You may have noticed I’ve been somewhat quiet on the news and social media fronts of late. One reason for that is I’ve been busy writing. I’ve published some new stories lately and I’ve also written two new novels. Hopefully I’ll have something to share about that in the near future.

The other reason I’ve been quiet is I’ve increasingly found social media to do more harm than good. It’s a complicated thing — I appreciate the broader community/communities that social media can support. It’s a crucial tool for writers — especially when the media has more or less abandoned discussions of books. Social media accounts and online reviews are sometimes the only places that books get mentioned now. But social media can also be incredibly toxic and do real harm to individuals and society. I don’t think I need to remind everyone of the countless examples of that.

The recent controversies over Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter highlighted a feeling I already had of wanting a different way of connecting with people. I’ve always liked blog posts, but it’s difficult to keep track of them without a useful RSS reader service. Newsletters are a little easier, however, and I have subscribed to a number of creator and magazine newsletters that I enjoy. I’ve found myself appreciating the more in-depth experience of the newsletter compared to the ephemeral nature of the social post. Or maybe it’s the old newspaper reporter in me coming out again. Whatever the reason, I decided to start up my newsletter again and see how it goes.

I’ll try sending a newsletter once a month or so over the next year about my writing updates, what I’m up to in my life, that sort of thing. If that interests you, then you can subscribe here. (The most recent newsletter can be found here.) I’m going to try to post more on this journal as well. Maybe someday I’ll even do a Patreon….

In the meantime, I will continue to have a presence on social media, although that presence will likely be somewhat random.

Twitter

Instagram

If you know of a culture newsletter that you think others would enjoy, please share it!

As always, thanks for reading.

Peter