Dialogue Project to Welcome Journalist Mónica Guzmán

Mónica Guzmán, a journalist known especially for her work helping people understand each other across political divides, will deliver a public talk at Dartmouth on Feb. 25.

Guzmán is a senior fellow for public practice at Braver Angels, a nonprofit working to depolarize America, and the author of the book, I Never Thought Of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times. Described by the New York Times as a "manual for difficult conversations between people who find themselves at opposite ends of the political spectrum," the critically acclaimed 2022 book shows how curiosity can help us cross boundaries and find common ground—with anyone.

Guzmán's visit to campus is hosted by the Dialogue Project, which provides Dartmouth students, faculty, and staff with training in essential collaborative dialogue skills.

On Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 5 p.m. at Filene Auditorium, Guzmán will share insights from her book in conversation with Dean of Faculty Elizabeth Smith, the Dialogue Project's founder and director of academic partnerships and faculty engagement. (Guests are asked to register for the Q&A in advance.) Following the talk, attendees are invited to attend a reception and book signing.

"I first learned of Mónica's work through my reading on Braver Angels, a nonprofit working to bridge the partisan divide in America," says Kristi Clemens, executive director of the Dialogue Project. "I was thrilled to learn about Mónica's work with the organization, and after reading her book I knew that her approach of leading with curiosity would be received well by our community.  I am excited for the Dartmouth community to meet Mónica and experience her enthusiasm and expertise."

From 11 a.m. to 12:30 on Feb. 25, Guzmán will lead a Curiosity Workshop for Dartmouth faculty and staff focused on building the skills necessary to listen with curiosity. (Registration is required.)

Guzmán will also meet with students over lunch to delve deeper into the practices of curiosity and conversation.

"Curiosity is big, and it is badass," Guzmán has said. "At its weakest, it keeps our minds open, so they don't shrink. At its strongest, it whips us into a frenzy of unstoppable learning."

Guzmán serves as host of A Braver Way, a podcast that equips people with the tools they need to bridge political divides in their everyday lives; and as founder and CEO of Reclaim Curiosity, an organization working to build a more curious world.

Additionally, she is the inaugural McGurn Fellow at the University of Florida, working with researchers at the UF College of Journalism and Communications to better understand ways to employ techniques to boost understanding. Among her many additional honors, she was a 2019 fellow at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, where she studied social and political division, and a 2016 fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, where she studied how journalists can better meet the needs of a participatory public.
 
Guzmán also serves as a board member of the Institute for Multipartisan Education, which recently kicked off a partnership with the Dialogue Project on a student leadership program.