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Welcome to Mind Inclined, a free platform for people who love to learn. Join author, professor, and college president Mark Canada, Ph.D., for inspiring podcasts, essays, lectures, and tours designed to elevate your mind, your life, and your world.
We invite you to subscribe to our free Mind Travel newsletter, attend a lecture, and/or join us for one of our upcoming travel opportunities in New York, Philadelphia, or London—or on Route 66!
Upcoming Lectures & Tours
The French Encounters of Benjamin Franklin & Thomas Jefferson, 1776 to 1789
The work of diplomacy brought two Founding Fathers, first Benjamin Franklin and then the much younger Thomas Jefferson, to Paris in the late eighteenth century. There, the atmosphere and people of France brought out various fascinating facets of their personalities. Join Mark and historian Chris Young for this look at their very different experiences in France.
Click here to register.
The Other Benjamin Franklin: A Revolutionary Before the Revolution
September 10, 2026
6 p.m.
Kresge Auditorium, IU Kokomo
If you have questions, contact Mark at mark.canada@mindinclined.org
When Benjamin Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence, he was 70 years old—a Founding Father, yes, but also old enough to be an actual father of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Like all of us, however, Franklin was once young. Unlike most of us, he also pioneered the study of electricity, invented the lightning rod and even a musical instrument, transformed his city with civic innovations, and penned some of the greatest literature of his age. (He also ran away from home, made his share of mistakes—which he called “errata”—and generally lived a fascinating, often humorous life worthy of a book—which he himself wound up writing.) In this lecture, we will trace this life over the decades before the American Revolution, catching a glimpse of the revolutionary personality of our funniest Founding Father.
Route 66: 100 Years of Kicks
October 16-17, 2026
Leaving from Kokomo, IN
If you have questions, contact Mark at mark.canada@mindinclined.org
This road trip through northeast Illinois will take us back in time with looks (and several stops) at fiberglass giants, murals, diners, and more. We will leave from Kokomo, Indiana, on the morning of October 16 and return to Kokomo on the evening of October 17. The all-inclusive cost includes transportation, meals, admissions, hotel accommodations, your full-time tour guide, and a souvenir booklet that you can customize with your own photos and notes. We have set aside a block of rooms at the Hampton Inn in Pontiac. Please email us at office@mindinclined.org by September 15 to secure your room. Cost: $450/person ($525 for guests traveling alone and wanting their own hotel rooms). We hope you’ll join us for this road trip back in time!
Founders in Philadelphia
Spring, 2027
Leaving from Kokomo, IN
If you have questions, contact Mark at mark.canada@mindinclined.org
In 2026, America celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. In April, we led a successful tour of all the key sites in Philadelphia. If you missed that trip, we hope you’ll join us in the spring of 2027. We will tour Independence Hall, where the founders signed the Declaration, and visit several other relevant spots, including the Museum of the American Revolution.
That's just the beginning. We also will . . .
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walk in the footsteps of Benjamin Franklin when he arrived in Philadelphia as a runaway teenager in 1723;
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see original eighteenth-century homes in Elfreth's Alley ("one of the oldest continuously inhabited residential streets in the United States");
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enjoy a private tour of the Early American collection of period furniture and silver at the fabulous Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Visit mindinclined.org/philadelphia to learn more. Email us at office@mindinclined.org to register.
Lost and Found: American Writers in France and Spain
Western Europe was the place to be for the “Lost Generation” of American writers in 1927. In this centennial year, we will trace the experiences of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Wolfe, Stein, and other writers in France and Spain. As we walk the streets they walked, see the sights they saw, and eat and drink in the cafes they haunted, we will enrich our understanding of the works that grew out of their experiences abroad, from “A Moveable Feast” to “Of Time and the River” and beyond. Email us at office@mindinclined.org with any questions.
Listen & Learn
Mark's Greatest Hits
Do you like American history? Philosophy? Literature? Business? An amazing narrator?
I finished these lectures in two days. You won't be disappointed.
Tim
One of the best
Huge Poe fan and you could absolutely tell Mark has a passion for the subject matter. Plus he's a great narrator! Would highly recommend this for anyone interested in learning more about Poe in a short amount of time.
Erin
So good!
Well-written and thoughtful, the essays are scholarly but still accessible.
Anonymous
So good!
Who is Dr. Mark Canada?
Mark Canada, Ph.D.
elevating minds for over 25 years
Mark Canada, Ph.D., has been elevating minds for three decades. An award-winning professor and nationally recognized university leader, he is also a prolific author of articles and books, including the Audible Originals Edgar Allan Poe: Master of Horror and Ben Franklin’s Lessons in Life. His lectures on a variety of subjects —from American authors to the Lewis & Clark expedition to the English language--have made him a favorite among lifelong learners. In 2024, he founded Mind Inclined, a learning enterprise featuring his Mind Travel newsletter, podcasts, virtual tours, and in-person lectures and tours.
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