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The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau

A speakers bureau that represents the best original thinkers,
writers, and doers for speaking engagements.

Stephen Marche

We're on the brink of a political crisis. But there's a way back.

Author of The Next Civil War and the First Ever AI-Generated Novella, Death of an Author | Writer for The New Yorker, The Atlantic

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Lavin Exclusive Speaker

America seems to be headed towards a precipice. What will it take to bring us back from the ledge? Celebrated journalist Stephen Marche takes us through how we got here—and how we can get out. His brilliant book, The Next Civil War, is an investigation of five scenarios that could lead to our country’s collapse: from a devastating hurricane to an assassination that splits a hyper-partisan country. The New York Times Book Review writes that it “should be required reading for anyone invested in preserving our 246-year experiment in self-government.” By illuminating the paths before us, Stephen offers us the tools to avoid them—and instead to forge a new path towards a future of unity, stability, and healthy democracy. In a time of deep division and uncertainty, his insights have never been more crucial.

“In a time of torment, this is a book well worth reading.”—Kirkus Reviews

Stephen Marche explores the thorny problems that plague humanity: from political polarization and inequality to generative AI.

He is the author of The Next Civil War, a masterpiece of speculative nonfiction that’s been praised as “richly imagined” (Financial Times) and “well researched and eloquently presented” (The Atlantic). In it, he draws on sophisticated predictive models and hundreds of interviews with experts—from military leaders and law enforcement, to environmentalists, war historians, and political scientists—to reveal five scenarios most likely to lead to our democracy’s collapse, compelling us to act quickly to change course for the good of our country.

Stephen also created the first AI-generated novella, titled Death of an Author, by collaborating with three different AI programs (ChatGPT, Sudowrite, and Cohere). His work was covered extensively in the media and he was profiled in The New York Times. WIRED praised it as “required reading for anyone who wants to think seriously about the future of LLM-assisted writing,” saying that it “prophesies the future of AI novels.” He has been writing on AI since long before it entered the mainstream, and predicted the effects generative AI would have on society since 2019.

Stephen has written for The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and Esquire. His previous books include three novels: Hunger of the Wolf, Raymond and Hannah, and Shining at the Bottom of the Sea.

Testimonials

Feedback on Stephen has been wonderful! Very good speaker and interesting topic. We would like to have him back next year.

Medical Review Institute of America

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Speech Topics

Politics & Society

The Next Civil WarDispatches From the American Future

Could the United States be swiftly careening toward a violent end? In his book The Next Civil War, author and cultural critic Stephen Marche considers a number of scenarios around which a civil war might emerge, from the assassination of a president to the rise of armed militias to natural disasters creating rampant food insecurity.

In writing this book, Stephen spoke to a range of people—from sociologists and political scientists to white nationalists and gun enthusiasts—in an effort to understand our current and fiercely divided moment, as well as imagine where we can go from here. In this accompanying talk, he distills those insights and offers his own sharp commentary and resonant storytelling to explore the country’s most hot-button issues. Urgent, provocative, and brave, this presentation will inspire audiences to think deeply, and differently, about the challenges facing America today.

Artificial Intelligence

The Chatbot ProblemArtificial Intelligence and the Future of Language

Machines can now create language. But what are the consequences of such a leap? Journalist Stephen Marche has been writing on AI since before it entered the mainstream, and is fascinated with the effects that generative AI will have on our lives and work. “Whatever field you are in, if it uses language, it is about to be transformed,” he writes in the New Yorker. “The changes that are coming are fundamental to every method of speaking and writing that presently exists.”

The ethics of AI are often debated: to what end will we allow technology to shift our lives? Or put another way, are we allowing technology to replace something distinctly human? Very soon, we will not be able to read a piece of text and assume a person has written it. In this rousing presentation, Stephen explores the unease and anxiety around these innovations, as well as imagines a future in which they will be practically applied. Moving and original, this talk is a must-listen for anyone curious about how technology will intersect with our self-expression and communication.