Poesis is a new kind of community space in York where people of all ages come together to explore what it means to be human during this time of profound planetary change. We’re creating a place that’s part cultural hub, part learning space, and part community living room - where you can belong. Through meaningful dialogue, hands-on workshops, and simply being together, we’re finding ways to engage with both global challenges and our inner lives, as a community.

Next Talk!

26th March 2026 (6.30 for a 7pm start)

Could Radical Democracy Avert Collapse? with Luke Kemp

Why have previous societies collapsed? What did it mean for the people living through it? Is our own globalised, industrialised society also heading for collapse and what can we do to prevent it?

In this talk, Luke Kemp, researcher at Cambridge University's Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, will explore the ideas in his recent book "Goliath's Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse". Through a radical retelling of human history, he will dispel many myths about civilisation and collapse.

‍Considering the ways forward for our own society, he will look at how different forms of Open Democracy, from citizens assemblies to mass digital deliberations, might help us to avoid the catastrophic risks we face today.

To book go the the Calendar page