In the 1990s, the English writer Paul Kingsnorth was a radical environmental activist, taking part in road blockades and protesting at WTO summits. Today he calls himself a “recovering environmentalist” and doesn’t believe people can do all that much to halt the march of the markets and technology. For instance, he thinks of climate change as a predicament to be endured, not a problem to be solved. His focus instead is on making sense of this revolutionary time we are living through and finding wisdom in old stories, especially religious ones, to help us live well through civilizational collapse. 

Paul is not like many other writers on Substack. He is uneasy with technology, worrying about how humans use it to become gods, driving ourselves ever further from a state of nature, losing touch with the wild. That might sound depressing, but if you read his essays on his Substack, The Abbey of Misrule, you are likely to find the opposite. Paul writes in search of beauty and, in my opinion, strikes on it quite often. Amid the assessment of cultural breakdown, he offers some comfort and release, giving the reader permission to turn away from technological distraction and focus on the simple things in life: family, nature, love, and intellectual nourishment. 

https://paulkingsnorth.substack.com/

Paul’s recommended reads:https://carolineross.substack.com/https://martinshaw.substack.com/https://theupheaval.substack.com/https://angelanagle.substack.com/

Show notesSubscribe to The Abbey of Misrule on SubstackFind more books and information on Paul on his personal websiteThe Dark Mountain ProjectPaul’s mentioned books: Confessions of a Recovering Environmentalist, Real England[02:20] Words as supreme communication [04:34] Being an activist writer[06:45] Environmentalism[15:39] Turning to religion[24:25] Having a famous compost toilet[32:41] Being attacked as a “fascist”[40:17] On the tension of censorship and integrity[44:37] Debating the Covid-19 vaccine[50:30] Substack as old-fashioned, in a good way[53:01] Liberation after losing a father[56:00] Advice to other writers[57:42] Recommended writers on Substack

The Active Voice is a podcast hosted by Hamish McKenzie, featuring weekly conversations with writers about how the internet is affecting the way they live and write. It is produced by Hanne Winarsky, with audio engineering by Seven Morris, content production by Hannah Ray, and production support from Bailey Richardson. All artwork is by Joro Chen, and music is by Phelps & Munro.

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