A Covid-19 Raincheck + Other Long Reads
COVID-19 is still out there. I know, because I got it twice in three months. Thus, I offer up a stopgap.
Hey friends,
Typically, today would be the day that the second long-read of the month drops into your inboxes.
Alas, I contracted COVID-19, and like the initial time I got it back in 2021, it’s been hard to shake.
Unfortunately, it’s been the only novel thing I’ve had to engage with. If you have dealt with symptoms like thick brain fog, extreme exhaustion, and yo-yo motions of feeling ok, and feeling not ok, I believe you. It’s been a * t i m e *.
I tried to write. I tried to edit. My friends, this is not going well. So I’m putting off The Westrn’s bimonthly long read until next week. And offering up a few reads I suggest at the moment, from timely to new to the best kind of vintage.
Until then, my gratitude —
Nicole
The Future of Media Is Journalist-Run
This piece from Maria Bustillos at the Nation lit my brain afire. In fact, it’s pretty lockstep with what I’m doing here. Highly suggest digging in. More to come on this front.
Dating in Rural America, in WaPo, by my friend and fellow SubStacker Maddy Butcher
It’s rough out there. I’ll add, if you love horses, follow Maddy’s Substack ‘The Cayuse’ here.
A True Long Read & My Favorite All-Time Hunting Essay: The Heart of the Game, by Thomas McGuane
If any one piece of writing has been a buoy, it’s this. Outside Magazine set the pace for great long-form writing back in the day. Writers like McGuane, Annie Proulx, Ed Abbey, and more offered up exquisite takes on the outdoors.
If anything is aspirational for me as a writer, it’s that era of Outside, and this startlingly still-modern piece of writing from one of the best to ever do it.
The BRAIN FOG and COVID BLUES are real. Been there every time. Good for you for giving yourself grace. Keep resting. You'll climb out of this.
Thanks for The Heart of the Game reminder. Looking forward to reading that again.