"The Art of Listening" - an Evening with Anna Deavere Smith, Apr. 1

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Anna Deavere Smith - playwright, actor (Nurse Jackie, The West Wing), professor - will present a lecture followed by a question and answer session and book signing. This event is free and open to the public, although tickets are required.

We live in a world where words are coming at us from all directions. Words come from our phones, our televisions, our computers, and any other number of digital devices. With all of this going on around us,  it’s important to understand the difference between “hearing” and “listening” if we want to foster meaningful connections with other people.  Listening is not just an action – it’s an art.

In this discussion, Anna Deavere Smith helps audiences understand that listening goes beyond simply using one’s ears to hear words. Being a great listener means having the ability to get into someone else’s skin to more deeply understand their experience.

Learning how to ask the right questions in the right way, and using your heart – as well as your ears – to consume the words another person is speaking is essential.  And if you’ve done it right, you’ll oftentimes be physically exhausted at the end of the story. 

While you may not be able to hang it on a wall, or place it in a glass case, listening is one of the most powerful and beautiful art forms of all.