Colette Shade is an American journalist who has recently published the memoir Y2K, a series of reflections on turn-of-the-century American culture. The essays read the recent past through the present, with a particular focus on socio-economic issues, as well as the rise of the internet and digital culture, using consumer artifacts and popular culture ephemera as lenses for broader historical currents, a procedure not unlike the cultural analysis of Walter Benjamin. This event will stage a conversation to discuss Shade’s work, the relevance of history and memory in contemporary culture and politics, and the significance of digital culture.