Jed Purdy grew up in West Virginia and spent much of his time exploring the countryside and reading. So he was just as surprised as anyone when just a few years later his first book “For Common Things” threw him into the limelight.
The work was a collection of Purdy’s writings that pushed back against the cynicism and apathy of the time and called for a more engaged and earnest public discourse.
Purdy continued his own political engagement, first as a writer and student, and now as a Duke Law professor and activist. In 2013, he was arrested for his participation in the Moral Monday protests. His latest book is After Nature: A Politics For The Anthropocene.
Host Frank Stasio talks with Duke University School of Law professor Jedediah Purdy about his writing, activism and the current state of political engagement in North Carolina.
