing or being redefined? What kinds of work does our current economy support and not support? How much do technological changes affect this? Why do some thinkers say there’s a silver lining in today’s economic struggles, and can we believe them? What can we do?

Penny U conversations are scheduled on Monday, October 6; Wednesday, November 5; and Monday, December 8. They run from 5:30 to 7:00, usually in the downstairs cafe. Come at 5:00 when the doors open and get drinks and snacks from the cafe or order from Primo Pizza’s happy hour menu for delivery.

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About Penny U at Town Hall

Imagining Tomorrow’s Work

Conversations about the nature and future of work

How are the concepts of jobs and work changing or being redefined? What does our own experience tell us? What does this mean for the future?

Penny U conversations are jumpstarted by ideas from speakers on Town Hall’s stages. We aim to tie big ideas to daily lives. Since each person brings valuable knowledge and experience, Penny U is designed to engage everyone in the room: we lead with questions not answers, the set up is informal, and conversations happen both in small groups and all together. Like early Penny universities, we aim to mix ages, fields, incomes, cultures for face-to-face conversation about things that matter, in the commons that is Town Hall.

Penny U borrows its name from 18th century London coffeehouses called “Penny Universities.” For the price of a penny people got coffee, pamphlets, news, gossip, and lively conversations on politics and science, literature and poetry, commerce and religion. The low cost led to a mingling of people from all walks of life – poor with rich. Penny universities became safe havens for challenging ideas and civil debate.