Politics Panel with Joseph Costello, Zephyr Teachout, and Leila Conners.

Join us to celebrate Joseph Costello's new book, The Politics of Ape and Machine, with a panel discussion on politics and technology featuring Costello, Zephyr Teachout, and Leila Conners.

What is power? How does it really work? And why do some people and institutions hold onto it while others lose it? Is technology neutral or does technology shape power?

In The Politics of Ape and Machine Joseph Costello draws on history, politics, business, and culture to argue that we need a clear-eyed politics of technology to address the crisis of democratic life. From Aeschylus and the Furies to McLuhan and cybernetics, the book connects ancient struggles for justice to modern debates over information, artificial intelligence, and the meaning of democracy itself.

Joe Costello has spent more than four decades at the crossroads of politics, communications, economics, and energy. He has worked on campaigns from city council races to the presidential level, including serving as Communications Director for Jerry Brown’s 1992 presidential run and advising Governor Howard Dean’s groundbreaking 2004 campaign, bringing digital tools into American politics at scale. He has also worked on three presidential campaigns in Africa, two in Nigeria and one in Tanzania.

Zephyr Teachout is the author of Corruption in America, Break 'em Up, and a Law Professor at Fordham. She has run for Governor and Attorney General of New York, and is a columnist for the Nation Magazine.

Leila Conners is a filmmaker based in East Chatham, the founder and director of Tree Media. Her first feature-length documentary, The 11th Hour, was co-created with Leonardo DiCaprio. The film included 54 leading thinkers and scientists about the state of the world and the state of the human condition.

Copies of The Politics of Ape and Machine will be available for sale and signing after the event. This event is free and open to the public - we kindly ask that you RSVP ("buy" a free ticket).