Last October, I was delighted to have an essay I wrote published in the Ideas section of The Long Now Foundation’s website. I had recently finished reading The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson, and my head was swimming with ideas that I would normally share through my podcast, Stories for Earth.

But not long before I finally picked up a copy of The Ministry for the Future, I decided to put Stories for Earth on indefinite hiatus. It was, frankly, a ton of work doing the podcast — lots and lots of reading and almost just as much time doing further research on and then writing about what I’d read. With Covid precautions lifted and my job requiring I return to the office three days a week, I no longer had the time or mental capacity to keep the podcast going.

I still think Stories for Earth — while, admittedly not having the best name — was one of the best things I’ve ever done creatively. I don’t say that to toot my own horn but because I can’t think of many other things I’ve done that have given me so much personal satisfaction and sense of fulfillment. I loved making the podcast, and I was sad to see it end. But at least for now, that chapter of my life has come to a close.

I ached for an outlet for the kind of things I talked about on the podcast, though. Which, I guess if I had to put it into words, was basically just talking about brilliant things other people had created and then adding my own interpretation and context to it. I was honestly surprised The Long Now Foundation would want to publish something I had to say about such a prolific and visionary author as Kim Stanley Robinson, who, by the way, has given multiple talks in the flesh at The Long Now Foundation’s salon-style cafe, The Interval, in San Francisco.

If you’re not familiar with The Long Now Foundation, allow me to introduce you. Founded in 1996 by Stewart Brand, Brian Eno, and Danny Hillis, the LNF is a non-profit organization that exists to foster long-term thinking. (In the spirit of long-term thinking, the LNF styles year dates with five digits, like this: 01996.) Since its inception, the LNF has been involved in a few ambitious projects aimed at furthering this goal, like The Clock of the Long Now — a giant clock buried in a mountain in the American West that is designed to keep time for the next 10,000 years.

Side note: I learned of The Long Now Foundation through author, conceptual artist, and experimental philosopher Jonathon Keats, who I had the pleasure of interviewing once for Stories for Earth. Jonathon also has work featured in Pace Layers, which I strongly encourage you to check out, either in the print issue or on the LNF’s website.

I was happy enough to have an essay I wrote published by the LNF, and I was ecstatic when they contacted me to tell me it had been selected for inclusion in the inaugural issue of Pace Layers, a new journal from the LNF highlighting work it’s published or been involved in over the last 25 years. The issue is a beautiful, 282-page paperback full of fascinating ideas and curiosities.

I’ll bring this to a close now because I realize I’m rambling, but if you want to purchase a copy of the first issue of Pace Layers, you may do so here for $25. I think the first printing already sold out, but I’ve heard new copies are shipping in January. Alternatively, you can read my essay that was included in the issue on the LNF’s website here.

Thank you, thank you for reading. I really mean it. More than just about anything else, writing makes me feel alive. I’m not trying to be humble when I say I am truly honored to get to share it with others.