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Picture: @cbphoto_framesGreat books.
Local places.
Real people.
Connecting readers of all backgrounds to discuss classical works together in cafés, libraries, and bookstores across Madison.
Community milestone
Agora needs 500 members to launch.
Agora opens its first reading groups in Madison the moment 500 members have registered. Sign up — whether you have 30 minutes or 2 hours to give, there is a place for you.
Picture: @cbphoto_frames0 pages read
Every page logged by an Agora reader — together, we are building something real.
Place
Every group meets at a real venue — a cafe, a library, a bookstore. Not a video call. A table, a door, a walk home together.
Dialogue
The goal isn't a lecture. It's genuine conversation — the kind where you change your mind, or help someone else change theirs.
Community
Agora groups are capped at four readers — small enough for slow, careful reading and direct relationships with every person at the table.
Wisconsin State Capitol
Picture: @cbphoto_framesSimple by design
How Agora works
Fill out the questionnaire
Share what you want to read, your experience level, how far you can travel, and when you're free. It takes two minutes.
Get matched into a group
Agora places you in a group that fits your book, schedule, and reading level at a partner venue near you — no browsing required.
Show up — even for 30 minutes
Meet at a partner café, library, or bookstore. Sessions run from 30 minutes to 2 hours — come when you can and stay as long as your schedule allows.
Picture: @cbphoto_framesThe Canon
Texts you could read with someone on Agora
The Republic
Plato
Confessions
Augustine
The Iliad
Homer
Meditations
Marcus Aurelius
The Tempest
Shakespeare
Nicomachean Ethics
Aristotle
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Active reading groups in Madison
Coming soon!
Reading groups are forming now. Sign up to be matched when Agora launches.
Join the founding 500Modern public squares
Partner venues in Madison
To be announced closer to launch.
Agora is finalizing partnerships with cafés, libraries, and bookstores across Madison. Stay tuned.
Product launch
Agora is starting in Madison — and growing.
This is a product launch. Agora is being built right here in Madison, Wisconsin. With the right community and support, Agora hopes to bring it to more cities soon.