The Elysian

8 parts · Aug–Oct 2026 This Sewing Machine Powers AI

Exploring an analog future in the age of AI

Let's not moralize Botox On the human body as an aesthetic pursuit. And the technologies that were always going to advance it.

By Elle Griffin · 27 Oct 2026 2

Utopian worldbuilding in Chinese fantasy series C-dramas by and for women are re-writing China's past... and future.

By Elle Griffin · 14 Oct 2026 11

MacKenzie Scott should have gotten Kindle in the divorce But she can still build the e-book future we’ve been waiting for. Here's an open letter to the author.

By Elle Griffin · 1 Oct 2026 25

If we fix the phone, we fix society Here's how I would redesign devices for a more analog world.

By Elle Griffin · 22 Sep 2026 86

On the desire to live in a cabin in the woods What does it say about modern life that I dream of escaping it?

By Elle Griffin · 25 Aug 2026 25

Why do I romanticize 18th-century chores? Was churning butter a beautiful way to spend the day or a chore to be automated away?

By Elle Griffin · 18 Aug 2026 13

This sewing machine powers AI Meet the anti-AI AI.

By Elle Griffin · 11 Aug 2026 31

Even Christopher Nolan prefers 70mm film With all the technology in the world, sometimes the more beautiful thing is less of it. By Ziyaad Bhorat · 4 Aug 2026

9 parts · May–Jun 2026 Post Nation

Seven writers explore a world after nation-states.

Collect the pamphlet · from $9

Let states choose their federal governments And join international governments à la carte.

By Elle Griffin · 18 Jun 2026 14

How should we tax internet countries? Here's what we can learn from Japan, Germany, and DAOs. By Madison Karas · 16 Jun 2026 5

What will the first internet country look like? Probably nothing sexy.

By Eman Zabi · 11 Jun 2026 4

New countries should rent land—not buy it Secession, war, and moon colonies aren't our only way to get new countries. By Julien Starr · 9 Jun 2026 3

Fractional ownership works for Banksy paintings—not cities Micro-sovereignties should be collectively owned by residents. Not fractionally owned by investors.

By Elle Griffin · 4 Jun 2026 21

How will new countries attract (& keep) citizens? What tomorrow's city builders are learning about equity, loyalty, and community. By Michael Skinner · 2 Jun 2026 6

You should own stock in your city A radical idea for turning city residents into city shareholders.

By Jeff Fong · 28 May 2026 27

America created the world order—what happens when it leaves? A new world order is emerging. By Mark Lutter · 26 May 2026 6

What comes after the nation-state? And how can we build safety nets without borders? By Sondre Rasch · 21 May 2026 4

8 parts · Apr 2026 Internet Sovereignty

Nine writers explore the future of the internet.

Collect the pamphlet · from $9

The internet needs ecologists Not just engineers.

By Matthew Prebeg · 30 Apr 2026 12

The Internet has no benches The case for internet neighborhoods we can hang out in. By Spencer Chang · 28 Apr 2026 16

The algorithm doesn't have to destroy us We can build internet platforms that actually work. By Elle Griffin and Hamish McKenzie · 20 Apr 2026 11

The hidden labour of the internet And how design can bring it out into the open. By lou millar-machugh · 16 Apr 2026 1

Airbnb, Uber, & Meetup wanted better exit options The SEC couldn't give it to them. By Elle Griffin and Nathan Schneider · 13 Apr 2026 6

I quit Spotify—now I buy albums like it's the 90s We're renting our music and platforms instead of owning them. New internet platforms want to change that.

By Elle Griffin · 6 Apr 2026 15

The case for taxing AI slop A minuscule levy on the largest AI producers can usher in a New Deal for cultural workers in the AI Age.

By Mike Pepi · 3 Apr 2026 17

It's obvious why we hate social media We need better internet platforms. We're already building them. By Josh Kramer · 1 Apr 2026 13