'So how are you doing since leaving The Week?'
Plus: Today's the last day to join the review team, a review from L.M. Sacasas for Plough, and more
I get the same question a lot lately: “So how are you doing since leaving The Week?” So I figured I’d answer it here.
It’s been almost four months since I left The Week after nearly eight years and five roles. I’m still sad about the end of what we had there, of course, an ethos and team culture I eulogized here, not least because its unraveling was so needless. But I’m glad to see colleagues who also left, like Damon Linker and Joel Mathis, moving on to exciting new things already (click those links for smart recent takes at their respective Substacks). I’m looking forward to seeing where other colleagues’ careers go, too.
And I myself am fine. As you know if you’ve been getting these updates, I’m writing a lot in a lot of different places. I’m busy with book promotion—e.g. this week I’m recording a podcast interview about Untrustworthy four days out of five—and have several upcoming speaking engagements. (Basic info below; more details coming soon.) After October, I may start looking more seriously at full-time positions, or maybe not. We’ll see where things stand. It’d be a lot easier, for example, to pitch and write a third book without a 40-hour commitment every week.
Oh, and that brings me to the other question I get a lot right now: “Do you have an idea for the next book yet?” The answer is: Not really. I’m interested in doing something on foreign policy but am not sure it’s viable. Still casting about, mostly.
Review team
On that note, I must remind you that today is the last day to join my review team and get free early access to Untrustworthy in exchange for posting reviews on Amazon, GoodReads, and/or other locations of your choice. Here’s the form if you haven’t applied already:
If you’re selected, you’ll get access to Untrustworthy tomorrow.
Editor’s pick at Plough
Speaking of reviews, here’s one in Plough from L.M. Sacasas, one of the most perceptive tech writers out there right now:
Though Kristian is sensitive to the ways in which social media has exacerbated and channeled these developments, she is careful not to reduce her argument to a critique of specific platforms. In the digital “public sphere,” a multitude of existing communities, each with its distinct culture and norms, has been thrust together within systems that, it turns out, are not particularly conducive to mutual understanding and respect. The priests and prophets of digital technology promised that increased connection would lead to a form of cultural unity. Instead, as Marshall McLuhan anticipated, the “global village” is a place of “arduous interfaces and abrasive situations.”
Read the whole review here, and check out Sacasas’ 41 “questions concerning technology,” which I also recommend in Untrustworthy:
What sort of person will the use of this technology make of me?
What will the use of this technology encourage me to ignore?
Can I imagine living without this technology? Why, or why not?
Does using this technology require me to think more or less?
Does my use of this technology make it easier to live as if I had no responsibilities toward my neighbor?
Can I be held responsible for the actions which this technology empowers? Would I feel better if I couldn’t?
Upcoming events
When I sent my last update, I was speaking in Texas at an American Values Coalition event primarily for pastors. It was a great time!
I’ve got a few upcoming events on the books, too. These don’t have pages online yet, though I expect they will quite soon. For now, however, you can plan on:
Online: Trinity Forum Online Conversation, Friday, Oct. 21, 1:30 p.m. Eastern
Arkansas: Reimagining Faith and Public Life 2022 at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, AR, the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 25 (appearing with author and professor Jeff Bilbro)
Chicago: Chicago Humanities Festival on the University of Chicago campus, Saturday, Oct. 29 at 5:30 p.m. Central (appearing with writer David French, who penned my foreword, and Christianity Today editor-in-chief Russell Moore)
Articles
Lastly, my writing pace has slowed a bit due to travel, book interviews, etc. but here are three recent pieces, in case you haven’t seen them already:
I’m afraid someone will call the cops if my kids walk alone to the park | The Daily Beast
Everyone wants to ban certain content online. No one wants to talk enforcement. | Reason
There’s nothing wrong with politicians talking about their faith | The Daily Beast
Best,
Bonnie
