jasper baton lydon

Jasper Lydon is a non-binary artist, writer, and scholar. They graduated Princeton University this past May cum laude. 

In their time as an undergraduate, Jasper published in the Daily Princetonian, organized sustainability initiatives, ran monthly community mental health events, and worked several part-time jobs. On campus, Jasper became known for roping people into wholesome, quirky activities, such as bringing hundreds of people together to shuck over 2,000 dried okra husks in ‘Okra Thursdays.’ 

Through their extensive and original research, Jasper became an expert on radical, communal living, which culminated in their 120-page senior thesis. Their thesis, which this book will draw upon, was recognized as ‘outstanding,’ awarded the Richard D. Challener Senior Thesis Prize. Jasper was also chosen to receive the 2024 Priscilla Glickman Prize, one of the highest awards conferred to Princeton graduates, which honors community engagement, adventurous curiosity, and commitment to the betterment of the world. 

Jasper maintains a social media platform, a weekly newsletter, and an Etsy shop. Endlessly friendly, Jasper maintains close personal connections with communitarians and activists across the country, as well as with some of Princeton’s leading scholars and Pulitzer Prize winning authors.

Jasper now lives in a co-housing community in San Francisco, California.