The Pamphleteer

On April 2, 2021, The Pamphleteer sent a welcome letter to its first subscribers, subtitled “A Journal of Freedom,” announcing that it would begin publishing the following week. The letter said it would broadly cover the arts, financial markets, politics, and culture, operating from the premise that “nobody has a monopoly on bad ideas,” and that alongside national concerns it would carve out space for Nashville news and culture, curating event listings and recommending restaurants.⁠[1][1][1][1][1][1]

Under the plan at the time, the Monday edition would recap the previous week’s news and preview the week ahead, the Tuesday through Thursday editions would each carry one to three essays from outside contributors, and the Friday edition would be a weekend issue of things to do, watch, and read.⁠[1][1][1]

In March 2024, The Pamphleteer opened a host account on the event platform Luma, with the bio “Nashville’s Alt-Daily”; as of October 2026, the account showed 32 events hosted. Its paid members can comment on the site and receive invitations to Pamphleteer events.⁠[2][3]

In 2025, The Pamphleteer hosted an event, inspired by recent experience in Oakland, that advocated robust civic engagement by ordinary citizens in Nashville politics; Meriwether Academy founder Warren Steury attended, at a time when Meriwether was just getting started.⁠[4][4]

Under the arrangements announced in September 2026, The Pamphleteer presented a four-part “Antichrist” lecture series by Palantir co-founder and chairman Peter Thiel in downtown Nashville, with Meriwether Academy as co-host. The lectures were held on Monday evenings, September 28 and October 5, 12, and 19. The organizers said the series would examine the biblical Antichrist through history, literature, art, theology, and politics, framed by Thiel’s views on science and technology; the four lectures were sequential, one ticket covered the whole series, and tickets cost $100.⁠[5][5][5][5][5][6]

The lectures were closed-door and off the record. Attendees could not use devices during the program, had to present photo identification matching their registration, and had their bags checked and were screened with security wands before entry; the exact address was given to ticket holders only the day before each lecture.⁠[5][5][5][5]

On September 28, 2026, the first lecture was held at the Grand Lodge of Tennessee on Broadway in Nashville and drew hundreds of people; journalists were not allowed into the venue. The host Masonic lodge opened the evening by distancing itself from the content of the talks.⁠[7][7][7]

Conservative activist and blogger Hunt co-sponsored the event through The Pamphleteer and introduced Thiel. He described Nashville as “one of the last remaining regions in the Western world with authentic Christian belief where it still thrives.” Hunt did not respond to a request for comment from the Nashville Scene.⁠[7][7][7]

The remaining three lectures were titled “The End of Empire” (October 5), “Velocity of Antichrist” (October 12), and “New Rome” (October 19), all held at the Grand Lodge of Tennessee. The Nashville Scene was barred from the second lecture and relied on recordings for its reporting.⁠[7][6][6]

On October 15, 2026, The Pamphleteer published an essay by Leonard R. Fishman on the “restrainer” (katechon) and the inheritance of Rome, the themes of Thiel’s final “New Rome” lecture; the essay described Thiel as delivering the four Nashville lectures as a guest of The Pamphleteer.⁠[8][8][8]

On the afternoon of the final lecture on October 19, 2026, The Pamphleteer, Meriwether Academy, the St. Louis men’s group Oyarsa, and Nick Gallo’s The Piraeus co-hosted a lunch panel, “Building on the Cultural Frontier,” at the Nashville Glasshaus, featuring leaders of grassroots cultural and educational groups. Hunt took part, discussing his vision for building grassroots coalitions and encouraging civic engagement.⁠[9][9][9][9][9][9]

The Pamphleteer calls itself an “alt-daily” in homage to the alt-weekly model; rather than comprehensive coverage, it focuses on distinct issues and treats cultural commentary as being as important as breaking news. It says Tennessee’s media landscape is dominated by corporate and progressive outlets and that it aims to reinvigorate local discourse with regional perspectives and encourage readers to engage more earnestly in local politics.⁠[3][3][3][3]

As of October 2026, besides Hunt, its editorial team included senior Nashville reporter Megan Lee Podsiedlik and events contributor Camelia Brennan. It is a reader-supported publication: in addition to its paid membership program, it accepts tax-deductible donations through a 501(c)(3), with funds going to its reporting and to developing its data tools.⁠[3][10][10][10]

It has built several data tools from public records, including Council Watch, which tracks who funds Nashville council members’ campaigns; a property tax lookup tool; an early voting tracker covering all 95 Tennessee counties; and a data page on immigration enforcement arrests, detentions, and deportations in Davidson County since 2023.⁠[11][11][11][11][11]

The Pamphleteer: Official website: https://pamphleteer.co/ (opens in a new window).⁠[11]

X: Public account: https://x.com/realpamphleteer (opens in a new window)⁠[11]

Instagram: Public account: https://instagram.com/realpamphleteer (opens in a new window)⁠[11]