The Long Table is a format for discussion that uses the setting of a domestic dinner table as a means to generate public conversation. Conceived in 2003 by Lois Weaver in response to the divided nature of conventional panel discussions, the Long Table allows voices to be heard equally, disrupting hierarchical notions of 'expertise'. It was inspired by Maureen Gorris's film Antonia's Line, the central image of which is a dinner table getting longer and longer to accomodate a growing family of outsiders, eccentrics and friends - until finally it has to be moved outside. Since then, the Table has been set at institutions and festivals worldwide, and invited hundreds of people to sit and share their views on myriad topics. The Long Table is an open-source format; you are welcome to use it as a means of generating discussion on any subject you choose.
