Welcome to: On Value in Culture
A new publication on framing in narrative, language, books, value & culture by Valeria Maltoni.
In the last couple of years I’ve sent a semi-regular newsletter as a way to make articles and notes on Conversation Agent more accessible. Writing for me is a joyful experience. The podcast I launched last fall has helped make my writing more conversational. And more enjoyable.
I want to keep this space conversational, like blogging used to be in the beginning. I’ve also been spending less time on social media. The ratio of signal to noise has become ridiculous — and not a smart use of time. I also think social media has taken all of the challenge, and thus the desire to learn out of the equation. From friction-less to thoughtless.
Writing a newsletter is not the same as publishing an article or producing a publication. A lot more goes into that - with editing, writing, and technical support. But it affords the freedom to write about things that might fly under the radar, not go with the market, or be too early to qualify as trends. If you work for a company or an institution, you’re familiar with consensus-building and the rounds of approvals.
Last year, I also discovered that I needed to transition to a new platform for my blog. With 3,504 articles, 19 pages, and more than 20,000 comments, that has proven to be a challenging proposition. I’m still working on it with expert help. So as I was thinking about a different platform for my newsletter, I wanted something that had a community component and was easy to manage while I sort out the rest of my digital presence. Knowing the limitations, I still felt Substack was the better option at this stage.
With the tech firmly into the background, I’ll be able to dedicate myself to niche topics, literature with a historical significance (and vice versa), Q&As beyond the podcasts, and longer exploratory pieces on the themes of narrative, storytelling, and culture that find no room or glory in social media.
I’ll still touch upon contemporary issues, putting them into a broader frame of reference. But my main purpose is to continue to build connections with readers and people who want to read what was important enough for me to research and write. As I said in my about page, I’m just a person who, like you, is trying to make it work in the world. (more values here)
As it’s been the case with my blog, which will find new life in coming months, I will focus on the heart of the story and issue. I’ll be honest as I work through ideas that are not fully formed, admit when I’m wrong, and continue to be responsive to your ideas and comments, where appropriate. But I also expect more of you. That you’ll be curious and generous readers, interact respectfully with others in the community, and you’ll approach ideas with an open mind and be willing to challenge your assumptions along with us.
Subscribing to a newsletter doesn’t need to be a passive activity, or the check-mark of a collector. It can be an active, invigorating path to learning and connection. Belonging doesn’t have to come at the expense of diversity in geography, culture (each culture has a great deal to learn from others, through dialogue), and ideas. A promise of value in use doesn’t have a moral or other stake to fulfill to have social purpose.
On Value in Culture will come out once a week to begin. It will include a mix of podcast episodes with my commentary and broader context wrap, discussion threads, recommendations, book reviews, and other stories. Everyone gets everything in the beginning. Paid subscribers will get more — I’ll wade into the realm of insights and strategic narrative and special extras. Subscribe using the button above.
Here’s the thing about paying
You don’t get what you don’t pay for: food, clothing, housing, books (yes, you pay the library through your taxes), and products. Services like plumbing, electricity, tax preparation, or estate planning cost money even for a mere consultation.
When I was blogging at Conversation Agent, for many years I was getting paid by a corporation as a full time employee. Thousands of people (at some point, subscriptions were more than 60,000) had access to free thinking courtesy of my day job. Long-term, that arrangement would have been unsustainable for everyone involved, including you — because eventually the spark goes when incentives are elsewhere.
There are ways to make money through affiliate links, merchandise, and selling ads. However, these paths, though potentially interesting as experiments, tend to change the tone of a publication (and its style). You have only to open any mainstream media website to see the results.
I envision a calmer and more focused experience. Your $7 a month (or $70 a year) pays for everything. It pays for the extra fact checking and copy editing. It pays for the books and subscriptions that make me a better thinker and writer. It covers the hours I spend reading, writing, and editing and responding to your emails and comments. It helps cover my internet bill and all the other things that a company would provide. You’re making it possible for me to do my best work — and send it directly to your inbox.
But I understand that not everyone can afford an additional bill, however small. If you’re a gig worker, make minimum wage or are unemployed, if you’re a student with no discretionary income, send me a note. If, on the other end, you have the means to underwrite persons who have expansive and curious minds, but no current means, you can do that here. Or you can give a subscription to a colleague or family member as a gift using the button below.
In many respects, the pandemic has been a great clarifier. We have plenty of evidence of what we prioritize (as a country as much as company), of the broken state of many institutions (and business models), of who cares about persons who are not like them. The pandemic also accelerated many things that were in the process of becoming — relationships, moves, career changes, pets and pet projects — or breaking, as it may be.
But I’m also grateful that there are persons in the world who I respect and admire, people who (still) read and listen to quality programming and enrich me and you with their presence and support. Perhaps you’re one of those persons, and you’re ready to join me in this new adventure.