NOW in the Inkwell
“The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty” by John Seabrook, starts Sept 18, 2025
Acclaimed journalist and New Yorker staff writer John Seabrook joins Inkwell to discuss his deeply personal and provocative new book, “The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty.” Drawing from a trove of family documents inherited after his father’s death, Seabrook uncovers the complex, and often dark, legacy of Seabrook Farms – his family’s frozen food empire that once dominated agriculture in southern New Jersey. The conversation explores themes of power, exploitation, family dysfunction, capitalism, and historical memory, as John reflects on uncovering painful truths, reconciling with his past, and telling the long-silenced stories of exploited workers whose labor built his family’s fortune.
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Recently in the Inkwell
In Formation, a cult publication exploring what technology does to us, starts September 5, 2025
We’re discussing In Formation, a cult publication exploring what technology does to us, written by insiders who know the industry from the inside out. We’re specifically focusing on the latest Issue #3, which upholds the magazine’s reputation for meticulous production: heavy stock paper, elegant design, and eclectic content ranging from a graphic novel and photo-essay to a flexidisc of music by The Layoffs (a band of the magazine’s own art crew). The tone blends the serious with the satirical, offering sharp critiques of tech culture. True to tradition, the only advertisement appears on the back cover—this time for Espolòn Tequila, following Absolut’s iconic placements on the first two issues.
New Season of Dr. Who, April 8 – June 5, 2025
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Miriam Zellnik: The Vaudeville Murders: A Libby Seale Mystery, Feb 11- 24, 2025
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Lee Felsenstein – Me and My Big Ideas: Counterculture, Social Media, and the Future, Jan 27 – Feb 10, 2025
Lee Felsenstein joins Inkwell.vue to discuss his autobiography, Me and My Big Ideas: Counterculture, Social Media, and the Future, self-published in 2024 under his imprint FelsenSigns (<www.FelsenSigns.com>). As the third person to receive an account on The WELL, Lee played a pivotal role in the computer revolution, not just as an innovative engineer but also as a keen observer of the societal dynamics it shaped. His book goes beyond a personal memoir, offering a rich exploration of the intersection between technology, sociopolitical reform, and computer-assisted communication, spanning from the Free Speech Movement to the rise of modern social media.
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Visit the rest of the topics: g inkwell.vue
The books and commentary we’ve spotlighted over the years run the gamut from timely political commentary, to noteworthy blogs, to gardening and cooking books, to parenting issues, to the social implications of new technologies. We’ve delved into the evolution of online culture and communications technologies, and we’ve explored improvisational and collaborative branches of music history. Who can say what we’ll talk about next?
Previous Discussions
The State of the World 2022
The State of the World 2021
The State of the World 2020
The State of the World 2019
The State of the World 2018
Virginia Eubanks: Automating Inequality
Roger McNamee: Brain Hacking For Dummies
Ellen Ullman: Life in Code
Julie Rehmeyer: Through the Shadowlands
Hosted by: Jon Lebkowsky (jonl), Emily Gertz (emilyg), David Gans (tnf), and Alan Chamberlain (axon)
Host emerita: Julie Sherman <julieswn>
