JamesPercival Everett
5 of 12 seats taken. Confirms at 9. Booking closes Tue.
Hosted by Nora, a novelist who teaches fiction workshops.
Live book conversations
The book club for people who actually read the book.
Sympozia hosts small Zoom conversations about a book you chose, led by a host whose whole job is making the conversation good. Pick a book, pick a night, and join from your own couch. No driving across town, no hosting duty, just people who came to talk about the book.
- On Zoom, from home
- 6–12 readers
- About two hours
- One book, one evening
- $16 a seat
Sound familiar?
You love books. Book club keeps letting you down.
- Half the group didn't finish it.
- One person talked for forty minutes.
- We got as far as "I didn't like the main character."
- It's really a wine night with a book on the table.
- I'm reading something the group voted for.
- It runs on the group's schedule, not mine.
- I had a thought and never found a way in.
- Nobody's really leading it.
The difference
Everything you wanted book club to be.
Still warm and still fun, just about the book from start to finish.
| Typical book club | Sympozia | |
|---|---|---|
| Who picks the book | Whoever wins the vote | You do |
| Who's read it | Some people, mostly | Everyone. That's why they're there. |
| Who's leading | Nobody, or the loudest person | A trained host |
| How deep it goes | Rarely past first impressions | How it works, and why |
| Where | Someone's living room, after a drive | On Zoom, from your own home |
| Schedule | The group's night, every month | Your night, when you want. No commitment. |
| Group size | Whoever shows up | 6 to 12 readers |
| Quieter readers | Talked over | No pressure. Speak when you're ready. |
How it works
Four steps, no subscription.
Pick a book
Choose from this season's list. Nobody votes on what you read.
Choose a session
Find a night that suits you. There's nothing to sign up for beyond that one evening.
It fills, then confirms
A session runs once nine seats are taken. If it doesn't fill, you get a full refund.
Show up and talk
Before the session, everyone shares one thing they noticed: a line, a scene, a question. Then join on Zoom from home for two hours with readers who finished the book.
Coming up (examples)
Small Things Like TheseClaire Keegan
Confirmed. 2 seats left.
Hosted by Sam, a bookseller and former English teacher.
IntermezzoSally Rooney
7 of 12 seats taken. Confirms at 9. Booking closes Tue.
Hosted by Leah, a fiction editor.
TrustHernan Diaz
2 of 12 seats taken. Confirms at 9. Booking closes Fri.
Hosted by Marcus, a working novelist.
Example sessions, to show how it will look. The first real calendar opens with launch.
This season's books
Your pick, from a list worth talking about.
A mix of crowd-pleasers, a classic, a translation and a few short reads. Each comes with a question to get things going.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Gabrielle Zevin
Is this a love story, a friendship story, or neither?
Mrs Dalloway
Virginia Woolf · short read
Whose day is it really, Clarissa's or Septimus's?
James
Percival Everett
What changes when Jim gets to tell the story?
Intermezzo
Sally Rooney
Why do the two brothers' chapters read so differently?
Small Things Like These
Claire Keegan · short read
How does such a short book carry so much weight?
Trust
Hernan Diaz
Which of the four versions did you believe, and when did that change?
Kitchen
Banana Yoshimoto, translated by Megan Backus · short read
Why does grief feel so light in this book?
The Remains of the Day
Kazuo Ishiguro
What is Stevens not telling us, and how do we know?
An example list. The first season's books are announced at launch. Don't see yours? Tell us what you'd love to talk about.
For quieter readers
No pressure to perform.
Some of the best readers would rather listen first. That's welcome here. You can speak up when you have something to say, and nobody will put you on the spot.
- A small table. Six to twelve people, so there's room without a crowd.
- No cold-calling. Hosts keep things moving without singling anyone out.
- Questions ahead of time. A few questions arrive before the session, so you can think things through at your own pace.
- Cameras optional. Join from home with your camera on or off. Talking, typing in the chat, or mostly listening your first time are all fine.
The hosts
Every table has someone whose job is the conversation.
Our hosts are writers, editors, teachers and lifelong readers, chosen for how well they lead a room. Every host is interviewed before leading a table. They don't lecture. They keep the talk on the book, make sure everyone is heard, gently rein in the person who talks too much, and ask the question that opens things up.
Price
$16
About the price of a movie ticket, for about as long as a movie.
And the popcorn is whatever your microwave makes, which is a lot cheaper than the theater's.
Per seat, per session. No membership fee, no subscription.
Our promise
A full table of people who read the book and showed up.
We can't run it? Full refund. You cancel early? A credit. You cancel on the day? A credit if someone on the waitlist takes your seat; if nobody does, there's no refund or credit. That's how tables stay full.
About the name
In ancient Greece, a symposion was a gathering of friends for good food and good talk. That's the idea.
Join the waitlist
Be at the first tables.
We're opening our first season soon. Join the list and we'll tell you when booking opens. Tell us what you want to read, and it may end up on the list.
You're on the list.
We'll email you when booking opens for the first season.