Minor American writer. Not data-driven or trauma-informed.
Portland, Oregon
Joined June 2014
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Today is publication day for The End of Solitude. 42 essays, 29 years: my greatest-hits album.
Laura Kipnis: “seek[s] out the largest of questions.”
Franklin Foer: “morally rigorous, perfectly stylish, and a joy to read."
us.macmillan.com/books/97812…
If I had to explain Portland in six words they would be "political schism in naked bike ride."
nytimes.com/2026/08/07/us/a-…
Another new podcast episode inspired by the liberal education/liberal democracy piece, this one for a podcast aimed at city builders and other urban planning/design professionals, which takes it in some interesting directions.
buildthenextrightthing.subst…
New podcast episode, a great conversation with two really smart people about the themes of my recent piece on liberal education and liberal democracy.
wemadethispolitical.substack…
New podcast appearance on Excellent Sheep themes:
youtube.com/watch?v=CGodqZHO…
5/27, last info session of the year for Tivnu, the Jewish social justice gap year in Portland OR: hands-on internships, adventures in the Pacific Northwest, friendships that last a lifetime, vibrant and inclusive Jewish living. Financial aid available.
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi…
I have a new piece out today in Persuasion, a tour of the why, what, and how of liberal education. I call for the wholesale reconstruction of the undergraduate curriculum and a fundamental shift in the professoriate's conception of its purpose.
persuasion.community/p/how-t…
For Jewish high school seniors contemplating a gap year, Tivnu, the first and still the only domestic Jewish gap year program, is holding a virtual info session this Thursday.
zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_…
tivnu.org
I'm honored to announce that I've been selected as one of this year's Guggenheim Fellows. The award will support the writing of my current project, a historically situated memoir about being Jewish in modernity. #guggfellows2026
My friend Blake Boles's new book, Dirtbag Rich, just dropped. I read it, loved it, blurbed it, and I encourage you to get it. Here's what I said:
"For everybody, young and not so young, who yearns to stop running the maze and start building a life...
blakeboles.com/dbr/
"...that’s more authentic, ecstatic, surprising, alive, Blake Boles is here to point the way. Blake has walked the walk, hiked the hike, and danced the dance. He offers counsel that’s both practical and spiritual, in writing that’s sharp, energetic, and heartfelt...
New episode dropped today for a popular parenting podcast. It's all about Excellent Sheep and features a passionate, energetic host who clearly read it with great attention. If you're interested in an introduction to the book, this would be a fine choice.
pod.link/1448210728/episode/…
New podcast appearance, a bracing discussion of campus politics, Democratic politics, etc. (Title a bit misleading.)
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
New podcast episode on The End of Solitude, my essay collection:
thesanfranciscoexperiencepod…
Applications opened today for this year's sessions of the Matthew Strother Center for the Examined Life, the seven-day, technology-free intellectual retreat that I'm involved with. The program is life-changing, free, and open to anyone age 22 or over.
matthewstrother.org/applicat…
Portland people: I will be giving a talk next month at PSU. It is free and open to the public, and there will be Q&A.
Virtual info session for Tivnu, the only domestic Jewish gap year program. 1/29, 8:30 E. Hear from alumni, parents, & staff about what makes Tivnu a transformative experience rooted in service, Jewish community, & building a better world. $ aid available.
bit.ly/3YHMdSt
Virtual info session Tues for Tivnu, the immersive, intensive, 9-month, hands-on, social-justice-oriented Jewish gap year program in Portland OR. Communal Jewish living & learning, making a concrete difference in people's lives. Financial aid available. zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_…
I have a new piece out today in Persuasion, a set of observations based on a four-week trip I made to Israel in October and November for the book I am currently writing.
persuasion.community/p/notes…
An interview I recorded earlier this year for Book TV on C-SPAN 2. It's about The End of Solitude, my essay collection. Apparently I've become a weird-looking man. Not sure how that happened.
c-span.org/program/book-tv/t…
