NEW in the Inkwell
Kathryn Jezer-Morton, The Story of Your Life: How Social Media Shapes the Way We Experience Everything, starts Oct 18, 2026
Inkwell welcomes Kathryn Jezer-Morton, author of “The Story of Your Life: How Social Media Shapes the Way We Experience Everything.” In her book, Kathryn examines how algorithm-driven platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok change the way we share information, and how we shape the content we share as we document our personal histories on our platforms of choice. Kathryn is the author of the biweekly “Brooding” column at The Cut, in which she explores topics surrounding modern family life. She has written about domestic life and digital culture for the New York Times, The Nation, The Guardian, and Jezebel, among many other publications.
Leading the conversation is Matthew Hawn, (jukevox on the WELL). He has worked in digital media since the early 90s, from journalism at Macworld Online and the launches of MSNBC and ZDTV to a few decades in music and digital media across Europe and Asia.
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If you have a comment or question, send via email to inkwell at well.com.
To read all previous Inkwell interviews, go Here.
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Recently in the Inkwell
Paulina Borsook’s _Cyberselfish_, Oct 5 – 19, 2026
When Paulina Borsook published Cyberselfish: A Critical Romp Through the Terribly Libertarian Culture of High Tech in 2000, she challenged Silicon Valley’s culture of selfishness and lack of compassion. A quarter-century later, the industry’s technologies permeate daily life, its billionaire leaders wield enormous economic and political power, and the AI boom is raising fresh questions about who benefits—and who bears the costs. As _Cyberselfish_ returns to print, join Paulina for a conversation about what her critique anticipated and how it speaks to the present.
Mary Mackey: THE GODDESS OF BURNING HAIR, Sept 18 – Oct 11, 2026
Inkwell welcomes award-winning author and poet Mary Mackey, a longtime member of the WELL, to discuss her new book THE GODDESS OF BURNING HAIR, a complete collection of her goddess poems spanning more than fifty years. From the book description: “Lyrical, tender, fierce, brilliantly written, sometimes prophetic, and informed by both lived knowledge and scholarship, these poems bring alive a world both ancient and not yet born, as Mackey calls on us to embrace the many ways the Earth, our Great Mother, speaks through us.”
Leading the discussion with Mary is Sean Marlon Newcombe. An alumnus of Princeton University, Sean was the creator and co-founder of The Artemis Women In Action Film Festival and Artemis Motion Pictures.
Follow her two-week interview here on the WELL:
VISIT the Archived conversation
The Yellow Vests and the Battle for Democracy, August 11 – September 8, 2026
What can France’s Yellow Vest movement teach us about democracy, resistance, and collective action in an age of growing authoritarianism? Join our conversation with anthropologist Ida Susser about The Yellow Vests and the Battle for Democracy, her illuminating account of a movement that defied conventional divisions between left and right—and created new possibilities for popular politics in the streets.
VISIT the archived conversation
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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 2026
The State of the World 2025
The State of the World 2024
The State of the World 2023
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>
