RSA Commencement – with Jon Ronson

Acclaimed writer and documentary maker Jon Ronson has spent his life meeting extraordinary people and exploring curious events. In his RSA Commencement address he shares some of the life lessons he’s learned along the way.

The so-called ‘commencement address’ is a time-honoured tradition in universities and high schools across the US.  A notable public thinker or doer is invited to give a speech to inspire, galvanise and advise an eager class of scroll-clutching graduates about to face the world. But in the YouTube era, videos of these heartfelt doses of hard-won wisdom have reached a much wider audience than just graduates, and countless moving and practical commencement insights have swept the globe.

We are delighted to be welcoming leading lights from around the world to give a uniquely RSA spin on this transatlantic institution, and to an all-inclusive demographic (as always, everyone is welcome at RSA events, from high-school students to centenarians).

Speaker: Jon Ronson, award-winning writer, journalist and documentary-maker

Chair: Matthew Taylor, chief executive, RSA

Further ‘reading’: A 'Brainpickings' round-up of the very best commencement addresses online can be found here.