Where ambition meets ideas.
Discover carefully curated public lectures, author talks, debates and intellectual events in Toronto, Canada — selected by The Mindful City editorial team.
Last updated: August 10, 2026
Alain de Botton · Harbourfront Centre · August 14, 2026
Philosopher and author Alain de Botton explores the profound relationship between the spaces we inhabit and our emotional lives, drawing on art, architecture, and psychology to arg…
Malcolm Gladwell · Roy Thomson Hall · September 10, 2026
Malcolm Gladwell returns to the ideas that made him famous — social epidemics, the 10,000-hour rule, and the hidden architecture of success — and asks which of them still hold up, …
Yuval Noah Harari · Massey Hall · October 2, 2026
Historian and bestselling author Yuval Noah Harari examines the next horizon of human civilisation — the fusion of biology and technology — and the profound questions it raises abo…
Robin Wall Kimmerer · Daniels Spectrum · October 20, 2026
Botanist and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Robin Wall Kimmerer weaves together Indigenous knowledge and Western science to reveal what plants can teach us about …
Adam Grant · Meridian Hall · November 5, 2026
Organisational psychologist Adam Grant challenges us to cultivate the habit of rethinking — questioning our own beliefs, updating our opinions, and embracing the intellectual humil…
Naomi Klein · Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) — Lecture Hall · August 11, 2026
Naomi Klein presents new research tying climate policy to social and economic justice and outlines strategies for equitable transitions. The talk will be followed by a moderated di…
Dr. Neil Shubin · Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) · August 12, 2026
Paleontologist Dr. Neil Shubin explores how the fossil record can illuminate past climate upheavals and inform present-day environmental policy. He will highlight recent discoverie…
Madeleine Thien · Toronto Reference Library (Appel Salon) · August 12, 2026
Author Madeleine Thien reads from her forthcoming novel and discusses craft, displacement and memory. The event includes a moderated discussion and a book signing following the rea…
Reza Aslan · Aga Khan Museum — Ismaili Centre Auditorium · August 12, 2026
Religious scholar and author Reza Aslan examines the role of faith in contemporary geopolitics and pluralist societies. He will place current debates about secularism and religiosi…
Kent Monkman · Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) · August 12, 2026
Artist Kent Monkman discusses his recent projects that reinterpret colonial histories and Indigenous resilience through painting and performance. The talk will be complemented by a…
Michael Ondaatje · Harbourfront Centre (Writers & Company Series) · August 12, 2026
Michael Ondaatje discusses memory, place, and the craft of the novel with an onstage interviewer. The program includes a short reading and an audience Q&A.
Sarah Parcak · Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) — Public Lecture · August 12, 2026
Space archaeologist Sarah Parcak discusses how satellite imagery is transforming the discovery and preservation of archaeological sites. She will outline ethical considerations for…
Sarah Parcak · Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) · August 12, 2026
Archaeologist Sarah Parcak explores how satellite imagery transforms the discovery and protection of archaeological sites worldwide. The talk addresses both scientific innovation a…
Leila Ahmed · Aga Khan Museum · August 12, 2026
Historian Leila Ahmed explores themes of memory and modernity in Islamic art and cultural production across the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The talk connects visual culture…
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie · Harbourfront Centre (Writers & Company) · August 12, 2026
Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie joins Writers & Company for an in-depth conversation about narrative, identity, and global literature. The program features a reading follo…
Michael Ignatieff · Massey College, University of Toronto · August 12, 2026
Michael Ignatieff explores how democracies can balance national identity with commitments to global justice. The lecture will be followed by a student-led discussion and audience q…
Sheila S. Blair · Aga Khan Museum · August 12, 2026
Renowned art historian Sheila S. Blair explores the aesthetic and devotional roles of calligraphy across the Islamic world. The presentation pairs visual examples from the Aga Khan…
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie · Harbourfront Centre — Writers & Company series · August 12, 2026
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie discusses storytelling, cultural identity, and the responsibilities of writers in turbulent times. The session includes an interview format followed by aud…
Yuval Noah Harari; Steven Pinker; John Ibbitson (moderator) · Roy Thomson Hall (Munk Debates) · August 12, 2026
Leading thinkers Yuval Noah Harari and Steven Pinker face off in a public debate about whether advanced AI poses a fundamental threat to liberal democratic institutions. The discus…
Anne Applebaum · Roy Thomson Hall (Munk Debates) · August 12, 2026
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Anne Applebaum examines how digital misinformation is reshaping democratic institutions and public discourse. She will debate current policy respon…