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Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/24/2026
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Location
Widener Auditorium, Penn Museum
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September 24, 5:30–7:00pm
Widener Lecture Hall, Penn Museum
Practicing Attention — But Why?
Jenny Odell, Author
Drawing on themes from her bestselling 2019 book How to Do Nothing, Jenny Odell will examine anxieties about our ability to focus and the way that the issue is often emptied of social, political, and spiritual content. Like anything else, the practice of paying attention can be aimed at increased productivity for productivity’s sake—or worse, an abstract valuing of mental “performance.” She will argue that much of modern advice regarding the practice of attention is inadequate because it misses the role of purpose, commitment, and love.
A book signing will follow the lecture and Q&A.