If you want to live in a world where people read, novelist Ann Patchett has news for you: it’s your job to help create that reality. Tracing her path from a chance airport encounter through a career writing iconic novels and opening a beloved independent bookstore, she makes the case that reading isn’t a private pleasure but a civic act that builds empathy, sustains a “long-format brain” and pulls people out of isolation. Ready to lose yourself in a book?

What’s the most powerful tool in any classroom? In the age of AI, education advocate Matt Wu still believes it’s the people. In this hopeful talk, he discusses the nonprofit he leads, Schoolhouse, which pairs students with peer tutors from across the globe, building the crucial human connection that every person needs to thrive. Peer tutoring isn’t just teaching students how to learn concepts, says Wu. It’s teaching them how to better understand one another. (Recorded at TED2026 on April 17, 2026)

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How do you find common ground when people disagree? Opportunity builder Anuj Gupta and Visit Philadelphia CMO Neil Frauenglass discuss why democracy needs debate and why we all have more political power than we think. They explore whether society is divided or just disconnected, how local action makes a difference and what it takes to rebuild trust when we can’t even agree on truth itself.

Idea Knock Down features experts with different perspectives taking on big questions — one block at a time. Made possible with the support Visit Philadelphia.