NOW  in the Inkwell

 

State of the World 2026, starts Jan 1, 2026

Your co-hosts and lead commentators are author/journalist/design maven Bruce Sterling and yours truly, Jon Lebkowsky, digital culture maven and aging dharma punk. This is our 26th annual State of the World discussion. We tend to be more micro than macro in these discussions, which makes sense given that the actual state of the world is slippery, fluid, hard to assess reliably.
 
We offer an exploration of the chaos and complexity of the rapidly-spinning, always-evolving planet Earth and the odd bipedal and quadrupedal creatures variously crouching and wandering on its surface. We are observers of this world, sharing our observations here with no claim of extraordinary expertise.
 

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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

The Future of Public Radio,  October 2 Nov 13, 2025

The loss of public funding forces us to confront questions about the very identity of public radio. Will stations shift toward a more commercial model, relying heavily on corporate sponsorships? Can they adapt to new digital platforms while retaining their commitment to accessibility and diversity? Or will public radio lean more deeply into community-driven models, where audiences not only consume content but actively support and shape it?
 
We have assembled an illustrious panel of subject matter experts with substantial experience in Public Radio to discuss the looming challenges facing public radio stations, content producer networks, and distribution platforms as public funding is being disrupted.
 

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“The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty” by John Seabrook,  Sept 18 – Oct 6, 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.

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 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>