Dear Readers,
Updating the header of this email I realized that this newsletter is ten years old! Perfect time for a refresh, namely to announce that I am moving it to
Substack. The above image is how my posts appear on the Substack app.
My move to Substack might not surprise those of you already familiar with the platform. It has become the online place for writers and thus, hopefully, a less lonely place to share my work. And don't worry, my newsletter will remain free for the time being.
For those who don't know Substack yet, I found it is best described as "a social media platform for bloggers." Why? You post your "blog" like you would on a traditional blogging platform, and that blog gets emailed to your subscribers. Substack calls these blog posts "newsletters," but all the writers I subscribe to really write one article, usually once a week, and that's what goes out - a nice
longer read.
In addition Substack is social, meaning it is easy to share posts, or recommend writers you enjoy on the platform and its app. You can easily comment, and slowly, a network builds. This partly what I am looking for: My good old blog, which I am not retiring yet as I think it might still be the best place for longer photo essays, felt lonely out there. If I am going to do all that writing, I want a lively audience that keeps growing. On Substack, it is simply easier to interact, share short quotes, etc.
I also need to simplify. Most of you know I've been struggling with tennis elbow for the past two years. While it thankfully hasn't bothered me much lately, it will rear its head whenever I type too much. My old format was creating posts on my blog, and then linking to them in this newsletter. This worked well, but it meant I had to create two things: blog posts, and then a newsletter. With Substack, I will only be creating
posts.
This does mean that the format will change: You will hear from me more often, once a week on Fridays, if I can manage, at least that's what I am currently envisioning.
As my subscribers you don't need to do
anything about "the move."
I will execute it behind the scenes. On the off chance that you receive an email from Substack to opt in, please do so.
My missives will arrive in your inbox as per usual. I just wanted
you to be aware of the change in format. You don't need to have a Substack account to receive my posts (=emails) or to reply to them. I do highly recommend it, though, as you can then interact with other readers, see their comments, and explore other publications. The platform is fresh and fun to use - a bit like the blog readers of yesteryear.
Substack also makes all my content
readily available on my Substack home. New readers can check out what they will get before subscribing. And I myself won't have to hunt for recipes I've only shared in the newsletter!
