It's been a year
Also, come see me in San Diego, Minneapolis, and Austin!
Hey San Diegans, Minnesotans, and Austinites! (Am I doing that right?) I’m going to be doing some speaking near you soon!
THIS SUNDAY - Point Loma Presbyterian Church - San Diego - preaching at Sunday Services @ 9 and 10:30am
NEXT SUNDAY - Sanctuary Covenant Church - Minneapolis - Neighboring Workshop @ 9am - Register here!
IN A FEW SUNDAYS - Restore Church - Austin - preaching at Sunday services @ 9:30 and 11:30am
Wow!
One year ago, I migrated a small group of subscribers from MailChimp (where I had attempted a newsletter but really only sent something once every few months) over to Substack and committed to writing more regularly. I wasn’t sure I could pull it off, but having had my book out for more than a year, I was ready to start seriously writing again.
And the response has been beautiful.
Since committing to sending a monthly newsletter one year ago, I’ve sent 61 newsletters, averaging over one per week! I can’t promise to keep that pace now that I’ve begun working on Book 2, but twice a month feels possible in a way I never even dreamt. In that same time, 1000 new people have subscribed, and some of you even pay to subscribe. I still have trouble wrapping my head around that, and every time I do the only words I can conjure are disbelief and gratitude.
Speaking of Book 2 and subscribers, don’t forget that I’m teasing you all with the details about my next project until we hit a couple milestones: 2,000 subscribers, and 50 paid. We are sooooooo close. Keep spreading the word, and if you have the capacity and interest in become a paid subscriber, please consider doing so! Here’s a bit about why these things matter and why I’m holding out on Book 2 details:
In this year of writing about homelessness I’ve been fascinated with what articles connect with people. Substack allows me to see the open rates of emails, as well as the number of views. (This is another important metric, so don’t forget to open the email, even if you don’t have time to read it that week!) In looking at those numbers, sometimes the stars align and the post that I am so passionate about and that seems to flow out of me authentically and effortlessly connects deeply with readers in the form of high open rate, shares, and views. Other times it feels totally random - the soapbox that felt like my magnum opus falls flat, or the post that I had to drag my way through writing is a hit. These are all things I consider when deciding what to write about next, and how best to serve you all through this newsletter.
To that end, I’d love to share a few highlights from this year. Some fall into the “I loved it and it connected category,” but some are in the others. But each of them represent a piece that I care deeply about. If you’re newer to this newsletter, or a long-time subscriber, you can think of this as a “Greatest Hits”, except that instead of being a rock star I’m just a guy who likes to write about homelessness on the internet.
Lastly, as I look to the next year of this Substack, I really hope to keep momentum going as well as bring you some new, exciting things. While I will need to slow down the pace a little bit, my plan is to continue bringing you great content not just in the form of essays, but also some new stuff: interviews, book reviews, and maybe even some VIDEOS! I hope to provide more opportunities to do virtual gatherings and trainings like I recently did with Narcan and overdose response. I also have a super-secret project I’ve started on for the Winter, unrelated to Book 2, that I’m excited to tell you about.
So thanks for sticking around, and hope you continue to find value here. And if you have any ideas for future posts or things you’d like to see more of, please comment!
These posts will always be free.
But the rest of my work—traveling to speak and lead workshops, creating content, advocacy and direct aid—is enabled and expanded by your support. Consider becoming a Paid subscriber to enhance my reach.
Thanks as always for the gift of your writing and work Kevin.
100% resonate with the “magnum opus falls flat but random piece I struggled to write goes big” dynamic I’m always surprised by since writing more on substack