What we’re about
Curiosity Connections is a community of curious, fun-loving people who enjoy intellectual discussions and learning from one another. Like a salon, we come together to engage in open, respectful, thoughtful dialogue on a wide range of topics from current events to ancient philosophies. Our objective is to encourage meaningful conversations about interesting and thought-provoking material.
Curiosity Connections hosts a variety of events, some in person (IRL) and some over Zoom. We have a podcast club, which is just like a book club, except instead of reading books, we all listen to the same podcast and come together to discuss it at the event. The podcasts focus on probing interviews with recognized thought-leaders in the fields of science, philosophy, psychology, politics, business, and technology. Our virtual podcast events are typically held on Mondays and our in-person events, in San Francisco and Marin (Mill Valley), are usually held Thursday and Saturdays. (For IRL events hosted at a restaurant, we ask that attendees please order food or drinks to support the venue during the course of the meeting.)
We also have a book club, where we take time with our books to get the most out of them. Typically, we’ll read about 50 pages per week and discuss them at the meetings. Finally, we periodically have other events like meetings based on a TED talk rather than a podcast.
If you are a curious person who enjoys sharing and exploring ideas with others, we would love you to join us!
Upcoming events
3
•OnlinePodcast Club ONLINE: The Decline of Reading & Dawn of the Post-Literate Society
OnlineThis week, we are listening to TWO podcasts. Please listen to both! Together, these podcasts address the clear and steady decline of reading in America (and abroad). Statistics show a big drop in daily leisure reading, and a significant portion of the population reports not having finished a single book in a year. The two podcasts discuss why reading has declined, especially deep reading, and consider the consequences of this change. Are we at the dawn of a post-literate society, and if so, what would that mean? Should we be concerned? The podcast guests assert that literacy impacts democracy through, among other things, the ability to examine and think critically. If they're right, what can or should we do to bring reading back?
The FIRST podcast is UnHerd with Freddie Sayers, with guests James Marriott and Jared Henderson. Marriott is a columnist for The Times (UK), where he covers society, ideas and culture. Henderson is a YouTuber and philosopher whose articles have been published in philosophy journals.
The SECOND podcast, which also focuses on the struggles of young men in America today, is Honestly with Bari Weiss. The episode guest is Shilo Brooks, the president and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center and Professor of Practice in the Department of Political Science at Southern Methodist University. He has also taught at Princeton, the University of Virginia, the University of Colorado, and Bowdoin College.
PLEASE NOTE: We require that attendees listen to BOTH podcasts below before attending the meeting to optimize discussion.
PODCAST #1 OF 2:
https://unherd.com/watch-listen/the-dawn-of-post-literate-society/
or
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/is-this-the-disenlightenment/id1540134798?i=1000723736022
(35 min.)
PODCAST #2 OF 2: FOR THIS PODCAST, PLEASE LISTEN TO ONLY THE FIRST PORTION OF THE PODCAST (~44 min.). Stop when Bari Weiss ends her conversation with Brooks; do NOT listen to the conversation between Cornel West and Brooks.
https://www.thefp.com/p/can-reading-fix-men-shilo-brooks-bari-weiss
If you use this link, the episode is accessed by clicking on the SECOND, small red box just above the words "Continue Reading The Free Press," which you'll see when scrolling further down the page. The first big video box is just a teaser for the full episode. You do not need to pay to listen to the episode.or
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/honestly-with-bari-weiss/id1570872415?i=1000734187149
(44 min.)
***
What's a podcast club?
It's like a book club for podcasts. Each week we discuss an interesting and currently-relevant episode from podcasters like Ezra Klein, Michael Shermer, or Russ Roberts. We start off as a large group and spend most of the time talking in small break-out groups, which we remix 3 times over the course of the evening. Our conversations are casual and open. We ask that everyone speak respectfully at all times, and we encourage free and concise discussion relevant to the week's podcast topic. To do this, we try to adhere to Grice's Maxims: https://bit.ly/2p4uSQmUltimately, the idea is to help each other think a little differently, learn a thing or two and have some fun.
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3682869318?pwd=SC80SzI1S3JkeW1pbGhzcTNVQWVmdz09. Password for event might be W5hDy7
13 attendees
IN-PERSON Podcast Club: "The Great Feminization"
Groundfloor San Francisco, 455 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA, USTHIS IS AN IN-PERSON PODCAST CLUB EVENT IN SAN FRANCISCO! It will not be on Zoom, and there will be no Zoom meeting that day. We look forward to seeing you in 3-D! And please read this whole event write-up; there's a lot here!
This week, we will BOTH listen to a podcast AND read an article. The podcast is The Unspeakeasy with Meghan Daum, with guest Helen Andrews, the article's author. The article, entitled The Great Feminization, was published by Compact magazine on October 16, 2025.
PLEASE NOTE: We require that attendees listen to the podcast and read the article, both linked below, BEFORE attending the meeting.
Podcast:
https://www.theunspeakablepodcast.com/p/have-women-ruined-everything
(this is a video; it includes a linked transcript which is NOT recommended)or
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/have-women-ruined-the-world-helen-andrews-on-the/id1524832743?i=1000733005879
(1 hr., 14 min.)
AND
Article:
https://www.compactmag.com/article/the-great-feminization/-------------
What are the podcast and article about?
Before answering this question, let's address political polarity and bias. The podcast guest and article author, Helen Andrews, is politically conservative (see more bio info below). While it'd be easy for one to automatically dismiss or accept her views outright simply because of her relative political affiliation, critical thinking requires that one examine ideas for their own merit. Of course, it is valuable to know someone's background/biases, but let's not end the inquiry there! Also, fyi, the podcast host, Meghan Daum, is a lifelong Democrat.About this week's podcast and article: What caused the phenomenon of wokeness in America? As yet, there has been no clear answer, but some lay it at the foot of, among other things, social media or post-Obama frustration about identity politics. Helen Andrews theorizes that wokeness is a byproduct of "The Great Feminization" of this country: the fact that women have steadily become a part of the workplace, and now make up the majority in an increasing number of institutions, has impactfully feminized our society. She believes that wokeness is just one among many of the implications of this feminization and questions these changes. This podcast and article provide interesting springboards for considering gender differences and how they play into the makeup of our society. How are women and men typically different? To what extent do these differences matter? How, if at all, do those differences reflect onto our society? Ultimately, what do we want our policies, laws, institutions, and values to look like?
Helen Andrews is an American conservative political commentator and author. She is a former senior editor at The American Conservative and the former managing editor of the Washington Examiner. Andrews was also a Robert Novak Journalism Fellow, a think tank researcher for the Centre for Independent Studies, and an associate editor at National Review. She is the author of the book Boomers: The Men and Women Who Promised Freedom and Delivered Disaster.
The meeting venue:
We will be meeting at Groundfloor (see map and address in upper right-hand corner) at 3:30pm. For those of you who attended our in-person meeting earlier this year, it is the same venue in the Mission. Thank you to Clint for again making this fantastic venue available to our group!Dinner & Post-Meeting Hangout:
Please join us for dinner following our meeting! We will provide time for everyone to get out into the neighborhood to bring back food to Groundfloor, our venue. There are loads of nearby restaurants; feel free to check out options ahead of time! Alternatively, you are welcome to brown-bag a dinner. A microwave oven is available at the venue. After dinner, we'll enjoy a relaxing, conversation-filled evening. . . until the cows come home!Donations: We are now seeking donations for the ongoing true costs of running this group. The organizers are unpaid volunteers who don't like asking for donations often (last time was almost 2-1/2 years ago). If you'd like to donate at this in-person event, please do so. Thank you! And a big thank you to those who have already donated!
Questions: Please contact Salina if you have any questions! Allow some time for a response, as Meetup doesn't notify that messages have been sent.
What's a podcast club?
It's like a book club for podcasts. Each week we discuss an interesting and currently-relevant episode from podcasters like Ezra Klein, Michael Shermer, or Russ Roberts. We start off as a large group and spend most of the time talking in small break-out groups, which we remix 3 times over the course of the evening. Our conversations are casual and open. We ask that everyone speak respectfully at all times, and we encourage free and concise discussion relevant to the week's podcast topic. To do this, we try to adhere to Grice's Maxims: https://bit.ly/2p4uSQm
Ultimately, the idea is to help each other think a little differently, learn a thing or two and have some fun.25 attendees
Past events
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