The good news continues—

Landmark court cases reflect consensus in culture—that we’re not going to stay on these platform prisons of the mind. Perhaps one day we’ll see these companies burn and smolder—they’ll at least be cast down like junk-food Frito-Lay forever, or probably worse, something most of us won’t bother touching again.

And we’ll be right here, in the world we’re ALREADY WEAVING.

This scene does not claim an all-in-one utopian vision. There is no single prescription on how “offline” to be, no flip-phone requirement to attend, no aesthetic to be accepted as “luddite.” We’re simply pooling power outside of platforms. We’re confronting social problems with social solutions—figuring out better ways to LIVE TOGETHER. As we gather with such intention, we rewire our thoughts, desires, what is possible—we change how we act.

That’s why I maintain this calendar—out of faith in what can happen when we all hang out more. (On that note, sorry to be a day late.)

These events are facilitated to exercise muscles that get neglected by Phone Brains—they offer concrete steps out of Big Tech entrenchment—they introduce new skills and habits and invite you to shape policy, make art, change public space.

I encourage you to try something new this month. Join an event you might not have otherwise; propose your own idea to nickplante@proton.me; simply email a host to say hello. Keep coming together—this is how the revolution happens.

With you wherever—

—Nick

★ ★ ★

April Events, so far

Thurs., Apr. 2 | Attention Lab STUDY @ 6:30 p.m., DUMBO

The School of Radical Attention's flagship "Attention Labs" are experiential, participatory workshops dedicated to the joint exploration of human attention. Through group attention practices and guided discussions, we create and test tools to rebuild the art of sustained attention, which has been under attack by persuasive technologies.

This lab's focus is STUDY: a glimpse at the power of collective inquiry.

Sign up for any lab here.

Fri., Apr. 3 | Sidewalk Study: Rick Rubin on Art @ 7 p.m., Whitney Biennial

What happens when we engage with works of art by prioritizing our inner intuitions, responses, and tastes over institutional, scholarly, or curatorial frameworks? Who is endowed with the authority to interpret art?

In this Study led by Connor and Hope of SoRA's Study Corps, we'll read from renowned music producer Rick Rubin's writings on the creative state of mind, then explore the above questions through an encounter at the Whitney Biennial.

If you would like to attend this program email strotherschool@sustainedattention.net.

Sat., Apr. 4, 11, & 18 | Attention Activism 101 IN PERSON @ 3:30 p.m., National Academy of Design

Attention is the touchstone problem of our age. Over the last twenty years, an unprecedented concentration of technical and financial power has successfully monetized human attention. The harms of this new system — in effect, the "fracking" of our most intimate selves — are familiar to all. Less widely understood is the nature of the movement that has emerged to fight back against this historic injustice: ATTENTION ACTIVISM.

In this course, we will survey the intellectual and practical foundations of the nascent ATTENTION ACTIVISM movement. We'll draw on texts by Anna Tsing, Natasha Dow Schull, Shoshanna Zuboff, Tim Wu, and Jonathan Crary among others. What do the extractive incursions of the Attention Economy mean for shared life in the twenty-first century — and how are communities of activists already working to resist them?

Facilitated by Czarina Ramos and Nick Plante. A few spots remain! Sign up here.

Mon., Apr. 6 | Month Offline Expo @ 7 p.m., telos.haus

Phone-free gallery exhibition to celebrate the second NYC cohort of Month Offline going 30 days with a dumbphone. Want to hear what it was like? Join the celebration.

NO PHONES! Leave @ home or place it in a pouch once you arrive. Event is free.

Dumbcurious? Interested in taking a month offline? Visit offline.community, or call 1-844-OFFLINE.

Tue., Apr. 7 | Evening with Alex Bores @ 7 p.m., Index Chinatown

NY State Assemblyman Alex Bores is running for Congress. A former Palantir employee and now an outspoken critic of the company, his campaign is pushing against Big Tech.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN MOVED TO INDEX AND OPENED TO THE PUBLIC. All are welcome for the moderated discussion followed by a participatory workshop in which we pitch the candidate on what matters most to us.

RSVP here.

Wed., Apr. 8, 15, & 22 | Attention Activism 101 @ 7 p.m., online

Another session of Attention Activism 101. This one's online. Sign up here.

Wed., Apr. 8 | How Do We Play? Open Call Deadline @ 11:59 p.m.

How Do We Play? is building a no-phones social experience aimed at enhancing the situations that attract us to each other. We want your help designing it!

Our event will happen multiple evenings in early May at Metro Rock in Brooklyn.

Sound interesting? Great! Add your name & email here. We'll be in touch with more info.

Thurs., Apr. 9 | Opening Reception: Idea, Score, Process, Object @ 6:30 p.m., DUMBO

On Thursday April 9 6:30-8:30pm, join us for the exhibition opening of Idea, Score, Process, Object (April 9 – May 17, 2026) where you are invited to participate in Ken Friedman's instructional pieces Rotterdam Exchange (1986) and Not By Carl Andre (2025). Not By Carl Andre was specially created by Friedman for the Strother School of Radical Attention. If you would like to partake in Rotterdam Exchange, please bring objects "made of natural or organic materials: wood, stone, clay, brick, metal, glass, paper, etc." you are comfortable leaving behind at our space.

Alongside Friedman's works, Idea, Score, Process, Object presents on- and offline editions of The Scores Project archive (co-edited by Natilee Harren, Michael Gallope, John Hicks and designed by Andrew LeClair and E Roon Kang) and various ephemera from historical artists. If you've ever wondered where the format of SoRA's practice cards come from, this is your chance to experience the history of "scores" as an artistic genre through objects you can touch, flip through, and listen to!

RSVP here.

Fri., Apr. 10 | LET'S GET OFF TOGETHER @ 9 p.m., telos.haus

We're getting off again—

The next LET'S GET OFF TOGETHER is Friday, 4/10 at telos.haus in Brooklyn. The party starts at 9, and goes until 2, and there will be no phones.

Here's what we're imagining:
You will dance, you will confront a data center, you will meet someone new who is kinda weird in a fun way—you will preach, you will get preached to, you will hex an off-putting teenager with lots of VC money—you will donate an optional $15-20 so we can keep getting off together—

If it's your first time, you can RSVP now for updates.

Sat., Apr. 11 | Turn the Q Train Quiet @ 11 a.m., 96 St. Subway Station

To celebrate Nicole Kelner's debut book, we're taking over a car on the Brooklyn-bound Q train at 96th St to Canal St for a quiet, analog ride through Manhattan. NO PHONES ALLOWED! Bring your favorite analog activity (Knitting, crocheting, coloring, drawing pad, book, etc) and bask in the silence as we put down our devices. The ride will begin with a guided mindfulness meditation.

Each RSVP will receive a complimentary copy of Quietest Places in New York City for attending!

Join us after the Canal St stop at The Chai Spot for an author Q&A with Nicole!

RSVP here.

Sat., Apr. 11 | Attention Lab SANCTUARY @ 12:30 p.m., DUMBO

The School of Radical Attention's flagship "Attention Labs" are experiential, participatory workshops dedicated to the joint exploration of human attention. Through group attention practices and guided discussions, we create and test tools to rebuild the art of sustained attention, which has been under attack by persuasive technologies.

This lab's focus is SANCTUARY: creating social space free from the influence of Big Tech.

Sign up for any lab here.

Sat., Apr. 11 | Summer of Ludd 'Event Event' @ 5 p.m., 15 Rutherford Pl.

If you are interested in facilitating anything for NYC's Summer of Ludd, please come join us on April 11th, 5PM at the Quaker Meeting House. This is an introductory event that'll include a brief on the mission and structure of the SoL; a workshop on how to run an event thats free, public, and participatory; and assistance on scheduling your own events!

The Summer of Ludd will run from June 28 – July, focused on getting people off big tech platforms and into public space—participating in spontaneous acts of agency. For us Luddites THE EVENT IS THE MEDIUM, and PUBLIC SPACE IS THE PLACE. We reclaim our spirits on our city streets, the true home of all neighbors, artists, and activists.

Whether you already put events on this calendar or you're just full of ideas, come to this open house. Closer to June we'll be sending out a calendar to bookstores, cafe's, and community centers … we'd love to see your events on it.

Come with an idea in mind, a notebook, a friend. For further inquiry, reach out to theofficialsummerofludd@proton.me.

Sun., Apr. 12 | Unplatform Creatives Workshop @ 2 p.m., Brooklyn Central Library

It's no secret that extractive digital platforms have taken over creative life. Creating culture of all kinds has never been more precarious, and creating a world where you're able to making a living off your art without worrying about appeasing algorithms seems harder than ever. The good news is that a better world is possible - but only if we go there together.

The Unplatform project invites artists, musicians, writers, and all other creatives from across NYC to come together for a conversation where we'll collectively imagine a vision for creative life outside the shadow of Silicon Valley - and, more importantly, think about how to make that vision a reality.

RSVP here.

Sun., Apr. 12 | An Evening of Music (Screen-Free) @ 7 p.m., TJ Byrnes

Join Bluegrass Band August Lamm, Andy Henley, and Vern Matz for a live performance followed by open jam session.

Just show up. It's the perfect way to start your week, offline.

Tues., Apr. 14 | (Off) Tech Support @ 6:30 p.m., The Crown Inn

You want to type on a light phone for the first time. I've got a good browser extension for YouTube. You want a five-borough paper atlas. I want to make my first Jitsi call. You have a Nokia. I have the NYT website blocked on my iPhone. You want to know if you can connect Bluetooth headphones to a dumb.co phone. I've been meaning to copy my contacts into a phone book. LET'S TALK!

Everybody's got questions and everybody's got answers, so let's gather to skill-share and support each other. Bring the weirdest off-line hacks you've got.

Just show up. Email Connor Griffin at griffin75006@proton.me if you have questions.

Tues., Apr. 14 | Break Up with Google Again @ 7 p.m., Wonderville

Google … it's not me, it's you. And the AI overviews.

Do you want to leave Google but don't know where to start? Do you wish the process of moving your digital life over was a little less overwhelming?

Join Cache Me Outside to break up with Google. Bring your laptop and we'll lock in on alternate search tools, email services, browsers, migrating account data, removing ourselves from search results, and more. Our host, Imani will guide you through getting off Google products and services and in between blocks, we'll enjoy some music, snacks, games and drinks.

Doors 6:30pm. RSVP here: https://luma.com/3zhni52t.

Want to DJ, VJ, or live code? Sign up for a slot: https://tally.so/r/0QPX70.

Wed., Apr. 15 | Cyber Collective: Internet Smarts Across Generations @ 8 p.m., online

This April, Cyber Collective is bringing generations to the same table. Internet Street Smarts Across Generations is a free, community workshop exploring how online harms show up differently depending on who you are and when you came of age—and what we can do about it together.

RSVP here.

Thurs., Apr. 16 | Design It for Us: Monthly Coalition Call @ 5:30 p.m., online

Design It for Us (DIFU) is a community of young people (26 and under) from around the world fighting to hold Big Tech accountable and improve our digital ecosystems.

Members are encouraged to attend monthly calls to learn more about state and federal tech policy, join campaigns, and directly advocate for legislative change.

Join here.

Thurs., Apr. 16 | Offline Book Club: Searches @ 6:30 p.m., Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) 4th Floor, Room 405

SNFL's Offline Book Club is a space for in-person conversation about the role technology plays in our world. Each month highlights a different book on the topic of technology's impact on our individual lives as well as society as a whole, followed by an open discussion to share recent experiences and observations.

This month, we're reading Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age by Vauhini Vara → using internet search history as raw material, explores the seduction and the danger of corporate-owned language machines. Through several deeply personal essays, attempts to answer the question, "could a chatbot write my memoir?"

Walk-ins welcome, but priority will be given to those who register in advance. https://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2026/04/16/offline-book-club-searches.

Thurs., Apr. 16, 23, 30 | Attention Activism 201 @ 7 p.m., online

ATTENTION ACTIVISM is the collective movement to push back against the commodification of human attention—what we call "human fracking"—and create, space by community space, a world where we can flourish. In this course, we will explore practical strategies for ATTENTION ACTIVISM, drawing on texts by Priya Parker, Paulo Freire, and Deva Woodly. We'll also focus on developing the organizing, facilitation, and movement-building skills required to build groups for ATTENTION ACTIVISM. The bulk of the course will be dedicated to supporting participants toward an organizing project in their own communities.

Completion of our Attention Activism 101 seminar is required for participation in our 201 training. Participants who complete Attention Activism 201 will be eligible for inclusion in our national organizing coalition.

Sign up at https://www.schoolofattention.org/enroll/.

Fri., Apr. 17 | Summer of Ludd Music Jam @ 4 p.m., Tompkins Sq. Park

Come jam with musicians and non-musicians alike. Get a feel for performing in public space, improving together, and running participatory music workshops. Email theofficialsummerofludd@proton.me for more.

Sat., Apr. 18 | Break Up with Spotify Again @ 6 p.m., JADE

Be the change you want to see. Own your music library and revive the lost art of sapphic yearning via hyper-specific curated playlist. You'll leave with all your playlists and liked songs as mp3s & a new CD collection. More at https://luma.com/rxy4t50q.

Mon., Apr. 20 | Attention Lab COALITION @ 6:30 p.m., DUMBO

The School of Radical Attention's flagship "Attention Labs" are experiential, participatory workshops dedicated to the joint exploration of human attention. Through group attention practices and guided discussions, we create and test tools to rebuild the art of sustained attention, which has been under attack by persuasive technologies.

This lab's focus is COALITION: the collective potential of attention activism.

Sign up for any lab here.

Tues., Apr. 21 | buying, n.&a.m.a.n. (buying norms, & adjustments make alternative networks) @ 6 p.m., online

delete your uber eats and amazon apps, can we buy something else? another webinar where i present practices to buying things away from big tech. let's reevaluate how we consume goods, and see what works for you. instead of a webinar hosted by a video conferencing tool, I am going to present each slide in an email over the course of an hour

email staoue@pm.me.

Thurs., Apr. 23 | Unplatform Creatives Workshop @ 6:30 p.m., 875 Third Ave.

It's no secret that extractive digital platforms have taken over creative life. Creating culture of all kinds has never been more precarious, and creating a world where you're able to making a living off your art without worrying about appeasing algorithms seems harder than ever. The good news is that a better world is possible - but only if we go there together.

The Unplatform project invites artists, musicians, writers, and all other creatives from across NYC to come together for a conversation where we'll collectively imagine a vision for creative life outside the shadow of Silicon Valley - and, more importantly, think about how to make that vision a reality.

RSVP here.

Fri., Apr. 24 | Airplane Mode Vol. 4 @ 6:30 p.m., Downtown Manhattan

The premise is simple: Dinner, then 24 hours with no phone.

Are you up for it?

RSVP here. Mention "NYC Off Tech" in how you heard about this.

Sun., Apr. 26 | Earth Chxrch with Rev. Billy et al. @ 7 p.m., Quaker Meeting House

Join us at 15 Rutherford Pl. for our monthly service. 1 preacher, 35 singers and a crowd of earth loving humans. Step into the Fabulous Unknown.

Thru Apr. | ATTENTION IS A SCHOOL: SoRA Workshops @ Various, National Academy of Design

Learn about the ideas of the Black Mountain School, Simone Weil, and more through shared practices of attention.

More information about the month-long residency can be found here.

Fri., May 1 | Month Offline May Sign-Up Deadline

30 days with a flip phone and new friends.

Learn more about & sign up here.

Mon., May 4 | Mass Reading of "Howl" @ 5 p.m., Wash. Sq. Park

"I saw the best minds of my generation prepare a public reading of HOWL, kids cleaning smudgy glasses with the fabric of leaves, crushing iPhone components under cathartic keratine teeth, joshing & jabbing at the soft underbelly of a grim & grimy money machine, singing in words & worlds, I'm done writing this poem text but it was fun to start it." — J.O.

We're handing out free copies of Allen Ginsberg's gospel, FILLING UP the park, & reading together in ecstasy.

More info & posters to come. Organized by Adam Aleksic, Jeremy Ornstein, Nick Plante, & friends. Email nickplante@proton.me with questions.

★ ★ ★

Weekly Gatherings

Every Sun. | Luddite Club @ 2 p.m., Bklyn Central Library

The Brooklyn Luddite Club returns, at its original meeting place. All are welcome. First meeting 4/12.

Email loganlane1@proton.me for more.

Every Sun. | CIRCLE TIME (Parallel Play) @ 4 p.m., Bushwick

You always want to ask people what they're working on at the cafe? NOW YOU CAN! This is Circle Time. Sundays, BYOPP (bring your own passion project) and prepare to share.

Format: Intros → Focus Time → Optional show & tell

Hosted by Rebecca Lipsitch of How Do We Play.

More info here!

First and Third Sun. | Date with Détournement @ 9 p.m., Various Locations

Join public art projects that push back against alienating tech.

First and third Sundays.

sighren.ludd@proton.me if you want in.

Every Wed. | Technocritical Writers Room @ 10 a.m. / 7 p.m., Hybrid

Writers from across the community engage in generative sessions to share stories, visualize futures, and push critiques of digital technology towards new action.

10 a.m. at Jefferson Market Library, and 7 p.m. on a Jitsi call.

Facilitated by artist and organizer Amalia Mayorga. Email rosemayorga@proton.me for more.

Every Wed. | Phone-Free Adelphi @ 7 p.m., Fort Greene

Screen-free night of creativity from 7 to 10 p.m. We turn off our phones, work on something creative (or just read or meditate), then reflect on the experience.

Capped at 15 people. Please only come if you can stay the whole evening!

Stay up to date and RSVP for any week using this form. Email danmaxfox@gmail.com with questions.

Every Fri. | Crafternoon @ 1:30 p.m., Stavros Library (SNFL) First Floor Corner Space

Two hours of freeform crafting and conversation every week at the midtown Manhattan library. Bring your own project. We have tools and materials for sewing, painting, fiber, and paper arts, and are always happy to assist you in finding books related to your creative interests. Walk-ins welcome. More info here.