Commonplace #18

Some things that recently caught my interest

Submariner. Reader. Writer. Seeking bold coffee, sublime jazz, and unforgettable stories.

Dear friends,

Last year, I was posting twice a week. This year, I am posting about twice per month. I needed the change of pace for a lot of reasons. Partly, I was burnt out from trying to do too much. Partly, I found myself reading things I didn’t really enjoy because I felt an obligation to be a “literary intellectual” or something. Largely, I wondered if I was really a writer at all or just a reader who sometimes writes. I haven’t had any major revelations on that front, but I have enjoyed the slower pace of writing, and that will likely continue for the foreseeable future. My intention is to write one essay each month for the Roots & Wings series, along with publishing this Commonplace letter. That will probably be the case through the end of this year. There may be a handful of one-off essays or interviews here and there, but those will be pop-up surprises, not planned.

Over the last couple of months, I have been reading a lot of genre fiction, primarily spy, espionage, detective, special forces-type stuff. Usually categorized as thrillers with some mystery elements thrown in. It has been so much fun after focusing on literary fiction for the last few years. I have read almost entirely for the fun of it, and it has brought a lot of joy back into my reading. It made me recognize that even something I love, like reading and writing, can become performative if I don’t remember why I love it in the first place. So you can expect to see a lot of genre fiction on my personal reading list in the months ahead. My good friend, Petya K. Grady, really inspired me to think deeply about what I am reading and why. We don’t have to follow the crowds, and there are no right or wrong choices in reading. Read what you love and have a blast doing just that.

As for the writing side of things, I am unsure what the future holds. I have been thinking a lot about this over the past few weeks. One aspect of my life that has really taken front-and-center focus is my spiritual life. After many years of struggling with my relationship with God and religion, I have found a good faith home where my family is putting down roots. I can’t express how meaningful this is to me, and I am excited to see the fruit of this. It may be an area I explore more with my writing going forward. We will see.

One major change that I have decided upon is to phase out paid subscriptions. I have started going through and turning off auto-renew on everyone’s subscriptions. Once everyone’s expires, I will turn off the paid option entirely. There are no extra paid benefits, and I don’t like the pressure I feel from being paid. I think that is a big part of what led me to a more performative reading and writing style than I wanted. Thank you to everyone who supported me financially over the past few years of writing. It meant a lot and gave me tremendous confidence in what I could accomplish.

One thing I will mention is refunds. Even though I have been clear from the beginning that I don’t offer paid content, if you feel that you need a refund for some reason, please reach out to me directly and I will assist you. Don’t dispute the charge with your credit card company. When you do that, I get hit with a bunch of extra fees and end up losing more money than your subscription cost in the first place. Just shoot me an email and I will issue you a refund privately which avoids any fees.

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“We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves.” - Francois de la Rochefoucauld

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Links of interest:

• Mary Roblyn shares What I Learned in My Third Year as a Widow.

• Feasts and Fables Field Notes for Curious Minds is a must-read for me each week. Each issue is filled with tidbits of beauty and wonder. Barrie and JoJo are friends across the pond and I hope to someday visit their small farm in France to have a chat about life over a glass of wine.

• Brandon "Jenks" Jenkins, ACC is a great friend and mentor. His Blueprint coaching process revolutionized the way I think about myself and the possibilities my future holds. If you are interested in leadership and how to maximize your potential, check out his Leadership Read Room Chats.

• Susie Mawhinney is not only a beautiful human being but an immensely talented and insightful writer. Her missives from a hill in France are must-reads every time they appear in my inbox. A recent note share her observations from a spring hill.

• Peco and Ruth Gaskovski explain The Sacred Triad: Where (and why) to draw the AI-mish line.

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Music:

My friend, Cams Campbell, is known online mostly for his literary interests. Here you can discover his musical talents as well. This is a real treat.

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Video:

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Family:

Jannett and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary this month. Here is a photo of us at our church’s Easter service.

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Personal Reading:

I’ve highlighted one fiction and one nonfiction title as my top recommendations from this list.

Recommendations:

• Fiction - Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly

• Nonfiction - The Come Back Effect by Jason Young

The rest of the fiction:

• White Jade by Alex Lukeman

• 61 Hours by Lee Child

• Polar Shift by Clive Cussler

• Hunting Season by Nevada Barr

The rest of the nonfiction:

• n/a

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Here’s to the books that take us beyond the shelf and into deeper waters,

Matthew Long is a writer and retired sailor living in rural western Tennessee.