Reposted by John WestUrsula K. Le Guin Bot @leguinbot.bsky.social · 03/10/2026We all do harm by being. 18123
Reposted by John WestAlice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 03/10/2026Honored to have the first excerpt of my book published by @politico.com! Out everywhere on Oct. 27. politico.com/news/magazine/2026/10/03/abortion-doctors-politics-roe-dobbs-01105039politico.comThe Fall of Roe Changed Doctors. Now They’re Changing Politics.State-level abortion debates have activated physicians as a political force like never before. 1126
Reposted by John Westnoam @noamchompers.bsky.social · 03/10/2026philosophers should have simply *answered* the deepest and most intractable questions ever posed. instead they've chosen to fuck around. disappointing 1766087
John West @handle.invalid · 02/10/2026thank you! the dataset was really a @noslouch.bsky.social special... 010
John West @handle.invalid · 01/10/2026It's true: we used AI to see just how much Americans hate AI, and if you leave us enough comments, I'll try to use AI to see how much y'all hate us using AI to see how much Americans hate AI. (From me, @jjw.bsky.social, Sabrina Rodriguez, and @jamesbenedict.bsky.social) www.wsj.com/politics/ele...wsj.comWe Used AI to Find Out Just How Much Americans Hate AIOpposition to AI, data centers and Flock cameras brought people together like few other issues, and it is showing up in the midterms. 133
Reposted by John WestBrian Whitton @noslouch.bsky.social · 23/09/2026NEW from me, @neilmhta.bsky.social and @sabrod123.bsky.social. Mentions of Trump on MAGA podcasts have fallen off a cliff since the 2024 election. With the midterms right around the corner, what are they talking about now? If you've been near TikTok lately, then you've probably got a guess. 112
John West @handle.invalid · 17/09/2026Here's a deeply generous review of my book on Bill Tammeus's blog, "Faith Matters." He compared me to Annie Dillard, a hero of mine who sadly recently passed, and I can imagine few higher compliments. Here's the review: substack.com/home/post/p-... Here's the book: bookshop.org/p/books/the-... 030
Reposted by John WestBennington Writing Seminars @benningtonwriting.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Happy Publication Day to John West, MFA '18 (Nonfiction)! His book, THE INTERNET WILL DIE, AND SO WILL YOU: On Learning to Live in Our Digital Age, is out today from Here Below Books. vist.ly/5hyd8 041
John West @handle.invalid · 16/09/2026There's link rot and then there's link rot: www.wsj.com/world/middle...wsj.comAWS Says It Can’t Restore Some Data From Mideast Facilities Struck by IranAmazon’s announcement is the first indication that some data stored exclusively in Bahrain and the U.A.E could be gone forever. 030
John West @handle.invalid · 13/08/2026Thanks to @kofinas.bsky.social for being such a thoughtful interlocutor in this conversation about my book! It's the dream of pretty much every author (I think) to talk to someone who's so willing to dig into the text--and draw on such broad expertise about what you're writing about. 122
John West @handle.invalid · 04/08/2026Want a free copy of THE INTERNET WILL DIE, AND SO WILL YOU? Well, there's a Goodreads giveaway through the end of August for fifteen copies of it! (Don't worry, you're still welcome to purchase a copy, even if the Goodreads gods fail you.) www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...goodreads.comBook giveaway for The Internet Will Die, and So Will You: On Learning to Live in Our Digital Age by John West Aug 03-Aug 28, 2026Enter to win one of 15 free copies available. Giveaway dates from Aug 03-Aug 28, 2026. From a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. 010
John West @handle.invalid · 03/08/2026I've listened to PJ Vogt's podcasts ever since TL;DR, through REPLY ALL, and all the way to SEARCH ENGINE. Here's what he said about my book, THE INTERNET WILL DIE, AND SO WILL YOU. You can preorder it here: bookshop.org/p/books/the-... 040
John West @handle.invalid · 27/07/2026Ack! My link got truncated: bookshop.org/p/books/the-...bookshop.orgThe Internet Will Die, and So Will You: On Learning to Live in Our Digital AgeTo live meaningfully in a digital age, we must reckon with impermanence.There's rot in the foundation of the web. A cherished blog vanishes while an adolescent fan page refuses to stay deleted. Suprem... 120
John West @handle.invalid · 25/07/2026(And I'm so sorry for the "buy my book" spam my followers are about to endure...) 110
John West @handle.invalid · 25/07/2026A weird part of writing a book is cold-emailing people you admire and asking them to say something nice. I've long admired @anildash.com for his willingness to go against the grain in a field that rewards group-think masquerading as contrarianism. Here's what he said. bookshop.org/p/books/the-... 3412
John West @handle.invalid · 16/07/2026The first review of THE INTERNET WILL DIE, AND SO WILL YOU is out from Publishers Weekly: "His wide-ranging meditations, which touch on everything from Bach to TikTok, will appeal to readers who want to search for meaning rather than scroll for distraction." www.publishersweekly.com/9780802885425 160
John West @handle.invalid · 29/06/2026I can’t remember who said this, but it’s true: the LLM future looks a lot like endlessly communicating an idea by inflating and deflating it with computers—at great cost. 040
John West @handle.invalid · 22/06/2026this is an incredible story (and my colleagues are incredible reporters). 151
Reposted by John WestThe Great Pumpkin Papers 🎃🎃🎃 @professormusgrave.bsky.social · 20/05/2026Novel sentence alert 061
Reposted by John WestHugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 19/05/2026MY BAD: A PERSONAL HISTORY OF THE QUEER 90S AND BEYOND comes out in one week and I am certainly not freaking out about it! There's still time to get 20% off the hardcover by preordering from Hachette with the code MYBAD20. All my June tour dates are below! www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/hugh-...hachettebookgroup.comMy BadA powerful and hilarious personal history that tells the true story of the queer ’90s and how it transformed queer life in the decades that followed.“Dee... 14411
Reposted by John Westtamara @milquetoast7.bsky.social · 12/05/2026The Internet Will Die, and So Will You by @johnwest.bsky.social ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ First! too much internet, not enough death :) www.netgalley.com/book/824047/...netgalley.comThe Internet Will Die, and So Will YouI just reviewed The Internet Will Die, and So Will You by John West 131
Reposted by John WestStephen Judkins @stephenjudkins.bsky.social · 22/07/2024RETVRN to computers with integral bench seating 915514
Reposted by John WestHere Below Books @herebelow.bsky.social · 07/05/2026Attention is precious. The Internet Will Die, and So Will You (by John West) #HereBelowBooks #CoverReveal 092
Reposted by John WestMatt Zoller Seitz @mattzollerseitz.bsky.social · 09/05/2026This is what journalism is supposed to be about. 41055227
John West @handle.invalid · 06/05/2026Hilariously, before we could, our baby enjoyed the art so much, he blew out his diaper. We ended up throwing away the onesie and beating a hasty retreat. But I’ll be back—it’s an incredible museum. 110
John West @handle.invalid · 06/05/2026I went to the Met (for the first time ever!). My partner and I decided to pick a piece to sit and stare at for at least 15 minutes. We picked “Old Woman Cutting Her Nails” by someone who isn’t Rembrandt. It was wild to feel how rusty my attention is—and to see how applying it still drives wonder. 241
Reposted by John WestKaren K. Ho @karenho.bsky.social · 03/05/2026I have escalated my aversion to Spotify. 953198277
John West @handle.invalid · 03/05/2026This is incredible reporting from my colleague @georgiawells.bsky.social www.wsj.com/us-news/chat...wsj.comChatGPT Wrestles With Its Most Chilling Conversation: How Do I Plan an Attack?OpenAI’s chatbot dispenses advice on weapons and role-plays mass shootings. The carnage is raising scrutiny on when and how companies intervene. 030
Reposted by John WestJohn West @handle.invalid · 27/04/20261. I'm working on EPITAB: a browser extension that helps you memorize poems. If you add poems to your browser, it quizzes you on lines each time you open a new tab. Here, for example, after I opened a new window in Firefox, it's asking me for the line "The season's ill—" I have an ask though... 2135
John West @handle.invalid · 27/04/20263. This comes after I read @garthgreenwell.bsky.social's excellent essay on poetry memorization: garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/memorizing.... (I also have a good bit about this in my forthcoming book, THE INTERNET WILL DIE, AND SO WILL YOU—which you can pre-order now, etc., etc.)garthgreenwell.substack.comHow Memorizing Poems Will Change Your LifeAnd some tips on getting started 063
John West @handle.invalid · 27/04/20262. If you want to try this out, give me a shout, and I can set you up with a beta. I could really use some feedback! The dream of this is to add some friction back into my digital life—and to point that friction toward something generative. Does that sound like something you're interested in? DM me! 141
John West @handle.invalid · 27/04/20261. I'm working on EPITAB: a browser extension that helps you memorize poems. If you add poems to your browser, it quizzes you on lines each time you open a new tab. Here, for example, after I opened a new window in Firefox, it's asking me for the line "The season's ill—" I have an ask though... 2135
John West @handle.invalid · 22/04/2026Honestly, it's a shame CSVW—or something like it—isn't better supported. 010
Reposted by John Westgita “the formalist” jackson @xoxogossipgita.bsky.social · 21/04/2026Hello. I’m writing a novel. @editrixemma.bsky.social @alexbrownwrites.bsky.social 1321233124
John West @handle.invalid · 21/04/2026I’ve been practicing again. Here’s a sarabande from one of the perfect Bach cello suites played imperfectly on the recorder. (Also pictured: my 3D-printed recorder gun rack.) 000
John West @handle.invalid · 21/04/2026I blogged again: this-republic-of-letters.fly.dev/posts/5/toge.... This time, on the many uses and abuses of poor Walter Ong. 000
John West @handle.invalid · 20/04/2026I have! I even bought it! I like it a lot—so smart to move away from the "inbox" paradigm. 020
John West @handle.invalid · 20/04/20265. In the meantime, fire up your RSS reader and point it here: this-republic-of-letters.fly.dev/feed/rss. (Since I wrote the blogging software, you can also get a JSON feed, and you can replace ".html" at the end of any post with ".md" or ".json" to get those formats, because I'm a nerd.) 010
John West @handle.invalid · 20/04/20264. I'm not sure how to handle the fact that blogging's distribution method is so broken. Do I cross-post to Bluesky? To Substack? To an AI-powered avatar that reads my stories in vertical video on TikTok? (Probably not that one.) 100
John West @handle.invalid · 20/04/20263. My first big post covers this very subject—why blog?—while giving me an excuse to cite some excellent @anildash.com posts and @davidpierce.xyz's excellent reporting: - www.anildash.com/2024/11/19/d... - www.anildash.com/2024/02/05/w... - www.theverge.com/23778253/goo... 110
John West @handle.invalid · 20/04/20262. I'm blogging again, knowing that the blogosphere I remember is dead, that Google Reader is dead, that the distribution problem (who checks blogs anymore?) led to a supply problem (why check blogs when there are so few to read?). Or maybe it was the other way around—an ouroboros of dead blogs. 110