You Don't Need a Smartphone (at Von Bar on 12/3)

Date + Time: Wednesday, December 3rd at 7 pm

Location: Von Bar, 3 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10012

About the Event:

August Lamm is joining Open Book Club to talk about her viral anti-tech pamphlet, You Don't Need a Smartphone, at Von Bar.

August will read a short section from the pamphlet, then I'll ask her a few questions and then open it up for an audience Q&A.

After, you can chat with August and mix with other Open Book Club members.

About August:

Hi, my name is August. I’m an artist, writer, and activist from New Haven, Connecticut. I wrote a drawing book, and I’ve also written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Free Press, and more. I was the recipient of a 2024 MacDowell fellowship.

I write a regular newsletter on Substack.

My debut novel is forthcoming from Dialogue Books, and my technocritical essays will be published by Vintage in fall 2026.

About the Pamphlet: 

I first conceived of this pamphlet two years ago, when I myself was in the process of downgrading. Like many longterm smartphone users, I had reached the point where I felt overwhelmingly bad about my phone: I felt bad right before I used it, I felt bad when I used it, and I felt bad after I set it down, regretting the time I’d wasted. I was caught in a cycle of resistance leading to surrender leading to shame. The shame, like all difficult emotions I experienced at the time, always led back to the phone. I could suppress anything with digital stimulation.

Do I need to explain how it feels to be addicted a smartphone? I doubt it. The experience is nearly universal. It is also intentional: the hardware and software was designed to make you feel largely bad but intermittently good, a balance calibrated such that you will always come back. This means that every time you pick up your phone, you are doing exactly what tech companies want you to do. Good job.

We cannot effect radical institutional change overnight—these corporations are too powerful, too enmeshed for that. But we can effect personal change today. We can radically reclaim our lives in a matter of hours. This 32-page pamphlet covers a variety of topics involved in downgrading to a dumbphone, including communication, navigation, banking, travel, dating, two-factor authentication, and more.

Refunds + Exchanges: I'm not able to offer refunds or exchanges for future meetings. This is a small (1 person!) business and I have to cover costs in advance of the event. Please consider this (and double check your calendar!) before buying a ticket.

Photography: The event may be photographed + filmed. We reserve the right to use photos + videos from the event for marketing purposes. By attending the event you consent to your image being used for these purposes 📸