Matthew Kirschenbaum: "From text to .txt: Making Material Messes in a Sloppy World" (Malkin Lecture)
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𝗥𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗦𝗼𝗹 𝗠. 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗔𝗻𝗻 𝗢’𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, “𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘁𝗼 .𝘁𝘅𝘁: 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱” 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝗞𝗶𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗯𝗮𝘂𝗺.
By the turn of the millennium, the word “text” had become a verb. Three-and-a-half years ago, ChatGPT was released into the wild, decisively severing the link between writing and human expression. In 2025, Merriam-Webster’s word of the year was “slop.” This talk will offer an attenuated archaeology of what someone we know once called the textual condition. And not to give away the game, but that condition is not good: today, text functions as something much more like a fossil fuel or other extractable resource than a medium for communication and expression. Nonetheless, the talk also asks how we can still make some good old fashioned material messes in a world of slop. Examples will be provided. Refreshments will be served. There may even be a book or two.
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗵𝘆𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝟱:𝟯𝟬 𝗽.𝗺. 𝗘𝗧 𝗼𝗻 𝗨𝗩𝗔’𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗮 𝗭𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺. 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹.𝗼𝗿𝗴/𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲/𝟬𝟳/𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘄-𝗸𝗶𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗯𝗮𝘂𝗺-𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻-𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲
𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿
𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝗞𝗶𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗯𝗮𝘂𝗺 rejoined UVA in 2025 as Commonwealth Professor of Artificial Intelligence and English after 25 years at the University of Maryland, where he finished as a Distinguished University Professor. He considers himself a student of texts and textual technologies in all their social and material forms, and his scholarship and teaching have explored literary intersects with printing and bookmaking, archival science, media archaeology, digital humanities, and now artificial intelligence.
He is the author of three books, most recently 𝘉𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 from the University of Pennsylvania Press (2021). His first book, 𝘔𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘴: 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 (2008) was the winner of multiple awards, including the MLA Prize for a First Book. 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴: 𝘈 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 (2016) enjoyed widespread public media attention. Recent articles have appeared in 𝘗𝘔𝘓𝘈, 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘐𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘺, and 𝘌𝘓𝘏; and he frequently writes for popular outlets, which have included the 𝘈𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤, the 𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘵, 𝘚𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘓𝘰𝘴 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, and the 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. Kirschenbaum is an active member of the Modern Language Association’s task force on AI in Research and Teaching, and a member of the teaching faculty at Rare Book School. He has been a Guggenheim and an NEH Fellow, and is a practicing letterpress printer. Current projects includes two books, the first on the political economy of text in the present moment and the second on the weaponization of AI in what some have called a full-blown epistemic crisis. You can find him on Bluesky at @mkirschenbaum.bsky.social.
By the turn of the millennium, the word “text” had become a verb. Three-and-a-half years ago, ChatGPT was released into the wild, decisively severing the link between writing and human expression. In 2025, Merriam-Webster’s word of the year was “slop.” This talk will offer an attenuated archaeology of what someone we know once called the textual condition. And not to give away the game, but that condition is not good: today, text functions as something much more like a fossil fuel or other extractable resource than a medium for communication and expression. Nonetheless, the talk also asks how we can still make some good old fashioned material messes in a world of slop. Examples will be provided. Refreshments will be served. There may even be a book or two.
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗵𝘆𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝟱:𝟯𝟬 𝗽.𝗺. 𝗘𝗧 𝗼𝗻 𝗨𝗩𝗔’𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗮 𝗭𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺. 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹.𝗼𝗿𝗴/𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲/𝟬𝟳/𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘄-𝗸𝗶𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗯𝗮𝘂𝗺-𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻-𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲
𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿
𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝗞𝗶𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗯𝗮𝘂𝗺 rejoined UVA in 2025 as Commonwealth Professor of Artificial Intelligence and English after 25 years at the University of Maryland, where he finished as a Distinguished University Professor. He considers himself a student of texts and textual technologies in all their social and material forms, and his scholarship and teaching have explored literary intersects with printing and bookmaking, archival science, media archaeology, digital humanities, and now artificial intelligence.
He is the author of three books, most recently 𝘉𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 from the University of Pennsylvania Press (2021). His first book, 𝘔𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘴: 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 (2008) was the winner of multiple awards, including the MLA Prize for a First Book. 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴: 𝘈 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 (2016) enjoyed widespread public media attention. Recent articles have appeared in 𝘗𝘔𝘓𝘈, 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘐𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘺, and 𝘌𝘓𝘏; and he frequently writes for popular outlets, which have included the 𝘈𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤, the 𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘵, 𝘚𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘓𝘰𝘴 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, and the 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. Kirschenbaum is an active member of the Modern Language Association’s task force on AI in Research and Teaching, and a member of the teaching faculty at Rare Book School. He has been a Guggenheim and an NEH Fellow, and is a practicing letterpress printer. Current projects includes two books, the first on the political economy of text in the present moment and the second on the weaponization of AI in what some have called a full-blown epistemic crisis. You can find him on Bluesky at @mkirschenbaum.bsky.social.
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