The Idler Academy
of Philosophy, Husbandry and Merriment
A Drink with the Idler | Simon Garfield on the History of the Pen
Join "A Drink with the Idler" as we interview author Simon Garfield about the intriguing history of the pen.
A Drink with the Idler | Carlo Rovelli on the Equality of All Things
Join "A Drink with the Idler" as we interview writer and theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli about the strangeness of reality through the lens of modern physics.
A Drink with the Idler | Joad Raymond Wren on The Uses of Utopia
Join "A Drink with the Idler" as we interview writer and historian Joad Raymond Wren about the utopias that have been dreamt up throughout history – and how we can apply them now.
A Drink with the Idler | Sarah Clegg on Perilous Enchantment
Join "A Drink with the Idler" as we interview author Sarah Clegg about the curious and real history of the creatures that have beguiled, tricked, terrified, seduced and enchanted us for millennia.
Showing all 70 results
A Drink with The Idler | Ada Palmer on the Renaissance
6 Mar 2025 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to Ada Palmer about the myths of the Renaissance
A Drink with The Idler | Adam Buxton
19 Jun 2025 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to comedian Adam Buxton about growing up, growing old and figuring it all out
A Drink with The Idler | Adam Higginbotham on the Challenger disaster
6 Jun 2024 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with Adam Higginbotham on a
A Drink with The Idler | Agnes Callard on Socrates and the Philosophical Life
13 Mar 2025 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to Agnes Callard about living a Socratic life
A Drink with the Idler | Alex Johnson on the Philosophy of Sheds
28 May 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we interview author Alex Johnson about the idle thoughts that have sprung from sheds throughout history.
A Drink with the Idler | Alexander McCall Smith on The Importance of Poetry
4 Jun 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we interview bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith about his new poetry collection.
A Drink with The Idler | AN Wilson on Goethe’s Faustian Life
3 Oct 2024 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with AN Wilson on Goethe’s
A Drink with The Idler | Armand D’Angour on Love and Plato
13 Feb 2025 | Online event
Join”A Drink with the Idler” as we ask Oxford University Classics Professor Armand D’Angour: what is love?
A Drink with the Idler | C. Thi Nguyen on How to Stop Playing Someone Else’s Game
12 Mar 2026 | Online event
The “gamification” of work has turned moral or personal life choices into numerical data, forcing us to prioritise what can be measured and monetized over what is truly meaningful to us. Join “A Drink with the Idler” for a fascinating discussion`
A Drink with the Idler | Carlo Rovelli on the Equality of All Things
10 Dec 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we interview writer and theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli about the strangeness of reality through the lens of modern physics.
A Drink with the Idler | Catherine Clarke on England revealed in its Poetry
30 Oct 2025 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to author Catherine Clarke about the history of England in poetry
A Drink with The Idler | Charlie Colenutt on Modern Work
27 Feb 2025 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to Charlie Colenutt about the modern state of jobs
A Drink with The Idler | Chris Floyd on What it Takes to Get Behind the Lens
23 May 2024 | Event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with Chris Floyd on his
A Drink with The Idler | Chris Lintott on Our Accidental Universe
14 Mar 2024 | Event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with astronomer Chris Lintott about
A Drink with the Idler | Cory Doctorow on Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What To Do About It
26 Feb 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to author and tech critic Cory Doctorow on the process of “enshittification”
A Drink with The Idler | Daisy Dunn on the women of the classical world
21 Nov 2024 | Online event
Join”A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with classicist Daisy Dunn about the women who shaped the ancient world.
A Drink with the Idler | Daisy Fancourt on the Science of how the Arts Transform our Health
7 May 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to Professor Daisy Fancourt about how making and consuming art improves our health, makes us happier and can even help us live longer.
A Drink with The Idler | David Bramwell on The Wicker Man
31 Oct 2024 | Online event
Join”A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with writer and performer David Bramwell about folk horror, paganism and the cult classic The Wicker Man
A Drink with the Idler | David Pearson on Bookbindings
22 Oct 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we interview author David Pearson about the stories that bindings tell.
A Drink with The Idler | Ekow Eshun
26 Sep 2024 | Online event
Join”A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with writer and curator Ekow Eshun about the lives of five extraordinary black men and the worlds that made them
A Drink with the Idler | Elizabeth Currie on Street Style
19 Feb 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to author Elizabeth Currie about the hidden lives of the street people depicted by Caravaggio and his followers.
A Drink with The Idler | Emma Southon on the History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women
30 Nov 2023 | Online event
Join A Drink with the Idler for an online discussion with Emma Southon on
A Drink with The Idler | Ferdinand Mount on Big Caesars and Little Caesars
25 Jan 2024 | Event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” for a chat with Ferdinand Mount on how
A Drink with The Idler | Geoff Dyer on Postwar Britain
3 Jul 2025 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to Geoff Dyer about his new memoir, Homework
A Drink with the Idler | Guy Standing on the Education Industry
5 Mar 2026 | Online event
Education has become an industry which serves commercial interests, not its teachers and students. Join “A Drink with the Idler” to learn Guy Standing’s proposals for revival.
A Drink with the Idler | Harry Tanner on The Queer Thing About Sin
30 Apr 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to historian Harry Tanner about the origins of homophobia and the untold stories of queer love in ancient history.
A Drink with the Idler | Idler Editor Tom Hodgkinson on his new Stoics book
5 Feb 2026 | Online event
Join this very special “A Drink with the Idler” we chat to Idler creater Tom Hodgkinson about his brand new book How to Live Like a Stoic: A Handbook for Happiness.
A Drink with The Idler | Irvine Welsh on Rave and Romance
9 Oct 2025 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to Irvine Welsh about rave and romance
A Drink with The Idler | James Parker on America and Other Matters
16 Oct 2025 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to James Parker on America and more
A Drink with the Idler | James Reed on How to be a Good Business
29 Jan 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to CEO and author James Reed about why it’s good business to be a good business.
A Drink with the Idler | Joad Raymond Wren on The Uses of Utopia
29 Oct 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we interview writer and historian Joad Raymond Wren about the utopias that have been dreamt up throughout history – and how we can apply them now.
A Drink with The Idler | Joe Boyd on the Influence of Global Music
28 Nov 2024 | Online event
Join”A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with legendary record producer Joe Boyd about his career in music
A Drink with The Idler | John Lewis-Stempel on England’s Natural History in 12 Habitats
17 Oct 2024 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with John Lewis-Stempel on an
A Drink with the Idler | John Lewis-Stempel on Farming, Wool and Nightwalking
22 Jan 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to farmer and writer about farming, wool and nightwalking.
A Drink with the Idler | John Mullan on Why Jane Austen Matters
20 Nov 2025 | Online event
A discussion of Jane Austen and her continuing appeal
A Drink with the Idler | Kari Leibowitz on How to Winter
15 Jan 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to Health Pyschologist Dr Kari Leibowitz on the secret to finding joy in the darker months
A Drink with The Idler | Lyndsey Stonebridge on Hannah Arendt’s Lessons in Love and Disobedience
25 Apr 2024 | Event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with professor Lyndsey Stonebridge about
A Drink with The Idler | Madeleine Pelling on 18th Century Britain told through its Graffiti
18 Apr 2024 | Event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we talk to Madeleine Pelling about how
A Drink with The Idler | Madhumita Murgia on AI
8 May 2025 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to Madhumita Murgia about the impact of AI
A Drink with The Idler | Mark Vernon on William Blake
12 Jun 2025 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to Mark Vernon about William Blake
A Drink with the Idler | Michael Pollan on Consciousness
8 Oct 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to Michael Pollan on the mysteries of thoughts, feelings, and our sense of self.
A Drink with The Idler | Nandini Das on Mughal India and the Origins of Empire
30 Jan 2025 | Online event
Join”A Drink with the Idler” as we talk with Professor Nandini Das about the early diplomatic encounters between Jacobean England and Mughal India
A Drink with The Idler | Oliver Keenan on the Importance of Thomas Aquinas
23 Jan 2025 | Online event
Join”A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with Dr Oliver Keenan about Thomas Aquinas – and why he matters now
A Drink with The Idler | Paul Theroux on George Orwell in Burma
11 Apr 2024 | Event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with Paul Theroux about his
A Drink with the Idler | Peter Jones on Self-Help from the Middle Ages
23 Apr 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to Peter Jones about what medieval approaches to the Seven Deadly Sins can teach us about living well.
A Drink with The Idler | Peter York on Culture Wars
6 Feb 2025 | Online event
Join”A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with Peter York on the culture wars – and how to win them
A Drink with The Idler | Phil Manzanera on Rock, Roll and Roxy
30 May 2024 | Event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” for a chat with Roxy Music guitarist Phil
A Drink with The Idler | Robert Wringham on Escaping the Daily Grind
16 Jan 2025 | Online event
Join”A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with comedian Robert Wringham on how to escape the daily grind
A Drink with The Idler | Rosie Holt on the Comedy of Politics
24 Oct 2024 | Online event
Join”A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with comedian Rosie Holt about her MP alter ego and political satire
A Drink with The Idler | Ruth Ivo on the Decadence of Soho
7 Nov 2024 | Online event
Join”A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with former burlesque dancer and cabaret director Ruth Ivo about her new memoir Performance
A Drink with the Idler | Sacha Coward on Queer Folklore
21 May 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to historian Sacha Coward about the unsung heroes and villains of storytelling, magic and fantasy.
A Drink with The Idler | Sam Leith on a History of Childhood Reading
10 Oct 2024 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with literary commentator Sam Leith
A Drink with the Idler | Sarah Clegg on Perilous Enchantment
26 Nov 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we interview author Sarah Clegg about the curious and real history of the creatures that have beguiled, tricked, terrified, seduced and enchanted us for millennia.
A Drink with the Idler | Sarah Clegg on The Demons, Witches and Ghosts of Christmas
4 Dec 2025 | Online event
A discussion on the dark side of Christmas
A Drink with The Idler | Selena Wisnom on Mesopotamia
5 Jun 2025 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to Selena Wisnom about Mesopotamia
A Drink with the Idler | Simon Garfield on the History of the Pen
3 Dec 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we interview author Simon Garfield about the intriguing history of the pen.
A Drink with The Idler | Simon May on Procrastination
29 May 2025 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to Simon May on procrastination
A Drink with The Idler | Stephen Marche on Writing and Failure
18 Jan 2024 | Event
Join us for the first “Drink with the Idler” of 2024. We’ll be chatting
A Drink with The Idler | The RSPB’s Emma Marsh on The Value of Nature
15 May 2025 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to Emma Marsh about gardening for nature
A Drink with the Idler | Thomas W. Laqueur on The Dog’s Gaze
15 Oct 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we interview cultural historian Thomas W. Laqueur about the role dogs play in some of the greatest works of art.
A Drink with the Idler | Tim Richardson on English Landscape Gardens
13 Nov 2025 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to author Tim Richardson about the English landscape garden
A Drink with the Idler | Tim Richardson on How Humans Have Shaped Landscapes
11 Jun 2026 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we interview art critic and Idler contributor Tim Richardson about the ways in which landscapes have been moulded by humankind throughout the ages.
A Drink with The Idler | Tom Chatfield on How Technology Has Made Us What We Are.
16 May 2024 | Event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we talk to Tom Chatfield on how
A Drink with The Idler | Tricia Hersey on Rest is Resistance
21 Mar 2024 | Event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with Tricia Hersey on freeing
A Drink with the Idler | Victoria Bateman on Women, Wealth and Power
27 Nov 2025 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to economic historian Dr Victoria Bateman about the history of women in economics
A Drink with The Idler | Yasmin Ali on How Renewable Energy Works
9 May 2024 | Event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with Yasmin Ali about how
A Drink with the Idler| Amy Matthews on Comedy
23 Oct 2025 | Online event
Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat to comedian Amy Matthews about comedy, and the life on the road
Meet the Tutor: Edward Chancellor
1 Jun 2022 | Event
A Q&A session with financial writer Edward Chancellor exclusively for Academy Members and students on the online course, ‘Idler Guide to Investment’
Meet the Tutor: Mark Vernon
2 Aug 2022 | Event
A Q&A session with writer Mark Vernon exclusively for Academy Members and students on the online course, ‘William Blake in 42 Images’
Meet the Tutor: Simon Petherick
Event
Meet How To Write Your Life Story tutor Simon Petherick for an exclusive live Q&A
