Our Programs
The Matthew Strother Center offers seasonal residencies for adults seeking space to read, reflect, and live intentionally. Each program includes communal meals, seminars, daily work on the land, and quiet time to think. Programs are free of charge and hosted at Matthew’s farm in Catskill, NY.
What we offer
In 2025, we will host four seven-day programs in Spring, Summer, and Fall, giving five individuals at a time the chance to read, write, and reflect in community, free from the distractions of daily life.
Who can apply
Adults 22 and older, from all academic backgrounds. Admission is based on the qualities and experiences that applicants can bring to the community.
What we provide
We offer local transport (to and from Hudson, NY), room and board, and all learning activities free of charge. This is, in Matthew’s words, “to create an even playing field and to instill in participants a sense that the experience is a gift that it is their responsibility not to squander”.
What is expected of the participants
Students are asked to commit sincerely to the life of the mind, engage actively in their own and their peers’ learning, contribute two hours of daily labor, and join all communal meals and activities.
What we will do differently
The Matthew Strother Center is a “low-technology environment” (see FAQs). We offer a refuge from the worlds of commerce and social media, fostering presence and deeper connection to self, community, and the planet.
What we will read
By taking part in our programs, participants do not choose a subject to study, but rather an activity—learning for its own sake. We will engage with books of richness, depth, and lasting value, from both philosophical and literary traditions.
How will we read
We practice deep reading as an attentional practice that challenges the intellect and unlocks the transformative power of a text.
Each of the programs have a faculty member to lead daily seminars. All participants are required to lead the seminar discussion for at least one session out of the seven.
We offer our programs free of charge thanks to donors who believe in the value of creating a refuge where people can step away from distraction, rediscover joy in learning, and live more deliberate lives.
A day in The Examined Life
A typical day at the Matthew Strother Center for the Examined Life will involve:
- One hour of solitary time to read and write every morning;
- A daily three-hour seminar with a faculty member (seven days a week);
- Two hours of manual work focused on the Center’s upkeep, maintenance, and food production (seven days a week);
- At least two hours of free time to read, study, dance, hike, reflect and contemplate, alone or in community;
- Two communal meals.
“I must build a system of my own or be enslaved by another man’s.”
— William Blake