Is writing under threat from AI? Is reading a lost art? Did the invention of writing itself irrevocably change human nature? And are we entirely proscribed by language?

Concerns like these have a long history, and how we address them is not without consequences.

⁠Out of Print⁠ was held at Verdurin in June 2026. The symposium was organised with Edmund King.

In this second presentation of the event, Alison Brady challenges concerns about digitalisation as a threat to literacy. Arguments in favour of “slow reading”, for example, overlook that reading and writing have always been technological.

As the phenomenologist and provocateur, Vilém Flusser, discussed in his book “Does Writing Have a Future?”, writing technologies, from chisels to smart pens, have always been central to literacy practices, conditioning what is possible in the first place.

Alison M. Brady is an Associate Professor at the UCL Institute of Education. Her work focuses on phenomenological and existential philosophy as that which can offer rich descriptions of teaching and learning.

Her current research picks up Flusser’s question and considers the pedagogical nature of writing in an age of AI.

Find out more about ⁠Out of Print⁠.

Check out ⁠events⁠, ⁠publications⁠, ⁠courses⁠, and ⁠more⁠ from Verdurin. Join our ⁠newsletter⁠.

Is writing under threat from AI? Is reading a lost art? Did the invention of writing itself irrevocably change human nature? And are we entirely proscribed by language?

Concerns like these have a long history, and how we address them is not without consequences.

Out of Print was held at Verdurin in June 2026. The symposium was organised with Edmund King.

In the first part of the event, Scholar Daniel Hadas explores Homer’s transition from spoken to written text, as the pivotal moment in ancient Greco-Roman literacy. He thus historicises writing and literacy’s role in the Ancient world.

Hadas specializes in early Christian literature, medieval Latin, and the study of manuscripts.

Find out more about Out of Print.

Check out events, publications, courses, and more from Verdurin. Join our newsletter.

Welcome back, it’s been a while since we posted anything in this channel. If you’re hearing this in September 2026, this is likely because you once listened to my book interviews.

In 2024, I founded Verdurin in London. Verdurin is a cultural project, which offers everything you need to survive the cultural apocalypse. Our events, courses, exhibitions, and publications animate urgent and often challenging aesthetic, political, and philosophical issues affecting today’s culture.

While we did our best to record our nearly fifty events in the past two years, it has not been possible until now to release this audio. Now, my friend, the composer John-Robin Bold, has kindly agreed to edit the best of our archive, for which I’m very grateful. The music you heard is also his work.

Starting this week, we will begin releasing recordings from events at Verdurin. These include symposia, book discussion, literary readings, public criticism sessions, and the occasional roundtable.

Do check out our archive, as well as our events, courses, and publishing. You can also sign up to our newsletter.

https://verdur.in