About this Event
Spend an evening rethinking time alone in a room full of other people as we explore the theme of “good solitude” and how alone time makes togetherness possible. Make the most of your Connect IRL experience by coming before or staying after the featured event. Grab a drink or snack at the bar. Sign up for the Postcards of Re-Connections Workshop (see below for registration) or try out one of the engagement activities available, including the Conversation Station: The Calming Corner, where you can take a moment or two to connect with a stranger around the topic of solitude.
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Join us at the North York Central Library Concourse for Being Alone Together with psychologist and author Robert Coplan in conversation with Alanna Mitchell.
Together, we’ll take apart the assumption that solitude and connection pull in opposite directions, examine the difference between chosen alone time and painful disconnection, and talk about how much of each we actually need. Expect to leave with a clearer sense of your own limits, and a few practical ways to protect the quiet that makes company possible.
What does "good" solitude actually look like, and how is it different from the isolation so many people are struggling with? How do extraverts and introverts experience alone time differently, and what do we get wrong about both? And in a culture that treats constant availability as a virtue, what would it mean to reclaim solitude as a skill worth practicing — not an escape from community, but a foundation for building it?
Coplan, a Carleton University psychologist and one of the world's leading researchers on solitude, draws on psychology, neuroscience, literature and sociology in The Joy of Solitude: How to Reconnect with Yourself in an Overconnected World. He distinguishes loneliness from solitude, introduces "aloneliness" — the real distress of not having enough time to yourself — and shows that even fifteen minutes alone a day can stabilize mood, spark creativity and recharge our capacity for connection.
Come for a thoughtful conversation about the surprising role alone time plays in helping us feel closer to others.
Q&A to follow. Books available for purchase.
About this event’s guests:
Robert Coplan
Alanna Mitchell
Read more:
The Joy of Solitude: How to Reconnect with Yourself in an Overconnected World
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Sign up for the Postcards of Re-Connection Workshop | 5:30-6:30 pm
The Calming Corner | 5:30 – 6:30 pm & 8:00 – 9:00 pm (no registration required)
The Calming Corner offers a calmer, low-sensory space with small seating pods of two or three, prompt cards on solitude and recharge habits, and no pressure to mingle beyond your comfort zone. It's built on Coplan's own research that meaningful connection doesn't require constant stimulation, just the right amount of space to think before you speak.
is not your average series of events, workshops and activities, but a real chance to connect with other Torontonians in meaningful and sometimes unexpected ways. Through conversation stations meant to spark one-on-one conversations, or hands-on engagement activities and workshops before the featured event, participants can explore the value of connection and community.
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PLAN YOUR VISIT:
Location: Concourse Event Space, North York Central Library (5120 Yonge St).
Time: Doors open 5:30pm, Onstage event starts 7:00pm.
Tickets: Free registration required.
Ticket policy: We oversell these events to ensure that the greatest number of people have an opportunity to attend. Tickets guaranteed until 6:45pm or until capacity is reached. Seating first come, first served.
Bar: Beer/wine available for purchase (debit/credit only).
Accessibility: TPL is committed to accessibility. If you are Deaf or have a disability and would like to request accommodation for this event, please contact [email protected] or 416-393-7099 at least three weeks prior to the event.
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Information Collection Notice: The personal information on this form is collected by the Toronto Public Library under the Public Libraries Act, sections 20(a), 20(c), and 20(d). The information will only be used for event and program registration, delivery and evaluation. Registrants may be contacted to fill out a brief survey following the program. Questions about how the library handles your information can be directed to Answerline staff at [email protected], 416-397-5981, 789 Yonge Street, Toronto ON M4W 2G8.
Event venue & nearby stays
North York Central Library CONCOURSE, 5120 Yonge Street, North York, Canada
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.