By: Claire Cosier, senior, journalism and mass communication and editor-in-chief of the Iowa State Daily
A tricorn hat and a deep dive into the Constitution will headline best-selling author A.J. Jacobs’ upcoming lecture at Iowa State.
“I don’t want it to be just a lecture. I am gonna talk for a while and show pictures, but I love the interaction and conversations,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs’ lecture, “Exploring Originalism: A Year of Living Constitutionally,” will be held in the Memorial Union’s Sun Room on Tuesday, April 21, at 6 p.m.
About Jacobs
Jacobs attended Brown University and went on to work in journalism, contributing to publications such as Entertainment Weekly and eventually becoming editor-at-large at Esquire.
Instead of a traditional writing path, Jacobs pursued “immersion” or “stunt” journalism, committing to extreme lifestyle experiments and documenting the results.
“I’ve always loved words and language and books, so I was hopeful that I could make a living as a writer,” Jacobs said. “The genre, I could not have predicted.”
Some of Jacobs’ past projects include outsourcing his entire life to a team in Bangalore, attempting to be as healthy as humanly possible, reading the entire “Encyclopedia Britannica,” living for a year following every rule in the Bible and countless other extraordinary situations.
Jacobs said his work follows a long tradition of experimental-style journalism, but his projects are guided by a specific set of criteria.
First and foremost, Jacobs said his wife must approve of the project. Jacobs estimates the work on a project will take at least a year and a half to live and write, so he said it has to be something he is passionate about.
He also said he looks for something that will improve his own life and the reader’s lives, and that “makes the world better.”
Broad topics are also best, so there is “an abundance of material to choose from,” and importantly, something that allows Jacobs to have interesting adventures.
“I generally don’t have trouble coming up with ideas,” Jacobs said. “It’s more about choosing which ones to commit to and then preparing, because I don’t dive in immediately.”
A year with the Constitution
Jacobs’ book, “The Year of Living Constitutionally,” released in 2024, has taken on new relevance in today’s political climate.
“I wrote the book a couple of years ago, but it could not be more timely. We are in a fascinating and…well, I would say disturbing time in the history of the Constitution,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs said the process of living through the Constitution and writing the book changed his perspective on modern politics and the document itself.
“It was such a crash course in not just history, but what the Constitution means today and what is happening right now,” Jacobs said. “There is a big fight going on right now about how to interpret the Constitution. Should we interpret it by its original meaning, what was in the Founding Fathers’ minds or should it be that the Constitution sort of evolves and that it is a living document?”
Beyond the future of the Constitution, Jacobs also reflected on the future of the First Amendment, journalism and media. He said that, given that society is in a period of great change, it’s hard to predict where storytelling’s future could go, especially with the rise of AI.
“Journalism’s job is to get new information. So we are feeding the algorithm in a sense, but someone needs to get that information,” Jacobs said. “Until AI can call up sources and go out to dinner with them and get them to tell things that they haven’t said to anyone else, journalism is gonna remain very important.”
First Amendment Days
First Amendment Days is a weeklong celebration of our First Amendment freedoms – religion, speech, press, assembly, petition. A diverse assortment of speakers, events and activities are offered on campus every spring as a creative way to engage students and the entire Iowa State community to better understand the power of free expression.
First Amendment Days 2026 will take place April 21-23, with a variety of events.
Tuesday, April 21, “Exploring Originalism: A Year of Living Constitutionally,” A.J. Jacobs, best-selling author, Memorial Union’s Sun Room, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, April 22, documentary screening of “Floyd Abrams: Speaking Freely,” 192 Parks Library, 6 p.m.
Thursday, April 23, Feast on the First, Central Campus, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Come for free T-shirts and food prepared by Block & Bridle. Annie’s Foundation will also be handing out free banned books.
First Amendment Days is organized by the First Amendment Committee, which is made up of members of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, the Iowa State Daily Media Group and the Ames Public Library.
Learn more about First Amendment Days 2026 events on the First Amendment Days page.