.gif)
Rob Walker (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Rob Walker is an American
author and freelance journalist. He is a contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine
and blogger for Design Observer
.. He is also the former "Consumed" columnist for the New York Times Magazine, and coined the word "murketing
."
, and The American Lawyer
.
Walker's 2005 book, Letters From New Orleans, was compiled from essays emailed "to interested parties" about life in New Orleans, where he lived in the early 2000s. Subjects covered in the book include celebratory gunfire, rich people, religion, the riddle of race relations in our time, robots, fine dining, drunkenness, urban decay, debutantes, the nature of identity, Gennifer Flowers
, and mortality. All author proceeds from Letters from New Orleans went to relief organizations such as the Red Cross
and others working with victims of Hurricane Katrina
.
In 2008, Walker published book exploring themes similar to those in his "Consumed" columns called Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are It was reviewed favorably and received much attention for its discussion of the term ‘’murketing
’’ which Walker had coined.
Walker has written a number of comic book
stories published under the name R. Walker. A collection of his satirical stories of the business world was published in 2001 as Titans of Finance: True Tales of Money & Business. Collaborating with artist Josh Neufeld
, Walker tells the tales of Wall Street's most well-known Icarus
es. The stories are entirely based on press accounts, with practically no embellishment. Among those profiled are Ronald O. Perelman, Al Dunlap, Mike Vranos
, and Victor Niederhoffer
. Titans of Finance received a good deal of attention from the mainstream business press, including Fortune Small Business
, U.S. News & World Report
,
Kiplinger's Personal Finance
, Money and The New York Times.
, about which he or she writes a fictional story, later to be sold on Ebay. The Significant Objects project has been extensively covered in the press, including on NPR
's "All Things Considered
," the "Paper Cuts" blog of the New York Times Book Review,
the Chicago Tribune
, and The Economist
online and employed the talents of such writers as Kurt Andersen
, Nicholson Baker
, William Gibson
, Myla Goldberg
, Ann Nocenti
, Luc Sante
, and Colson Whitehead
.
Walker also co-founded the Unconsumption Project, which tracks mindful consumption and creative reuse. He maintains an email newsletter called NO Notes which continues his dispatches about New Orleans and updates to his exploration of the song St. James Infirmary. He also started the open source
journalism project housed on Flickr.com called MLK BLVD which looks at the streets by that name all over the word.
. A native of Texas
, Walker now lives with his wife, photographer and designer Ellen Susan, in Savannah, Georgia
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and freelance journalist. He is a contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
and blogger for Design Observer
Design Observer
Design Observer is a website devoted to a broad range of design topics centered on graphic design, communications arts, print, typography and criticism. The content of the site is composed of short essays and articles...
.. He is also the former "Consumed" columnist for the New York Times Magazine, and coined the word "murketing
Murketing
Murketing is an advertising strategy that avoids direct sales of a product and focuses instead on vagaries such as buzz, brand identity and publicity...
."
Career
Walker has written for and worked as an editor at such publications as Slate.com, New York Times Magazine, MoneyMoney (magazine)
Money is published by Time Inc. Its first issue was published in October 1972. Its articles cover the gamut of personal finance topics ranging from investing, saving, retirement and taxes to family finance issues like paying for college, credit, career and home improvement...
, and The American Lawyer
The American Lawyer
The American Lawyer is a monthly law magazine published by ALM. It was founded in 1979 by Steven Brill. Features include the annual AmLaw 100 Survey and AmLaw 200 Survey , "The View From the Top", their annual poll of law firm chairpersons, and their "Corporate Scorecard"...
.
Walker's 2005 book, Letters From New Orleans, was compiled from essays emailed "to interested parties" about life in New Orleans, where he lived in the early 2000s. Subjects covered in the book include celebratory gunfire, rich people, religion, the riddle of race relations in our time, robots, fine dining, drunkenness, urban decay, debutantes, the nature of identity, Gennifer Flowers
Gennifer Flowers
Gennifer Flowers is a model and actress who allegedly had a sexual relationship with former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Prior to Bill Clinton's presidency, she also posed nude for Penthouse magazine and was an actress in two films and one TV show...
, and mortality. All author proceeds from Letters from New Orleans went to relief organizations such as the Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
and others working with victims of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
.
In 2008, Walker published book exploring themes similar to those in his "Consumed" columns called Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are It was reviewed favorably and received much attention for its discussion of the term ‘’murketing
Murketing
Murketing is an advertising strategy that avoids direct sales of a product and focuses instead on vagaries such as buzz, brand identity and publicity...
’’ which Walker had coined.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
stories published under the name R. Walker. A collection of his satirical stories of the business world was published in 2001 as Titans of Finance: True Tales of Money & Business. Collaborating with artist Josh Neufeld
Josh Neufeld
Josh Neufeld is an alternative cartoonist known for his nonfiction comics on subjects like Hurricane Katrina, international travel, and finance, as well as his collaborations with writers like Harvey Pekar and Brooke Gladstone...
, Walker tells the tales of Wall Street's most well-known Icarus
Icarus
-Space and astronomy:* Icarus , on the Moon* Icarus , a planetary science journal* 1566 Icarus, an asteroid* IKAROS, a interplanetary unmanned spacecraft...
es. The stories are entirely based on press accounts, with practically no embellishment. Among those profiled are Ronald O. Perelman, Al Dunlap, Mike Vranos
Mike Vranos
Michael W. "Mike" Vranos is an American hedge fund manager and philanthropist who in the 1990s was referred to by some as the "most powerful man on Wall Street." In 1993, he reportedly earned $15 million from trading mortgage bonds...
, and Victor Niederhoffer
Victor Niederhoffer
Victor Niederhoffer is a hedge fund manager, champion squash player, bestselling author and statistician.Victor Niderhoffer was born in Brooklyn to a Jewish family. His father, Arthur, graduated from Brooklyn Law School but went to work in the police. Victor’s mother, Elaine was a teacher....
. Titans of Finance received a good deal of attention from the mainstream business press, including Fortune Small Business
Fortune Small Business
Fortune Small Business ' was a magazine published ten times each year. The publication was a joint venture by The Fortune Group at Time Inc. and American Express Small Business Services...
, U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
,
Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Kiplinger's Personal Finance is a magazine that has been continuously published, on a monthly basis, from 1947 to the present day. It was the nation's first personal finance magazine, and claims to deliver "sound, unbiased advice in clear, concise language"...
, Money and The New York Times.
Projects
Walker has participated in or led a number of artistic projects including the Hypothetical Development Organization which explored renderings of purely hypothetical possibilities for blighted buildings in New Orleans, and Significant Objects, where writers are paired with an interesting object curated by Walker and co-founder Joshua GlennJoshua Glenn
Joshua Glenn is a Boston-based writer, editor, and semiotics analyst. He is the cofounder of the websites HiLobrow, Significant Objects, and Semionaut. In the '90s he published the zine Hermenaut. He is married and has two sons....
, about which he or she writes a fictional story, later to be sold on Ebay. The Significant Objects project has been extensively covered in the press, including on NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
's "All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
," the "Paper Cuts" blog of the New York Times Book Review,
the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, and The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
online and employed the talents of such writers as Kurt Andersen
Kurt Andersen
Kurt Andersen is an American novelist who is also host of the Peabody-winning public radio program Studio 360, a co-production between Public Radio International and WNYC. In 1986 with E. Graydon Carter he co-founded Spy magazine, which they sold in 1991; it continued publishing until 1998...
, Nicholson Baker
Nicholson Baker
Nicholson Baker is a contemporary American writer of fiction and non-fiction. As a novelist, he often focuses on minute inspection of his characters' and narrators' stream of consciousness, and has written about such provocative topics as voyeurism and planned assassination...
, William Gibson
William Gibson
William Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.William Gibson may also refer to:-Association football:*Will Gibson , Scottish footballer...
, Myla Goldberg
Myla Goldberg
Myla Goldberg is an American novelist and musician.-Biography:Goldberg was born into a Jewish family. She was raised in Laurel, Maryland, and graduated from Eleanor Roosevelt High School. She majored in English at Oberlin College, graduating in 1993...
, Ann Nocenti
Ann Nocenti
Ann "Annie" Nocenti is an American journalist, writer, editor, and filmmaker best known for her work on comic books and magazines. As an editor for Marvel Comics, she edited New Mutants and The Uncanny X-Men...
, Luc Sante
Luc Sante
-Early life:Born in Verviers, Belgium, Sante emigrated to the United States in the early 1960s. He attended school in New York City, first at Regis High School in Manhattan and then at Columbia University.-Writing:...
, and Colson Whitehead
Colson Whitehead
Colson Whitehead is a New York-based novelist. He is best known as the author of the 2001 novel John Henry Days. In 2002, he received a MacArthur Fellowship.-Early life:...
.
Walker also co-founded the Unconsumption Project, which tracks mindful consumption and creative reuse. He maintains an email newsletter called NO Notes which continues his dispatches about New Orleans and updates to his exploration of the song St. James Infirmary. He also started the open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
journalism project housed on Flickr.com called MLK BLVD which looks at the streets by that name all over the word.
"Consumed"
The "Consumed" column, which appeared weekly in The New York Times Magazine, examined consumer behavior from a hybrid business-and-anthropology standpoint. Each column discussed a new product or consumer trend. The column began in 2004, and ended in 2011.Personal life
Walker is a graduate of the University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. A native of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Walker now lives with his wife, photographer and designer Ellen Susan, in Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
.
Sources
- http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/episodes/11282005"Brian Lehrer Show" interview on WNYCWNYCWNYC is a set of call letters shared by a pair of co-owned, non-profit, public radio stations located in New York City.WNYC broadcasts on the AM band at 820 kHz, and WNYC-FM is at 93.9 MHz. Both stations are members of National Public Radio and carry distinct, but similar news/talk programs...
radio] - Gothamist interview
- Core77.com interview
External links
- Video discussion/debate with Walker and Will WilkinsonWill WilkinsonWill Wilkinson is a Canadian American libertarian writer. Until August 2010, he was a research fellow at the Cato Institute where he worked on a variety of issues including Social Security reform and, most notably, the policy implications of happiness research. He is currently working on a paper...
on Bloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tv is a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast online to viewers...