The ISB Library welcomed Emmy Award–winning documentary filmmaker and author James Robinson to speak with our 5th Graders.

March 2026

James Robinson’s story about his unique perspective on the world, which he told in a short documentary published in the New York Times and in the bestselling memoir Whale Eyes, spoke directly to our students whose IB curriculum has them exploring “ways individuals respond to their circumstances and surroundings and act to bring about needful change.” James helped students see how personal challenges can be a catalyst for advocacy, and introduced them to his original concept of “outrigue.” The feeling of outrigue, James explained, arises in those sometimes awkward social interactions when “a cultural boundary is pierced,” when “your expectations have been violated, and yet on some level, you are curious.” He talked about how those experiences can be among the most interesting we have in life and the most opportune chances for us to learn something new about ourselves and the world around us. According to James, to make the most of these opportunities, we have to recognize outrigue when it arises and lean in, rather than stepping back and averting our eyes. After James told his story, our 5th Grade students did just that; they bravely asked him poignant questions about his eyes and their distinctive field of vision as well as his processes as a writer and documentarian.