Run in collaboration with the wonderful Maze Books, FCPC has become a cherished space for people in the Rockford area to gather, chat, and learn from one another. I started it as a way to build community in a new city I had moved to, not knowing anyone there. It
More important than any "philosophy” that occurs (indeed, I was hesitant to even use the term in the name) has been the relationships that have formed within the space.
My approach to public philosophy has been inspired and informed by Jeremy Bendik-Keymer's work on the topic. The groups he has hosted, including Moral Inquiries, Neighborhood, the Ethics Table, and more, as well his expositions on real philosophical communities and on emergent curriculum, have formed FCPC's backdrop.
I will be writing a full-length post soon on my blog about FCPC. Stay tuned.
Gallery
Our large group Jan '26 monthly meetup was a concept creation workshop, where groups took turns providing conceptual solutions to practical problems.
A small-group, 3-hour seminar I delivered on Buddhist metaphysics - covering the aggregates, the sense-bases, and transmigration.
One of our informal FCPC hangouts at Rockford Roasting Company.