Chickenjoy
New year, new format: we're diving into meat
Happy new year!
It’s looking to be a hectic one down here in New Orleans, at least for this guy. Southlands is rolling ahead into its second issue, with a few pieces in edits already. I’m working on assignments of my own for the New Yorker and National Geographic and negotiating a multi-episode podcast series. It’s already looking like an exciting year, professionally.
And then, oh yeah, in six months my wife and I are expecting our first kid. Which is part of why I’m working so hard right now: I’d like to give myself a big chunk of time off this summer, but, as a freelancer, that requires making more money in the months I’m on. (To that end, I’ve revamped my website, reminding people that I’m available for various services, from teaching to editing.)
And amid all that, I’m still plugging ahead on my second book—which I’ve mentioned here before, but, as a reminder, is tentatively titled How to Eat Another Animal. It’s about the human habit of eating other animals—why it feels so good, and why it’s gone so wrong. And it’s about whether or not we get to keep eating animals in the future.
As a way of keeping myself accountable on that book, I’ve decided to start using this Substack as a space to tackle some of the insights and questions coming up in my research. So, while the newsletter will still publish once a month, you’ll notice a new format. At the top of the email, you’ll find a set of updates. And then, below a paywall, you’ll find a little bit of my contemplations on meat—off-the-cuff essays, maybe some interview transcript. I offer them as a thank you, of sorts, for anyone willing to sign on to support the book as it progresses. I hope you’ll join for the journey.
December Stories
Farming the Ocean1 (Sea Change/FERN): Across the world, wild seafood is being replaced by farmed fish—and now that industry is coming to America, and to the Gulf in particular. What will that mean for how we connect to the ocean? This long-term project, in collaboration with the Food and Environment Reporting Network, goes deep. And it’s not over yet! I’m hoping to write several magazine stories about these issues. For now, though, there are two podcast episodes:
Part 1 explores a contentious proposal to bring fish pens to the Gulf.
Part 2 looks at how the last kingdom of wild oysters is increasingly turning to farms.
Upcoming events
January 7 (TOMORROW) at 6:00 (Athens, Ga.): An Evening With Southlands / Grady College, University of Georgia
January 14 at 12:30 (New Orleans): Gallery Talk at the New Orleans Museum of Art
January 14 at 6:00 (New Orleans): Gallery Talk at the New Orleans Museum of Art
January 15 at 12:00 (New Orleans): Book Club Discussion at the New Orleans Museum of Art
These accompany the great exhibition of photos by Nicolas Floc’h exploring the Mississippi watershed. Watch for more details soon!
March 12 (Champaign, IL): Keynote, Illinois Association for Floodplain and Stormwater Management Annual Conference
December Scenes
