Jeffrey Bilbro
Website Editor-in-Chief
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
Local Democracy, Resilient Agriculture, and the Classics
“Vermont’s Superpower, Revealed: The Ability to Practice Local Democracy.” Susan Clark writes about the formative role that Vermont’s annual town meetings play in training citizens to practice democracy. (Recommended by…
Tech Critique, Simone Weil, and Visceral Lending
We've got a cover and table of contents for the spring issue of Local Culture. If you're a subscriber, you can expect to get your copy in March. If you're…
Friendship, GameStop, and James Herriot
"Eric Gill and the Integrity of Work." In a new preface to an edition of Gill's writings, Wendell Berry identifies the endemic flaw of industrialized technology: "Under the rule of…
Prospects for Localism (and a New Podcast)
This recording also serves as the inaugural episode of the Brass Spittoon, a new podcast from the Front Porch Republic. We’ll chew on issues timeless and timely, with a focus…
Housekeeping, Epiphany, and a National Elite
“America’s Biggest Owner Of Farmland Is Now Bill Gates.” Ariel Shapiro writes about the massive consolidation of land ownership. Gates is focusing on farmland, but other billionaires own even more…
Precedents, Technosolutionism, and A Hidden Life
“Why I Choose Rural.” Benya Kraus explains why she chose to move to rural Minnesota after graduating from college: “Though I spent my childhood summers and winters here on the…
Prospects for Localism: An FPR Conversation
The FPR leadership has decided to make a foray into a new medium (for us). And given this transitional moment in American politics, this seems like a good time. We…
Fantasies, a City on the Hill, and Baking Bread
“Failures of Leadership in a Populist Age.” In an essay that rings even more true after the events of Wednesday, Yuval Levin warns would-be populist leaders to shun the temptations…
Happiness, Regionalism, and Jefferson’s Bible
“If Mr. Kristof Is Taking Names, Apple Should Be Next.” Anthony Barr points out the profit-generated blind spot that permits Apple, Disney, and other American companies from profiting off of…
A Virtual Book Club for a Civil Economy
In this season for making resolutions, perhaps this opportunity might help those of you who want to read more books in 2021. I'm delighted to pass along this invitation from…
Abundance, Wilderness, and Algorithms
Merry Christmas, Porchers! Thanks for joining us in this virtual space throughout what has certainly been an interesting year. While we missed our yearly conference, we've hosted a lively set…
Lead for America: Encouraging Graduates to Return Home
Jackson, MI. As a college professor and reader of Wendell Berry, I've long been concerned about the dominant narrative of "upward (and lateral) mobility" that draws students to higher education.…