Jonathan V. Last (aka JVL; born May 6, 1974) is an American journalist and author. He is the editor of '' The Bulwark'', and previously worked as a senior writer and digital editor at ''

The Weekly Standard ''The Weekly Standard'' was an American neoconservative political magazine of news, analysis and commentary, published 48 times per year. Originally edited by founders Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, the ''Standard'' had been described as a "re ...

.'' He is the author of ''

What to Expect When No One's Expecting ''What to Expect When No One's Expecting: America's Coming Demographic Disaster'' is a book by the ''Weekly Standard'' columnist Jonathan V. Last about declining birthrates in the United States and elsewhere around the world and the implications ...

'' (2013).

Early life and education

Last was born in 1974 in Camden, New Jersey. He grew up in Woodbury and Moorestown Township,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. Last is a graduate of

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

where he studied molecular biology. According to Tim Miller, had Last gone to a less competitive college, Last would be a doctor.

Career

Last writes frequently for ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' and has also written for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'', ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'', '' Salon'', ''

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughou ...

'', '' Slate'', the ''

New York Press ''New York Press'' was a free alternative weekly in New York City, which was published from 1988 to 2011. The ''Press'' strove to create a rivalry with the ''Village Voice''. ''Press'' editors claimed to have tried to hire away writer Nat Hent ...

'', ''

First Things ''First Things'' (''FT'') is an ecumenical and conservative religious journal aimed at "advanc nga religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society". The magazine, which focuses on theology, liturgy, church history, religio ...

'', the ''

Claremont Review of Books The ''Claremont Review of Books'' (''CRB'') is a quarterly review of politics and statesmanship published by the conservative Claremont Institute. A typical issue consists of several book reviews and a selection of essays on topics of conservati ...

'', and other publications. He has appeared on several radio and television outlets. He formerly wrote weekly columns for ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

'' and '' The Daily''. Last regularly writes data-driven analyses of demographic trends, including articles and blog posts on the American

birth rate The birth rate for a given period is the total number of live human births per 1,000 population divided by the length of the period in years. The number of live births is normally taken from a universal registration system for births; populati ...

, the voting patterns of the rising number of single

Americans Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents could also legally claim Ame ...

, and the collapsing fertility rates in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. His first book, ''What to Expect When No One’s Expecting'', is a detailed examination of the origins and consequences of these and related trends. Last also frequently writes on

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

and

popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...

. He was an early skeptic about Mitt Romney's electoral prospects in the

2012 election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...

, drawing attention to the candidate's history of failing to make himself likeable to voters. Last, who has been described as the "''Weekly Standard''’s resident geek," avidly collected

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

s in his youth and often writes about them, most notably in an account of the death of ''

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

s '' Captain America''. Last is also known for creating the '' Star Wars'' meme that the

Galactic Empire Galactic empires are a common trope used in science fantasy and science fiction, particularly in works known as 'space operas'. Many authors have either used a galaxy-spanning empire as background or written about the growth and/or decline of s ...

was really a force for good. Last maintains his own blog and website, JonathanLast.com (formerly the Galley Slaves blog, with fellow ''Weekly Standard'' staffers

Victorino Matus Victorino Matus is an American journalist who is a deputy editor for ''The Washington Free Beacon'' and was formerly a senior editor and assistant managing editor for ''The Weekly Standard''. Biography Matus graduated from Georgetown University. ...

and David Skinner).

Bibliography

* * *

References

External links

JonathanLast.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Last, Jonathan V. American bloggers American columnists American male journalists Writers from Camden, New Jersey People from Moorestown, New Jersey People from Woodbury, New Jersey The Philadelphia Inquirer people The Weekly Standard people Living people 1974 births 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male bloggers