Welcome
I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t know how to read, (obviously there was one, though being born and reaching straight for the nearest novel would be a heck of an origin story) which means I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love reading, and thinking about books and words and stories.
I’ve also had a PhD in medieval literature since 2009 and been a published writer since 2010, which means I think about books and words and stories professionally and have for quite a while now.
I’m starting this Substack because I want a place to do a specific kind of thinking – thinking deeply about particular pieces of writing that have stuck with me for a long time, about how particular books or poems or short stories work, about my relationship to reading and rereading. Not academic analysis or reviews, more like musings, extended thoughts. The kind of thinking I’d like to do among good, smart friends who also love books and writing and words and we’re finishing off the last of our drinks and the fire is burning low and the light is warm and welcoming. Since I can’t fit all of you in my apartment for a regular salon-style gathering, this seems like a decent alternative.
This is more likely to be a place where I discuss backlist books than the new best-selling hotness, and I’m more likely to talk about work I love than work I hate, unless I hate something for interesting reasons. And while I may talk about how my work as a writer has been influenced by my life as a reader, this is definitely not going to be a place where I give you helpful hints on the act of writing itself.
My plan is to publish weekly, a combination of free and paid content. All content this first month will be free, so you have a chance to see if this is your sort of thing. I hope it will be.
Thanks for reading.