TA-NEHISI COATES
On Oct. 27, a talk by Ta-Nehisi Coates, the National Book Award-winning writer, will kick off the Thinkable Events series at Lackawanna Station in Montclair. The series, founded by Desh Amila, will also include five other events featuring a high-profile and diverse group of speakers, over a period of 10 months.
Cornel West and John Wood Jr. will discuss justice, truth and democracy on Feb. 18. British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins will reflect on the 50-year impact of his book “The Selfish Gene” on a date TBA in March. Steven Pinker, the cognitive psychologist and psycholinguist, will be featured on April 23. Linguist John McWhorter will speak about race, identity and intellectual freedom in America on June 19. And Iranian journalist, women’s rights activist and founder of the My Stealthy Freedom movement Masih Alinejad will speak on July 23.
Amila explained that his intention is to encourage civil discourse. Given our political times, this value is needed now more than ever.
Amilia has previously presented speakers such as Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michio Kaku, Sam Harris, Jane Goodall and Edward Snowden in other places, including Australia, where he lived before moving to New Jersey. In addition, he co-produced “Better Left Unsaid” (a 2021 documentary about political extremism) and co-directed the 2018 documentary “Islam and the Future of Tolerance.” He also founded the Dreamer’s Foundation (supporting young people from immigrant, refugee or multicultural backgrounds) and co-founded the Melbourne Diaspora chapter of the nonprofit youth organization Sri Lanka Unites.
Amila’s speaker series adds to the intellectual and cultural vibrancy that is flourishing in Montclair via various organizations, including The Montclair Literary Festival, The Montclair Public Library, Montclair Film, The Monclair Art Museum and Outpost in the Burbs. “Montclair has consistently attracted creative iconoclasts and deep thinkers who challenged conventional thinking and created institutions like the Montclair Art Museum that would further the life of the soul,” says former Montclair mayor Jerry Fried. “Desh Amila’s outrageously ambitious series fits beautifully with the ethos of the town.”
For information, visit thinkable.events.
DESH AMILA
I interviewed Amila recently by email.
Q: Can you explain what you mean by your quote in press material: “Montclair is one of the few places in America where intellectual rigor meets cultural relevance. It’s affluent, diverse, media-literate, and deeply curious. We’re not trying to inject big ideas into the town — they’re already here. We’re simply giving them a stage.”
A: In Montclair, I’ve met people from all walks of life who are eager to engage with complex subjects. For example, I’ve had deep conversations about the origins of the universe and the nature of reality with a local small business owner who is now passionately curious about physics. I’ve had lengthy discussions with my African American barber about the nuances of race, identity and the surprising diversity of political thought within the Black community. I speak to neighbors who are deeply concerned about the current political administration, while, not far away, I can speak with others who are very supportive of it.
Montclair is a place where people are willing and able to engage in profound philosophical, scientific and political conversations without losing sight of one another’s humanity. That unique blend of intellectual curiosity and mutual respect makes it the perfect place to launch this series.
Q: What is your purpose in organizing these events? What do you hope to accomplish?
A: Our primary purpose is to create a modern version of a town hall, where the community can engage directly with some of the world’s most influential thinkers. My goal is for people to listen to ideas — some they’ll agree with, and some they won’t — and interact with the speakers and with each other.
Ultimately, I hope to help bridge ideological divides by fostering genuine human connections. We want to show that the person you might vehemently disagree with online is, in fact, a fellow human being with their own reasons and experiences. If we can get people who disagree to see each other’s humanity, we’ve accomplished something significant.
CORNEL WEST
Q: How did this series come together? Why did you pick Lackawanna as the site of the series?
A: We were initially considering another venue, but a local resident recommended I visit Lackawanna Plaza. Once I saw it, I immediately fell in love with the space. Its historic significance and the community-oriented vision of its current owners made it the perfect fit. They understood the vision for what Thinkable could be — a hub for community gathering — and how we could utilize the incredible venue they are creating.
Q: Please describe the events you launched in Australia, and their connection to the Montclair events.
A: I began organizing events in 2005. In 2010, I made a pivotal shift from entertainment to intellectual events. I founded an organization called Think Inc., which I believe was the world’s first intellectual touring company, exclusively dedicated to bringing global thinkers to Australia for hours-long, in-depth discussions.
Those events had a significant impact on the cultural and intellectual landscape in Australia. The goal with Thinkable in Montclair is to build on that legacy — to see if we can foster a similar, positive impact on public discourse here in New Jersey and, hopefully, across America in the future.
Q: For those not familiar with you, please tell me a bit about yourself.
A: I was born in Sri Lanka in 1981, at the very start of its decades-long civil war. I grew up in a small village, but thanks to a scholarship, I was able to move to the city for my education. Through determination and a bit of luck, I eventually made my way to Australia for my higher studies.
There, I became an entrepreneur, first in entertainment and then by founding the intellectual events company I mentioned, Think Inc. While I no longer own that company, my mission continues.
Thinkable is the next evolution of that mission: to make rigorous intellectual engagement cool, accessible and a central part of public life.
Q: Will you be partnering with any other groups in the area that promote intellectual exchanges?
A: Absolutely, 100 percent. We are actively reaching out to local organizations to build partnerships. Collaboration is key to our mission. If there are any groups that promote intellectual exchange and are interested in working together, I strongly encourage them to get in touch. I am easy to find online.
MASIH ALINEJAD
Q: Will there be an activist component to your events?
A: Yes, definitely. Many of our speakers are not just thinkers; they are doers, and their work inherently has an activist component.
Richard Dawkins, for example, is not only a consequential evolutionary biologist who wrote the seminal book “The Selfish Gene,” but he is also known globally as a prominent activist for atheism and reason.
Steven Pinker has been a leading advocate for enlightenment values and free speech in America for decades.
A highlight of our series is Masih Alinejad, a fearless Iranian human rights and women’s rights activist. She has been fighting tooth and nail against Iran’s tyrannical theocracy and has been a target of the regime multiple times.
So yes, an activist spirit runs through the very core of this series.
Q: Your speakers represent a diversity of thought. Is that something you hope to convey in your events?
A: This is a core principle of the series. Having grown up during a civil war in Sri Lanka, I witnessed firsthand the catastrophic consequences that arise when people refuse to listen to one another. That experience made me a firm proponent of creating platforms where a wide spectrum of ideas can be discussed openly and respectfully. Our curation ensures you will encounter ideas you may disagree with, and we hope you’ll give them a thoughtful listen.
Q: How did you select the speakers for the series?
A: Our selection process is guided by a few core principles that build on the points I’ve mentioned. We look for individuals who are not only leaders in their respective fields — be it science, philosophy or human rights — but who also have a track record of engaging with the public and sparking important conversations. The lineup is curated to represent a true diversity of thought and to include voices with a strong activist component. Ultimately, we select speakers whose ideas challenge, inspire, and are deeply relevant to the world we live in today.
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