Politics and Prose
Politics and Prose
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Book Talk: Stefan Fatsis — Unabridged - with Josh Levin

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October 13, 2025

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Watch author Stefan Fatsis' book talk and reading at Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C.

Words are the currency of culture--and never more than today. From selfie to doomscrolling to rizz, our hyper-connected digital world coins and spreads new words with lightning speed and locks them into mainstream consciousness with unprecedented influence. Journalist and bestselling author Stefan Fatsis embedded as a lexicographer-in-training at America's most famous dictionary publisher, Merriam-Webster, to learn how words get into the dictionary, where they come from, who decides what they mean, and how we write and think about them. In so doing, as he recounts in Unabridged, he discovered the history and fascinating subculture of the dictionary and of those who curate and revere "one of the most basic features of our collective humanity."

Stefan Fatsis is the author of the New York Times bestseller Word Freak, about the world of competitive Scrabble; A Few Seconds of Panic, about life in the National Football League; and Wild and Outside, about minor league baseball. His latest book, Unabridged: The Thrill of (and Threat to) the Modern Dictionary will be published in October by Grove Atlantic. In four decades as a journalist, Fatsis has written and talked for Slate, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and many other outlets. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Fatsis will be in conversation with Josh Levin, a writer based in Washington, D.C. He is the author of The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind an American Myth, the host of two seasons of the podcast “Slow Burn,” on David Duke and the rise of Fox News, and a former cohost (with Stefan Fatsis) of the sports podcast “Hang Up and List

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Politics and Prose is a beloved and award-winning staple for book lovers around the nation's capital and the world. In addition to our incredible selection of titles, Politics and Prose offers public book talks with today's leading authors and journalists.

Founded by Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade in 1984, Politics and Prose Bookstore is Washington, D.C.'s premier independent bookstore and cultural hub, a gathering place for people interested in reading and discussing books. Politics and Prose offers superior service, unusual book choices, and a haven for book lovers in the store and online.

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Guests & Subjects Covered

with Josh LevinBook TalkStefan Fatsis'Washington DC WordsStefan FatsisNew York TimesWord FreakScrabble A Few Seconds

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Book Talk: Stefan Fatsis — Unabridged - with Josh Levin · Politics and Prose · Sentinel