Jon Alexander, the celebrated author of CITIZENS joins us to discuss his work and its practical applications. Through this important and timely book, and as a founder of the New Citizenship Project, Jon encourages us to reframe our worldview from that of consumer to citizen and asks, when we do so what can we achieve together?

CITIZENS garnered significant acclaim, securing a spot in McKinsey's Top 5 Recommended Books for its Summer Reading Guide 2022 and it earned a place in the World Economic Forum's CEO Book Club.

Jon will discuss the ideas in the book and its main themes and then be joined by Jenny Kitchen of Amplifi and Ruth Rogers a community and placemaking producer for a roundtable discussion and Q&A regarding citizen action and how it can help with the fight against climate change.

Book Jon Alexander - Citizens: Why The Key To Fixing Everything Is All Of Us
Sun 12 May, 12.00pm

Jon is author of CITIZENS: Why the Key to Fixing Everything is All of Us, and co-founder of the New Citizenship Project, a book and company that work to shift the dominant story of the individual in society from Consumer to Citizen. Among other plaudits, CITIZENS was recently listed by McKinsey as one of its Top 5 Recommended Books in its Summer Reading Guide 2022, described as "an underground hit" in the Financial Times, and selected by the World Economic Forum for its CEO Book Club. Jon began his career with a decade in the advertising industry, winning the prestigious Big Creative Idea of the Year, before making a dramatic change. Driven by a deep need to understand the impact on society of 3,000 commercial messages a day, he gathered three Masters degrees, exploring Consumerism and its alternatives from every angle. In 2014, he co-founded the New Citizenship Project to bring the resulting ideas into contact with reality. In CITIZENS, he is ready to share them with the world.

The Tunbridge Wells Literary Festival is generously supported by Arts Council England (ACE), Royal Tunbridge Wells Together, Maxipay Accounting Services, and Berry and Lamberts Solicitors.