NATHAN J. ROBINSON
I am the editor of Current Affairs and a political columnist at The Guardian. My work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic, The Nation, Al Jazeera America, Salon, and elsewhere, and I have appeared as a commentator on NPR and BBC Radio. I hold a JD from Yale Law School and am presently a PhD student in Sociology and Social Policy at Harvard University, and the author or editor of ten books including Why You Should Be A Socialist and Trump: Anatomy of a Monstrosity. You can hear me regularly on The Current Affairs Podcast. I live in New Orleans, Louisiana.
ESSAYS & ARTICLES
BoOKS
A primer on democratic socialism for those skeptical of it. Perfect gift for reactionary relatives.
A memoir set in the year 2076 looking backward on how we built the socialist utopia together.
A children's activity book for leftist adults, featuring puzzles, comics, board games, diagrams, and much more..
A biography of the 45th President of the United States that also examines the failures of Democrats.
A book of utopian prophecies and diagnoses of social ills written by two bitter ex-academics.
A collection of my best essays. Giant tome containing musings on nearly every subject imaginable.
A book about Bill Clinton's despicable betrayals of Black Americans. A good primer on liberal duplicity.
A book of my transcribed dreams, which become amusingly surreal flash fiction.
An edited volume of the best essays from the first two years of Current Affairs magazine.
A collection of essays debunking the bad arguments made by critics of social justice
for "children"
A parody of Mo Willems' bestselling "Pigeon" books. My book takes the side of the pigeon against the bus driver and encourages anti-authoritarianism.
A book about the time I went to California and fucked up everything I touched. This book is about the landscape of postmodern neoliberalism, I think?
A choose-your-own adventure book about urban planning in which you play the newly-elected mayor of New Orleans and have to "fix" the city.
A parody of "The Day the Crayons Quit." The original has an anti-labor message. Mine corrects this political defect and grants the crayons their autonomy and dignity.
This book asks the question "What would a society founded on free market principles be like?" Answer: awful. It shows why libertarianism creates horror and dysfunction.
This book is about conformity and isolation. A man makes a fashion faux pas and is mocked by his peers. But does he care? He does not. A good morale booster for unusual children.
SPEAKING
I have given invited talks and been on discussions at colleges and universities around the country including the University of Connecticut, Yale University, Davidson College, Pomona College, and the University of Michigan. Topics I speak on include the rebirth of democratic socialism, civil liberties & free speech, the follies of conservative intellectuals, how to run build small media organizations, and producing compelling political writing for a popular audience. If you are interested in booking me for your university, bookshop, community group, or child's birthday party, email:
VIDEO
From time to time I appear on video. Here are some samples.
If you would like me to host a television show or narrate an audiobook, please get in touch.
A book about the time I went to California and fucked up everything I touched. This book is about the landscape of postmodern neoliberalism, I think?
Dec. 10, 7:00 P.M. — Solid State Books, Washington, D.C. — "Why You Should Be A Socialist"
Dec. 12, 7:00 P.M. — Powerhouse Arena, Brooklyn, NY — "Why You Should Be A Socialist"
Upcoming Talks
Quotations from luminaries
“Nathan Robinson’s articles, and Current Affairs generally, have been consistently challenging and thought-provoking, with incisive critique and informative discussion, lucid and provocative, and focused on well-chosen issues of major significance. I find myself regularly recommending Robinson’s articles to others, and re-reading them myself. Unusually valuable contributions.”
―Noam Chomsky
“Nathan J. Robinson and Current Affairs are consistently excellent, writing at a very
high standard, and offering serious
and compelling alternative perspectives.
Very worth following and reading.”
―Glenn Greenwald
“Current Affairs is an important breath of fresh air. It stands out as by far the most intellectually sophisticated, thought-provoking, and politically astute among organs of left commentary directed toward a popular audience that have appeared in recent decades.”
―Adolph Reed, Jr.