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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

China, Monopolies, and Logging

“Hawley to Introduce Bill to Move Federal Agencies out of Washington D.C. to Economically Stagnant Areas.” Jack Crowe outlines Josh Hawley’s new proposal. It sounds like Senator Hawley has been…

Friends, Cattle Markets, and a Luddite Revolution

Plough Quarterly: Vocation. The new issue of Plough has several good pieces on the meaning and value of work. One of my favorites is the interview with Mike Rowe. “Why You Never See…

Jones, Hurston, and Newman

“‘These Global Days.’” Adam Schwartz reviews the newly published The Grail Mass and Other Works, by David Jones. It conveys Jones’s critique of empire and globalism: “It was modern imperialism’s lethal…

GMOs, Bad Ag Secretaries, and Economic Growth

“The Case Against GMOs: Cautionary Tales From Uganda.” With biting wit, Mary Serumaga argues that legislation to introduce GMOs to Uganda is being driven by foreign investors rather than local…

Wendell Berry Conference Videos

Video recordings from our 2019 conference on the legacy of Wendell Berry are now online. We hope those of you who weren't able to join us in the flesh will…
Jeffrey Bilbro
October 1, 2019

Ellul, Land of Hope, and Opting Out

“Book Review: The Household and the War for the Cosmos by C. R. Wiley.” Jake Meador reviews The Household and the War for the Cosmos by C. R. Wiley, in which Wiley argues that…
Jeffrey Bilbro
September 28, 2019

Holy Warriors, Brain Gain, and Children and Climate Change

Several people have written reflections on last week’s conference. If you weren’t able to make it, you can read what Russell Arben Fox and Scott Richert made of the gathering. “Academia’s Holy Warriors.” Jon…
Jeffrey Bilbro
September 21, 2019

“Be Happy!”–Thanks for an Excellent Gathering

Thanks to all who came to Louisville this weekend for our annual conference. We had about 300 people join us for the day, making this the largest FPR conference yet.…
Jeffrey Bilbro
September 16, 2019

Berry’s Dissent, Procreation, and Rotten STEM

“A Shared Place: Wendell Berry’s Lifelong Dissent.” Jedediah Britton-Purdy writes a long and thoughtful review of Berry’s essays and body of thought. He avoids many of the lazy critiques of…
Jeffrey Bilbro
September 14, 2019

Support Local Culture: A Journal of the Front Porch Republic

The Front Porch Republic is launching a print journal! We've set up a GoFundMe campaign to help support this project. Please consider contributing to fund production costs and to join…
Jeffrey Bilbro
September 11, 2019

Homesickness, Landscape of Despair, and Mass Barbecue

“Wayfaring in America.” Brian Smith reviews The American Road Trip and American Political Thought, by Susan McWilliams Barndt—a book that reflects on what Americans’ fondness for travel narratives suggests about our…
Jeffrey Bilbro
September 7, 2019

George Herbert, Simone Weil, and Front Porches

“What a Famous Poet Can Teach Rural Pastors.” Stephen Witmer looks at George Herbert’s classic and asks, “what if we were to read Country Parson for its original purpose: as a guide…