On this episode of the Microcollege podcast, I spoke with Zena Hitz, one of the great contemporary advocates of the Great Books model of education and of the engaged intellectual life. Zena is a Tutor at St. John’s College and founder and president of the Catherine Project. She is the author of two books, "Lost In Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life" and "A Philosopher Looks At The Religious Life." Starting with an immersion in the life of the mind during a Telluride Association Summer Program (TASP) at St. John's college when she was 17, Zena has made a life of participating in and building communities through reading and conversation. In our conversation, Zena tells the story of how the Catherine Project took share during the COVID lockdowns as people all over the country reached out seeking community, connection, and an a pla ...