Grokkist Press
Reading Room
Contributors · Writer
The house byline of Grokkist Press: Snackables, the Grokkist letter, and the things we make together.
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Move meSoma Isles
The Whanganui River in Aotearoa New Zealand was the first river in the world granted legal personhood; for Māori, it is a living being — an ancestor. This documentary follows river guardian Ned Tapa as he invites a First Nations elder from Australia and his daughter, activists fighting for
WonderSoma Isles
A deeply considered reflection on computers as a kind of divination — a way of knowing with subjective validity and narrational depth, and a form of collective care — and whether technology can care for us without really understanding us. 'Under the hoods of my digital oracles lie models w
Surprise meEntangled Vale
Václav Havel's reflection on his improbable path from imprisoned poet-playwright to president of Czechoslovakia. 'The true art of politics is the art of winning people's support for a good cause, even when the pursuit of that cause may interfere with their particular momentary interests' —
ImagineHearthlands
Were the Middle Ages a funny time? You bet. Medieval LOLs is a seven-episode LRB series in which historians Mary Wellesley and Irina Dumitrescu close-read some of the rudest, silliest and most surprising works in English literature in search of the medieval sense of humour. Inevitably it s
Bi-weekly newsletter for grokkists who insist on relating to the world with curiosity and care. Each edition contains the latest from the Grokkist Press, events and highlights from our community, and a care package of snackable outside links selected to nurture your curiosity.
WonderMaker's Forge
Fun isn't something you can just add to an experience — dipping broccoli in chocolate doesn't make it dessert. Fun is inherent in how we relate to certain situations, and to find the play in everyday life we may need to take everyday practices more seriously, not less. An engaging, philoso
WonderEntangled Vale
'My favourite form of entertainment is downloading PDFs.' A thoughtful reflection on the difference between capital-R Research and research as play — the latter 'directed by passions and instincts,' 'exuberantly undisciplined or antidisciplinary,' involving 'as much rigor as necessary,' an
WonderSoma Isles
A beautiful introduction to deep ecology through the body itself. 'You are akin to a planet. Within your body are different climates that give rise to different types of ecosystems.' The swampy atmosphere of your armpits hosts an entirely different cadre of life than the caverns of your gu
ImagineEntangled Vale
When the UK census first started recording people's occupations in the mid-1800s, some job titles — written down without context and handed to an outsider — sound completely ridiculous. A delightful gallery of them: bat printer, butt woman, cullet picker, maiden maker, piano puncher, thurl
Move meSoma Isles
A love letter to the original Wallace and Gromit film, A Grand Day Out — and a melancholic lament for the loss of imagination, adventure and mystery. 'When Wallace suggests they go where there's cheese, it's a code for something wonderful. Let's go on an adventure, but let's never stray to
Bi-weekly newsletter for grokkists who insist on relating to the world with curiosity and care. Each edition contains the latest from the Grokkist Press, events and highlights from our community, and a care package of snackable outside links selected to nurture your curiosity.
Surprise meHearthlands
London mayor Sadiq Khan, one of the most-trolled politicians, discusses the real-world fallout — online and in the streets — from a viral deepfake audio clip of him. The host then speaks to someone who helped spread it ('I apologise, I made a big mistake. I wanted to believe it'), and trac