Exploring Life through the Written Word
Dear friends,
Whether you’re a longtime reader or just discovering our community, I want you to feel at home here. Beyond the Bookshelf is more than a publication—it’s a gathering place for readers who believe that books don’t just entertain us, they transform us.
If you’re new here, this guide will help you understand what we’re building together and how to make the most of our literary conversations.
Who I Am
My name is Matthew. After 24 years traveling the world with the Navy, I now read, write, and walk my dog in rural Tennessee. I love dark roasted coffee, classic jazz, and the transformative power of literature.
One of my earliest memories is sitting on my dad’s lap as he read from Charlotte’s Web, his voice opening doorways in my mind to imagination and wonder. Books have guided me through every season of life—from my military career that exposed me to cultures and literatures across the globe, to this new chapter as a husband and father still seeking wisdom from the written word.
What We Explore
Beyond the Bookshelf exists to answer a fundamental question: How do the books we read shape the lives we live?
This isn’t about book reviews or literary rankings. We dive deeper—examining how stories become part of our inner landscape, how literature informs the way we see ourselves and navigate the world, and how the written word serves as both mirror and lamp, reflecting who we are while illuminating who we might become.
Through personal essays and literary criticism, we explore the intersection between reading and living. When I share vulnerable stories from my own life, it’s to understand how literature connects to the universal experiences of meaning-making, facing uncertainty, and building lives worth living.
What to Expect
You can expect 2-3 thoughtful pieces each month:
Personal Essays — Vulnerable explorations of how literature intersects with life, examining the experiences that shape how we read and understand the world.
Book Reflections — Deep literary criticism that goes beyond surface-level takes to examine how books affect us, what they teach us about craft and humanity, and how they connect to larger questions about art and meaning.
Quarterly Features — Commonplace Collections (curated links, music, and brief reflections) and Interview Series conversations with authors, readers, and others whose lives have been shaped by the written word.
How to Engage
The heart of Beyond the Bookshelf lives in our conversations. I read every comment and prioritize engaging thoughtfully with each one. I want our comment sections to be vibrant spaces where readers discuss not just my essays, but share book recommendations with each other, connect personal experiences to the literature we’re examining, and dive deep into the questions that matter most.
Don’t hesitate to reach out directly—some of my most meaningful exchanges happen through individual conversations. You can send me a message through the Substack app or email me at matthewbeyondthebookshelf@gmail.com.
Finding Your Way
You can read Beyond the Bookshelf through email, the Substack app, or by visiting matthewmlong.substack.com. The website contains complete archives and recommendations for other publications I admire.
Navigating the Publication
There may be times when you want to visit the Beyond the Bookshelf website. The website contains my complete archives and a rotating list of other publications I recommend.
Community
One of the many things I love is the great community of readers and writers who participate in the discussions. Please join the comments section of the articles and engage in the discussions there. You can email me anytime by responding to any essay in your email. You can also send me a direct message if you have the App. I respond to as many comments and messages as I can.
Support
Beyond the Bookshelf is currently my full-time work. It is a work of passion and love, so I do not have paywalls on my content. However, if you have the means and desire to support Beyond the Bookshelf, please visit my support page to see how you can help continue our mission of exploring life through the written word. I offer several different options for supporting my work here. Every bit helps keep me writing about this wonderful exploration of life and the written word.
A Note on Authenticity
I occasionally use AI as a research assistant to help discover connections between ideas and explore different angles on complex topics. However, every published piece originates from and is brought to life by my very human mind and heart. The ideas, insights, and especially the vulnerable personal reflections you read here are entirely my own, shaped by my experiences, limitations, and particular way of seeing the world.
My humanity—with all its beautiful messiness—is an essential part of this project. When you engage with Beyond the Bookshelf, you’re engaging with a real person who believes deeply in the power of human connection through our shared love of books and ideas.
Thank You
Thank you for being part of this community. Whether you comment regularly, read quietly, or are just browsing today, you make this conversation richer simply by being here. We’re building something special together—a living culture of thoughtful readers who understand that literature isn’t decoration for our lives, but essential nourishment for how we make sense of the world.
The best chapters are still ahead of us.
Until next time,
