The American Vandal

AI, FOIA, & The Public Good (Vandal Live from Labor@Wayne)

Our second episode from the "Public Bugets, Public Good" workshop, hosted by Wayne State University and co-sponsored by Labor@Wayne⁠, ⁠AAUP⁠, ⁠HELU⁠, and Public Good U fe

A Moral Document (Vandal Live at Wayne State)

The first of two episodes recorded at the "Public Budgets, Public Good" workshop hosted by Labor@Wayne, and co-sponsored by AAUP, HELU, and Public Good U. This episode fe

Vectoralism, Vulgar Marxism, & General Intellects with McKenzie Wark (Vandal Live at e-flux Brooklyn)

On a hot Summer night in Brooklyn, Matt Seybold is joined by McKenzie Wark to launch the "Intellectuals" issue of e-flux Journal. They discuss the legacy of the public in

Reading Machines (Vandal Live at Berkeley)

The final episode recorded at the ⁠Modes of Reading Today Symposium⁠, hosted by the ⁠Townsend Center For The Humanities⁠ focuses on media, mediation, and machine-generate

Close Reading Is Having A Moment (Vandal Live at UC-Berkeley)

The second episode derived from the ⁠Modes of Reading Today Symposium⁠, hosted by the ⁠Townsend Center For The Humanities⁠ assesses what it means that "close reading is h

Reading, Sleep, Attention, Grief (Vandal Live at UC-Berkeley)

An episode recorded as part of the Modes of Reading Today Symposium, hosted by the Townsend Center For The Humanities begins with a discussion of John Donne's insomnia an

The Production of Oil & Knowledge in Iran with Mattin Biglari & Katayoun Shafiee

A discussion of the historical trajectory informing the current polycrisis reverberating from the Strait of Hormuz with two historians of Iranian Oil, authors of "Nationa

Beyond The White Suit with Kerry Driscoll, Ann Ryan, & Barbara Snedecor (Vandal Live in Elmira)

Two events organized by the Center For Mark Twain Studies focus on the complex legacy of Mark Twain and the omissions and misrepresentations of his wife, Olivia Langdon C

This Guy Sucked with Claire Aubin & Erin Bartram (Vandal Live at Mark Twain House & Museum)

A live crossover podcasting event with the This Guy Sucked podcast, hosted at the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut. The question is not only whether and

After OpenAI (Vandal Live at Wake Forest Humanities Institute)

As part of the Spring Symposium at the Wake Forest Humanities Institute, Matt Seybold discusses the present and future of AI speculation, including an extended discussion

Muskism with Quinn Slobodian & Ben Tarnoff

A discussion of the forthcoming book "Muskism: A Guild For The Perplexed" with its authors. Topics includes Muskism as the antidote to Musk Fatique, methods of historical

The Secret History of Canvas LMS, Corporate Raiders, & The Chatbot Bubble (Vandal Live at UVU)

Opens with Matt Seybold's short history of Instructure, the makers of Canvas LMS, with special emphasis on its acquisition by Dragoneer and KKR in 2024. This talk was del

Close Reading Is Not A Luxury (Vandal Live at Emory)

From the Close Reading For The 21st Century Symposium, hosted by Emory University. What are the challenges, strategies, and rewards for teaching close reading? What are t

Close Reading Is A Conversation (Vandal Live at Emory University)

From the Close Reading For The 21st Century Symposium, hosted by Emory University. Why is close reading best understood as a conversation? What are its evaluative standar

Close Reading For The 21st Century Symposium (Vandal Live at Emory)

The first of three episodes based on the "Close Reading For The 21st Century Symposium" hosted by Emory University. The symposium's opening address is followed by short p

Theory At The Bargaining Table with Dominique Baker & Anna Kornbluh (Vandal Live at UIC)

Hosted by the University of Illinois-Chicago United Faculty, a roundtable discussion about confronting the challenges facing higher education labor organizing. Topics inc

Everyday Ecofascism with April Anson & Alexander Menrisky (Vandal Live at 2025 Quarry Farm Symposium)

The event launching the 2025 Quarry Farm Symposium on Energy Studies begins with opening address by co-organizer Jeffrey Insko, then discussion of the theory of Everyday

Criticism & The Chatbot Bubble with Christopher Newfield & Whitney Trettien (Vandal Live at UPenn English)

A spirited discussion of the state of higher education, the history of criticism, and the future of literary knowledge production, recorded with a live audience at Univer

Inside Slow Civil War with Jeff Sharlet

A chance to reflect, with journalism professor Jeff Sharlet, on his book, "The Undertow: Scenes From A Slow Civil War," the looming threat of acceleration, the methods an

Cruel Futurism

The finale of "A Tale of Today," the eleventh season of "The American Vandal." Matt Seybold offers his journey of curiosity from the end of "Criticism LTD" to "The Tech