Brooklyn Library’s Night of Ideas Returns With Shorter, Virtual Event on January 28

The Brooklyn Public Library’s annual Night of Ideas (formerly known as the Night of Philosophy and Ideas) returns this year with a shortened, completely virtual event.

Starting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, January 28, and ending at midnight, the six-hour “virtual exchange of ideas,” as the Library calls it, will feature a number of talks, panels and musical performances, all centered around the theme of “closing the distance.”

The Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei will open this year’s event with a keynote conversation, while the musician, poet and memoirist Patti Smith will provide the keynote performance. 

Other speakers include the writer and filmmaker Astra Taylor, the writer Hari Kunzru and psychotherapist Jamieson Webster, among others. Ash Koosha, Emel Mathlouthi and the Brooklyn Art Song Society will perform virtually. 

The six-hour event, co-presented with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, is part of the larger U.S. Night of Ideas, in connection with the worldwide La Nuit des Idées, which will present events in different cities around the globe on January 28 that can be streamed for 24 hours. 

Additional information, including a more detailed schedule and full list of speakers and performers, can be found here. The event is free, but RSVP is required.

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