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Jeffrey Bilbro

Website Editor-in-Chief
Jeffrey Bilbro

Jeffrey Bilbro is a Professor of English at Grove City College. He grew up in the mountainous state of Washington and earned his B.A. in Writing and Literature from George Fox University in Oregon and his Ph.D. in English from Baylor University. His books include Words for Conviviality: Media Technologies and Practices of Hope, Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry into the News, Loving God’s Wildness: The Christian Roots of Ecological Ethics in American Literature, Wendell Berry and Higher Education: Cultivating Virtues of Place (written with Jack Baker), and Virtues of Renewal: Wendell Berry’s Sustainable Forms.

Articles by Jeffrey Bilbro

Staying Sane in a Mad Time

How might we discern the truth in a mad time? Wendell Berry and G.K. Chesterton offer some wisdom.
Jeffrey Bilbro
October 8, 2021

Biopolitics, Good Work, and Roots

“A Case for the Porch.” Charlie Hailey writes in praise of the porch. Many of his reflections resonate with Patrick Deneen’s early essay on the name “Front Porch Republic.” “‘Biopolitics’…

Congress, the Filibuster, and Original Sin

“On Not Knowing Esperanto.” Peter Mommsen introduces the new issue of Plough. It’s a great introduction, and while I haven’t read the full issue yet, it looks to be another…
Jeffrey Bilbro
September 25, 2021

Regenerative Dairies, Hydroponic Gardens, and John Muir

“Ending America’s Antisocial Contract.” Ron Ivey and Tim Shirk warn that American policies which incentivize hoarding capital contribute to social and economic instability: “If our antisocial contract has led to…
Jeffrey Bilbro
September 18, 2021

2021 Local Porches

Last year, when we also had to cancel our fall conference due to COVID restrictions, several Porchers hosted smaller gatherings of local readers. We know that our readers are scattered…
Jeffrey Bilbro
September 14, 2021

Disinformation, Dante, and Humane War

“Bad News.” Joseph Bernstein scrutinizes the disinformation discourse and argues that its underlying technological determinism and assumptions about human persuadability stand to benefit big tech: “tech companies and select media…
Jeffrey Bilbro
September 11, 2021

2021 Conference Canceled

Sadly, due to ongoing COVID-related restrictions, we've made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 gathering. We hate to do this as we very much want to move past our…
Jeffrey Bilbro
September 8, 2021

Social Media, Death, and Miracles

“He is Britain’s Famous Shepherd-Author-Influencer. He Wants to Transform Farming to Save the Planet.” William Booth visits James Rebanks’s farm and puts his recent efforts to defend and practice regenerative…
Jeffrey Bilbro
September 4, 2021

Nationalism, Scruton, and Households

“Back for Good: The Fine Art of Repairing Broken Things.” Katie Treggiden profiles British artists and producers who are working to make mending beautiful in a culture that valorizes the…

Anxiety, Loneliness, and Superweeds

“The Edgerton Essays.” The American Compass and the Ethics and Public Policy Center have been collaborating on the Edgerton Essays. Editor Patrick Brown describes the project: “First, find working-class Americans,…

FPR Conference Registration Now Open

The 2021 FPR conference theme is “After Virtual: The Art of Recovering Lost Goods.” We’ll gather on October 16 at Middle Tennessee State University. The keynote speaker will be Andrew…
Jeffrey Bilbro
August 16, 2021

Washing Dishes, Sustainable Infrastructure, and Rooted Elites

“America’s Hidden Crisis of Power and Place.” In a long and important essay, David Fontana delves into “one of the most disconcerting, least-discussed aspects of our national political life: America…