Exceptional literature
Complex, compelling works that reward attention and disagreement — chosen because they’re worth a second look.
LIVE, LITERATURE-LED SEMINARS · AGES 8–12
Answers are everywhere now.Good questions are rare.
Welcome to Hawthorne.
The liberal arts seminar, reimagined for young scholars.
Six scholars. One professor. Exceptional books. Six weeks of big ideas, unexpected connections, challenged assumptions, and the joy of growing together.
A book is where we begin. Not where our thinking ends.
Per seminar6 scholars
Each Seminar6 weeks
To join the Circle$0
An intellectual life as rich as their imaginations.
We believe young minds deserve the opportunity to explore extraordinary ideas, wrestle with difficult questions, and discover what becomes possible when curiosity is taken seriously.
THE HAWTHORNE WAY
A book opens the door.
The conversation takes you further.
Inside a Hawthorne Seminar ↗“The reading is an invitation to interpretation, not an exercise in recall. It is a jumping off point for questions of reason, ethics, logic, perception, and meaning.”Maria Frisch, PhD
THE HAWTHORNE EXPERIENCE
Academic ambition and intellectual wonder needn’t compete. Hawthorne brings both to the same table — and keeps that table small.
Small by design.
Serious by nature.
The six-scholar seminar
Room for every voice, sustained dialogue, and ideas worth testing. A live 45-minute conversation each week.
Evidence before certainty
Interpretations are challenged by the text, by logic, and by one another. Make room for “here’s why” before “I’m right.”
Imagination with rigor
One overarching mission, with an at-home interactive activity that makes abstract ideas tangible and memorable.
Developmental science
Purposeful challenge and thoughtful guidance informed by research on how children learn.
The conversation continues
An online discussion space connects ideas between meetings and gives scholars room to reflect.
A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER
Curiosity deserves good company.
I founded Hawthorne on a conviction shaped by years in developmental science, research, and university teaching: children deserve more than increasingly difficult work. They deserve extraordinary ideas, thoughtful peers, and adults who take their questions seriously.
Hawthorne brings that intellectual companionship to young scholars, combining the rigor of a seminar with the wonder of childhood.
Dr. Maria Frisch, PhDFounder, Hawthorne Institute
Meet Our FounderThe question is everything.
THE HAWTHORNE STANDARD
Ambition,
with intention.
Research informs our design. It does not establish that Hawthorne has already demonstrated learning outcomes.
Read the evidence and its limits ↗- Conceptual advancement
- Developmental fit
- Evidence-centered inquiry
- Guided participation
- Intellectual community
- Thinking made visible
Different families, different paths — the same appetite for books that ask a little more.
THE OGRESS SEMINAR · NOW ENROLLING
A new year.
A different kind of conversation.
January, February, and March 2027 starts. Six live online weeks, with no more than six scholars.
Ask about a start month, session times, reading expectations, and the first-seminar offer before making a commitment.
Request enrollment detailsFIRST-SEMINAR OFFER$249 USD
STANDARD SEMINAR RATE$365 USD
For the six-week seminar. Exact meeting dates, book and material requirements, and payment details are provided with enrollment information. An inquiry does not reserve a place.
Register and pay for your first seminar to join the Founders Circle and lock in 30% off all other seminars with open registration during 2027.
HAWTHORNE EMAILSTHE NEXT CHAPTER
The conversation
starts here.
Stay close to the conversation. Receive updates about Hawthorne Seminars and future Open Sessions.
Free email updates. Signing up does not confer Founders Circle membership.