About Together, Alone

Together, Alone is a magazine about television, media, and culture. We publish three pieces per month and a monthly discussion post. These are available as free emails and as posts on this site.

We believe that culture matters and works of culture deserve thoughtful criticism. Thoughtful criticism takes time. We’re in no hurry to rush a review or take to publication. Besides, in the world of streaming, watchlists, and binge rewatches, what is “new” anyway? 

We want you to join the conversation. Every month, we’ll publish reader reactions and writer responses to our work. Comment on posts or reply to emails if you subscribe. 

What does Together, Alone mean? 

How many times have you had a conversation with someone about a show you’re both watching separately? How many times have you sat down with a friend or partner and debated what to watch next? 

We can participate in culture alone, or with friends nearby—on a couch, in a crowded theater, or streaming to an audience online. The way you watch a show or play a video game can affect how you feel about it. We want to celebrate moments of cultural connection and explore how watching alone impacts our understanding of the world we live in.

Together, Alone grew out conversations between us, Arielle Bernstein and Gabe Bullard. We met while Gabe was enrolled in the program for Literature, Culture, and Technology at American University, which Arielle leads. We had a mutual interest in the ways the culture we consume affects the ways that we feel and think. We also shared a hunger for thoughtful, deliberate writing on culture that avoided rush and hyperbole and was mindful of the place culture plays in our lives. 

The name also relates to our format…

About our format

Two of our monthly stories are written by a single author, either Arielle Bernstein or Gabe Bullard. A third monthly post is written by Arielle and Gabe together. They watch a program and discuss it, then publish the conversation. You, of course, are invited to join this conversation.

About Arielle

Arielle Bernstein is a DC-based writer who focuses on film, TV, art, culture, and how social media and digital communications shape human expression, interaction, intimacy, and empathy. She is a senior lecturer at American University, where she also co-directs the MA in Literature, Culture, and Technology. She is fascinated by our relationship to artificial intelligence, loves human-like robots, and, in addition to her culture writing, is currently at work on a novel. 

About Gabe

Gabe Bullard is a journalist and audio producer whose work focuses on culture, nostalgia, and history. He remembers adjusting an antenna to tune in episodes of the Gargoyles cartoon after school as a kid and setting the VCR to tape late night shows so he could watch the musical acts the next day. Now he streams shows to his home in Basel, Switzerland.