My conversation with Professor Julia Alexeyeva for the Penn Arts & Sciences Lightbulb Cafe
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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…
Photos from Princeton Public Library
Nice shout out in the Atlantic →
A lovely day in Princeton
I was invited to teach a seminar at the university and took some time to poke around in Labyrinth Books and visit Professor Piet Hut at the Institute for Advanced Study.
A short but wonderful trip to Brussels for the 2023 Festival of Freedom
So many memories in only 3 days!
Another beautiful weekend in Maine
A few perfect fall days
My interview with Nathan Robinson for Current Affairs →
Also available as a Current Affairs podcast, “Why We Need Utopias,” September 15, 2023
New podcast episode from A.K. 47 finally posted →
Finally managed to finish reading The Workers Opposition
So thrilled with this review by Emily Raboteau in The Nation Magazine →
A new interview with Angela Saini for the Science podcast →
Monday, October 2 in the Penn Anthropology Department →
A nice review in Inside Higher Ed →
Everyday Utopia in London: September 2023
I did a short trip to London to sign books at some central London bookshops and gave a few talks at the How the Light Gets in Festival at Kenwood House.
My appearance on Freakonomics radio
The Atlas Obscura segment starts at about 45:00
A little book summary from London
After my solo talk on “Utopian Living,” I was asked to do a little summary of the book.
Kristen Ghodsee at the How the Light Gets in Festival in London discussing her book, Everyday Utopia
New interview with me in Die Zeit Magazin (in German) →
It’s paywalled, but you can see the pretty cover photo here
KQED Forum: What Does Utopia Mean to You? →
Listen to my interview with Mina Kim and William Paris on KQED’s The Forum.
Happy to be a member of the 2023 class of Penn Fellows
I finally joined social media for real
So, I have finally taken the plunge and joined Instagram. I resisted this decision for many years because I just feel like the whole enterprise is manipulative and dangerous and I hate being a product. I also despise Meta as a company. Many moons ago I once had a Tumblr account, but I completely deleted it at some point and lost all of my followers. I have a TikTok account started for me by a former student, but I have no idea how to use that platform.
An editor once said to me that if I wanted to reach young people with my writing, I had to meet them where they are, which is on social media. My daughter is on Instagram and so are many of my students, so I am trying to figure out how to use this whole platform. If you are so inclined, please follow me at @kristenghodsee. You can watch me flail.