My Japanese translation is coming out later in May. Here is the cover and the cover with the “belly band”
The Spanish version of my event for La Casa Encendida in Madrid
Utopías cotidianas. Revoluciones domésticas y vida en comunidad
The English version of my event for La Casa Encendida in Madrid
Everyday utopias. Domestic revolutions and community life
A clip from my talk on "Utopian Living" for the HowtheLightGetsInFestival in September 2023
The full video is available to subscribers at: https://iai.tv/video/utopian-living
The most amazing note I've ever received!
Today was the first day of classes at Penn for the spring semester and I checked my snail mail for the first time since December. I received this absolutely lovely little bird card from Margaret Atwood! I doubted it at first, but checked the signature online and realized that it’s really from her. I was over the moon!
A first concept for the Spanish cover of Everyday Utopia
Coming out in March 2024!
My interview on Dan Snow's History Hit Podcast →
This was such a fun conversation! Dan Snow knows how to ask all the right questions. Give a listen here on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Some more foreign media for Everyday Utopia
I got a bit of a grumpy review on the German equivalent of NPR, but a very nice shout out as the most important non-fiction book of the year on the biggest Leftist news platform in Czechia.
A 2023 Notable Book for Behavioral Scientist →
So pleased for this recognition
The paperback covers are here
It looks like my UK paperback of Everyday Utopia will appear in May followed by the US paperback in late July. Both presses have redesigned the covers to appeal to a broader audience, with Bodley Head in the UK completely reconceptualizing the cover and the subtitle. I like them both a lot, although they are quite different.
A little profile in the Fall/Winter 2023 OMNIA magazine
A nice review in the Times of India →
See the full review here
Everyday Utopia is a finalist for Season 22 of the Next Big Idea Club! →
This is a big deal since nonfiction books are curated by Adam Grant, Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink. Check out the citation here.
New podcast episode and free book offer! →
A new episode of A.K. 47 has posted. In it Kristen Ghodsee reads the first part of Alexandra Kollontai's 1921 essay, "The Labor of Women in the Evolution of the Economy."
Just in time for the holidays, the first 15 listeners in the United States who email Alexandra.kollontai.podcast@gmail.com will receive a free, signed, and dedicated copy of Everyday Utopia: What 2000 Years of Wild Experiments Can Teach Us About the Good Life.
Please be sure to send your address and the text of your dedication. Books will be sent via Media Mail and may take 7-10 business days to reach you depending on your distance from Philadelphia. Only available for listeners in the United States.
Watch the video from the Lightbulb Cafe Book Club →
My conversation with Professor Julia Alexeyeva for the Penn Arts & Sciences Lightbulb Cafe
A new newsletter just posted...
Reclaiming the word “kith”
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “kith” is considered “archaic” or “obsolete.” Originating in Old English and in continuous use until 1848, we sometimes still hear this word in the phrase “kith and kin,” as in: “She relied on her kith and kin for emotional and material support.” In this context, “kith” means: “The persons who are known or familiar, taken collectively; one's friends, fellow-countrymen, or neighbours.”
If our blood relations are our kinfolk, then our circle of connections constitute our “kithfolk,” another term we lost somewhere in the evolution of the English language. In many ways, I’ve spent the last two years trying to reclaim the word, the idea, and the reality of kithfolk in our everyday lives–finding new and creative ways to forge community and connection in societies that pull us apart. In this historic moment of overlapping and compounding crises, I’ve been arguing for the importance of utopian dreaming. But I also believe that we must expand our definition of kin, and to nurture and strength our connections to kith.
Since Everyday Utopia came out on May 16, almost six months ago, I’ve had the privilege of doing virtual and in person events around the United States. I've also traveled to speak with readers in Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. Continue reading…
Nice shout out in the Atlantic →
My interview with Nathan Robinson for Current Affairs →
Also available as a Current Affairs podcast, “Why We Need Utopias,” September 15, 2023
