One Year at The Matterhorn

Thank you, celebration & something new

Photo by Fabrice Villard on Unsplash

Thank you, friends!

Thanks for being here! Whether you joined us recently or you’ve been here from the start, I want to express my great appreciation for your readership. I’ve just reached 1000 subscribers this week, and I was amazed at all the kindness to mark this milestone on Notes! A great way to cap out the year.

This has become a space where I’ve been able to experiment with a lot of ideas as well as share texts and topics that have been on my mind for a while as a teacher or researcher.

As I write, I discover new things. And still further: your comments and discussion have allowed us to go even deeper. I appreciate all the personal stories, new perspectives, books suggestions, ‘likes’, feedback via email or Instagram…all of it. You have encouraged me to keep going and have the courage to try some new directions.

The Matterhorn: full introduction

It’s been quite a year…

In new spaces, projects grow. I tried to go into the the year with little expectation and just see what would happen, to be ok with not knowing.

xi. Being ok with not knowing

Alongside Saturday Brunch posts like this one, I changed my Tuesday Topics format from one-off conceptual posts to series, such as Jazz, Japan/Art of Zen, Paul Auster, and Parenting. And I never expected to be a podcaster, but here we go —

That’s also where my next project is taking me. Back to that in a sec.

I’ve been working on the occasionally-mentioned thriller series and other fiction in the background, but I came to enjoy the shorter writing just as much if not more in some cases. I’ve put two manuscripts aside for the moment to come back to this winter. I find that chunking projects works well for me, and I also like to let drafts sit a while to gain perspective. (I even used to do it with student writing that I would give feedback on — ‘let it rest a couple days’ I said to those seeking immediate feedback, ‘it needs space to settle.’)

Part of the reason I’m enjoying writing these essays so much is because of the community that’s built here on Substack and reaching readers directly and immediately, even if you are only reading the posts in your email. I’ve met some amazing people here and discovered fantastic writing and ideas. Some have even become collaborators through talking about our work or having them as guests on the podcast. In this solitary writing world, it’s especially good to feel that you’ve got people on your team!

I’ve had a lot of fun with this Summer Travel series as well! I’ve only hit a couple of my favorite spots so far: Istria (Croatia), Maine (USA), Rigi Mountain (Switzerland), and Transylvania (Romania) (with brief discussions of The Philippines and Hungary) as well as thinking about the sea and whales, why we travel, and borrowing from different cultures.

I like to talk about places and spaces a lot in connection to literature and the arts and will weave other places into my posts. I’ll be changing things up a little in October, including extras for my paid subscribers. Stay tuned and let me know what you’d like to read about.

What’s next?

I’ve been working on building this Yoga & Writing community here on Substack. There, we have discussions and consider the convergence of these two practices. Move Your Mind is a series of activities to start your week.

This community is also part of a cultural studies project with a podcast coming soon. I’m going to start diving into some of those ideas on the Thursday posts. It’s called Yoga Culture —

YOGA CULTURE: the story of how yoga got hot

This is the story of yoga culture: what is it, where did it come from, and where is it going? Yoga Culture takes an open-minded critical eye, looking at the good and the bad, the fun and austere, the mainstream and whacky in yoga’s popularity. Will yoga empower us all toward a more ethically-minded and peaceful future or is the modern version of the West a well-marketed lifestyle fad that will fade out with time?

The Yoga Culture Substack newsletter will have partial transcripts and extra extended interviews and behind the scenes chats. Even if you’re not into yoga, you might enjoy the cultural exploration! We’re going to talk about the stuff that is also about all culture and the conflicts and challenges it faces today, as well as the empowerment individuals can find through culture(s) and the way yoga has become a part of mainstream culture (medicine, art, ‘lifestyle’, etc.). Sign up if you’d like to stay tuned.

YOGA CULTURE
I explore the fun, traditions, controversy & nuances of Yoga Culture.
Move Your Mind gives writer-yogis something fresh to start their week.

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So thanks again for being here or for joining me now! I want to especially thank the generous writers here on Substack who are recommending this publication and the readers who have been my patrons, helping to keep the paywall open for everyone. I appreciate this so much. You have been incredible in helping The Matterhorn to grow.

Next week, I’ll be back with the start of a series on Fashion and a post on Memory before the next seasonal project.

I’m fresh off a one night trip to Budapest for the World Athletics Championships. If you’re into it, you can read something I published about running last year: The Art of Running and the second installment. Or you can check out this epic Notes thread that fellow track nerd

Jules

started last week. I was so inspired that I’m slipping in a short Saturday Brunch post this weekend (with a few pics of course!).

Have a great end to your summer and start to September!

Autumn

The Phone Call (everyday performances)

Jazz, Identity & the Meaning of Life

18. Snow

10. The City as Text