Hudson Valley author, essayist, and editor Akiko Busch will read from and discuss her newest book, How to Disappear: Notes on Invisibility in a Time of Transparency, at Roeliff Jansen Community Library on Saturday, November 9 at 5 pm.
In an era of social media, live streaming, 24-hour news cycles, and mass surveillance, visibility has become a double-edged sword, promising both attention and exposure. With technology growing ever more omnipresent in our lives, the impulse to abandon all visibility and go off the grid is stronger than ever. In How to Disappear, Busch confronts the anxiety of the internet age and questions the role of identity in today’s environment. Along the way, she explores the link between visibility and sense of self, whether or not exposure is tied to personal happiness, and the therapeutic benefits of invisibility.
Akiko Busch is the author of multiple essay collections, including Geography of Home, Nine Ways to Cross a River, and The Incidental Steward. Formerly a long-time editor for Metropolis Magazine, Busch now teaches at Bennington College and at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.