Impensive Readers
Impensive Readers
A different approach to reading togetherTime to read for pleasure seems to be decreasing and, if we’re honest, reading involves more effort than what goes into the act itself.
Desire isn’t the problem. revolve around a similar set of questions, like whether there’s enough time available to finish what gets started. Even figuring out what you feel like reading can become demanding—and tiring—all by itself.
Impensive Readers is offering a different way to go about finding the time to read. It involves reading work a little more demanding than average, but much less intensive when it comes to the matter of time. Other than that, our groups assume two things: that reading is a better experience when it can be shared with like-minded peers, and that there has to be a better way to go about finding that experience than gluing together a bookclub, and hoping all its members won’t fall off, after a couple of months.
Life’s too short . . .
reading doesn’t need to be the same.
Shouldn’t there be
a better way
for us to share
what we read?
If you happen to know what you’re looking for already . . .
Impensive Readers provide
options for busy minds
A readers group differs from a book club. Where a book club zeros in on the work of specific authors—novels, collections, or monographs—a readers group prioritizes the act of reading itself rather than the content of the work that is being discussed. This means that the focus of the discussion is provided by its participants; the reading becomes the happy accident that allows the seminar to happen.
The way it works is this: an intimate group of people gather for a couple of hours online. Everyone that joins the group for the week arrives at the allotted time, and everyone gets their own copy of the work to read in advance of the upcoming conversation. Depending on the theme of the group, the work might be a short short story, a couple of poems, and essay, or some combination of the three. Whatever the pieces are, your host and moderator will have determined that they can be read, comfortably, in just under an hour—without the need to rush or feel pressured to perform against some artificial standard.
The substance of the work is what provides the challenge, and its often the shortest pieces of literature that give us the most to think about and discuss. The discussion portion of the group is scheduled to fill the second hour, with a break between to stretch your legs, get some tea, or move the cat off the keyboard.
Robert, your moderator and host, is the one on the hook for all the prep-work. He’s there to facilitate the discussion, and guide the “seminar.”Drawing upon nearly ten years of experience as a professional writer, passionate reader, literary instructor, and seasoned group facilitator, it’s his job to connect the group to the readings—and with one another—in interesting and provocative ways. It’s his job to keep the conversation moving and, should the need arise, put on his instructor hat and lead the group as a low-stakes academic seminar—introducing a vocabulary of reading that stirs up critical thinking.
There’s no assigned homework. You don’t need to go out and buy a book, or track any resources down before hand. You’ll need to have access to a browser with a stable internet connection, some sort of webcam, and a microphone, but besides that, the only ask is that you show up on the evening with a curious mind, and willingness to be surprised.
That’s all there is to it—and if you happen to find the experience rewarding then you’re welcome to do it again, as often as you’d like.
What’s the best way to classify yourself, as a reader?
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THE WEDNESDAY GROUP
This is the quintessential Impensive Readers gathering. No more than eight participants gather online to read some short (at times very short) pieces of literature selected by Robert, your host and facilitator. Although the pieces are short they are because of they are examples of absorbing and provocative writing that can be read comfortably in just under an hour. The work is handed to all the participants at the beginning of the session—between one and three selections, depending on their length.
After our shared reading period (approx. 55 minutes) there is a short break before we convene for the seminar portion of the evening. Robert is there to facilitate discussion, offers prompts and ways to think about the material that might otherwise be missed; he is also there to fill any lapse into silence by drawing upon his more than ten years of experience as a group and literary instructor. For a long time he’s talked for a living and done his best to make it interesting—and not afraid to sing for his supper.
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ESPECIALLY QUEER & IMPENSIVE
For readers who like their authors a little bent, and their writing much less normative. The format is similar to the Wednesday Group, but designed with the LGBTQ2S+ community in mind. Groups remain small, but with a bit more room to encourage lively discussion, All pieces selected are drawn from queer writers exclusively—no speculation or ambiguity to speak of.
Fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, and the occasional essay are all fair game. Mindful of accessibility, Queer & Impensive bookings are a little cheaper, and a few are available as PWYC. The latter are first-come, first-served—but resets weekly.
All pronouns and persuasions are encouraged to attend. Members of the community starved for a way to start the weekend that doesn’t involve sportball, or suffering at the bar, are especially welcome.
It should go without saying that our zero-tolerance policy regarding disruptive or threatening behaviour is strictly enforced.
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PUBLIC TALKS ON LITERACY & READING
In a past life Robert was a university lecturer on literature and critical theory. For some mad reason they miss it, but suspects there’s a better way to go about connecting with an audience in term media literacy is thrown around in meaningful conversation.
Impresive Readers is founded on the principle that reading as a skill is underserved in our present climate—but this hasn’t gotten in the way of people wanting to read more, or talk about ideas. A lot of the ballyhoo these days is occupied with proclaiming the death of reading, and how it means the end of history.
There’s a lot to be said about these issues, in ways that aren’t being talked about in mainstream media, or even academia. Starting in 2027, Robert will be holding what he hopes to be thoughtful lectures, combined with some (hopefully) clever ways to talk about the landscape of reading in the contemporary moment, and whether we should commit to the idea that we’re all doomed to reading LLM summaries for the rest of our natural lives.
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THE POETS’ SEMINAR
Coming early 2027.
This is the big one, and what motivated Robert to found Impensive Readers in the first place. When he began his time spent at the Bennington Writing Seminars, Robert was struck by just how affecting he he found being surrounded by a community of fellow writers, of different ages, backgrounds, and life experience. It made him painfully aware of how easy it is to become isolated in a predominantly solitary profession.
While it’s not a writers’ workshop in a traditional sense, the Seminar will require participants provide work of their own for the group to read and discuss. It’s a six member cohort, so there’s an application involved, and (full disclosure) a certain amount of homework. It also involves an application and commitment to a certain amount of homework.
The Seminar is expected to take place from the start of February, 2027. It will involve seven in person, Saturday intensives, in downtown Toronto. Follow the link below track updates on further details over the next few weeks.
GROUPS ON OFFER THIS SEASONIf you don’t know what you want out of a readers group, this is a good place to start.
The Wednesday Readers group is no more than eight people per week. The pieces that are selected for the evening are eclectic: between one and three short, complete “works” that can be read at a comfortable pace over the course of 55 minutes. open to a bit of everything, but focused on giving all participants a chance to express their thoughts and have a conversation about writing they might not have otherwise encountered. If you’re looking to be exposed to writers and work you may not have heard of before, it’s a good bet that you’ll read something you wouldn’t have otherwise come across by attending a Wednesday group.
An intimate group that made to get into a little bit of everything, an intimate group of Wednesday readers gathers between 7–9pm, now through December 16, 2026. You can book up to two weeks in advance.
Terms and conditions apply to refunds and credit [see the link provided in the footer below].
Wednesday’s Impensive Readers
Fridays are Especially Queer & Impensive
The guiding principle behind Impensive Readers assumes that the act of reading, especially when its in conversation with others, does more than deepen appreciation of well-wrought language, the clever use of a pen, or keyboard. Literature offers unique and pleasurable ways to refine what we understand about the world as living, thinking beings—gives us a sense of where we are in history whether it is our present moment, or somewhere in the past—but it’s also one of the most efficient was to go about learning how to communicate what it is we see and feel clearly and without ambiguity.
These are often labelled “soft skills”—but what’s soft is also malleable, and there’s something to be said for knowledge you can put to use in virtually endless ways.
Impensive Readers is just getting started. New groups are already on the horizon, and will be open for bookings soon. But, as someone attending, about to attend, or interested in joing a group in the future—we would love to hear what you have to say about what you’d like to see in our offerings. That kind of input is what will shape new groups and workshops over the coming months.
Similarly, if you’re interested in hiring Robert to design and run a specific group for your organization, team, or institution—we encourage you to get in touch. He would be happy to sit down with you and discuss your needs. Impensive Readers groups and workshops are flexible by nature. If your concept has to do with reading, it’s unlikely he’ll be unable to accommodate your request.
Contact info can be found in the footer of this site, but you can email Robert by clicking here; you are also welcome to reach out by phone at +1 (647) 656-2698.
For the readers looking for lively discussion about all things bent and beautiful.
All readings will be drawn from the work of writers, authors, and poets belonging to the LGBTQ2S+ community. Emphasis will be placed on variety in subject matter, ostensible high vs. low brow content, a little dressed up smutt (here and there), possibly a little theory or writing about feelings.
Any and all pronouns and persuasions are welcome and encouraged to attend. Groups are held online every Friday, between 6–8pm, from the 30th of Oct through 18th Dec, 2026.
Is there something else you’d like to see?
Your host and moderator . . .
Robert · R L · Powell is a poet, educator, storyteller, and occasionally cracked intellectual. They’re the founding Editor-in-chief of APROSEXIA LIT PUBLICATIONS, a non-profit venture dedicated to opening up some much needed space to publish & promote the writing of divergent, challenged, and challenging minds. He holds a Specialist BA(Hons) in English Literature from UofT; an MA in English Languages and Literatures from Queen’s University, Kingston; has received support from the Bennington Writing Seminars, Vermont; and presently aimed at finishing his MFA at the VCFA, hosted at CalArts.
During his time as an instructor at the UofT’s Mississauga campus, Robert came to appreciate his own profound love of teaching—but also that, in our present moment, the university classroom isn’t the best place for him to go about it. They began Impensive Readers to bring the best parts of what they have found particularly rewarding in graduate seminars in literature, but making the experience more accessible by lowering the stakes, and figuring out a way to keep time commitments self-contained. He’s pretty happy with the results. Impensive Readers allows him to tap into what he’s learned about teaching and communicating the language and appreciation of literature to intimate groups, . etc. and so on . .
Coming early 2027
The Poets’ Seminar
A program for working poets (published or unpublished—if you’re getting words down on the page, that’s what matters). The seminar consists of seven full day intensives in a naturing, dedicated space in downtown Toronto. The program is spread across ten weeks. Six participants will learn how to read and critique each others work in a manner befitting working writers—developing the language necessary to delve deeper into what it means to read work—whether finished or in process—mindfully with a mind on productive feedback rather than focusing on “critical” interpretation. The goal is to learn how to see your own work through the eyes of other working peers, sharing what you know, and learning what you can from one another’s skills. More than that, the process is designed to establish bonds with other writers, and provide a sense of community—something that can be challenging to find for those of us who do creative work in a predominantly solitary environment.
Further details regarding the Poets’ Seminar, including pricing, expectations, and the application process will become available over the coming weeks. Applications will be opening late November, with an aim to begin the program on the last Saturday of January, 2027.
Impensive is a portmanteau (two words, smashed together for the sake of producing a combinatory meaning) that Robert started doodling in the margins rather than writing more useful annotations. It takes “impatient” and “pensive,” and captures something he’s often felt but been at a loss to describe: a restless impatience to do more with what’s preoccupying his thoughts, but a lacking clearly defined ways to direct surplus attention.
It occurred to him that this isn’t a feeling unique to his own experience, and has wanted to find a way to put the word to use ever since he decided it was a perfectly cromulent word, and has put it to work as a way to encapsulate what he would like provide a little relief to by creating groups to centre on readers and reading skills, rather than clubs that assume everyone who wants to get around to meeting and discussing creative works have the extra time and motivation to keep up with commitments that are meant to be a pleasure, rattan than an additional thing to stress about or develop a feeling of falling behind.