Welcome!

I’m glad you found us: the folks behind Civic Reader, where we examine the elements that shape our shared biography—the values we carry, the systems we navigate, the choices we make when no one’s watching—and translate them into words that soothe our souls, when the going gets rough.

I want you to know, right off the bat: this is not a fleeting endeavor.

From time to time, you may notice me making pleasant jokes about the state of the world. Is it nervousness? Is it denial? Is it deflection? Perhaps. I can lean toward the Pollyanna, even in the midst of 360 degree challenges. In spite of all of this, I am deadly serious about my aim to make things better.

You see: from late 2017 to early 2018, I witnessed first-hand several feats of grassroots-level mutual aid that quite literally changed the world. From hurricane rescue—to wildfire resourcing—to refugee detention mapping; again and again, “regular folks” came together to make things better for other people. And these regular folks weren’t there to make a phone call or two; they dug in for weeks—months—at a time to fill gaps in local, regional, national, and global processes—forever altering the landscape of civic practice and strategy.

I witnessed proof that the most critical “social influencers” are the humans we see every day in our own streets, businesses, and schools... inspiring one another through random acts of kindness, simple acts of service, and—when necessary—very, very deliberate acts of civic systems change. I believe those influencers are the ones who may get us through this difficult blip in our space/time continuum, and I intend to hold space for their stories.

How about you?

Are you a reader or a writer—a neighbor or a newcomer—an artist or an analyst—a skeptic or a steward? All of these? Depends on the day?

I believe that together, we can co-write the story of civic life—not as it’s imagined, but as it’s lived—and just maybe, as it’s destined to be. Civic Reader is my home for that writing, and as far as I’m concerned, everyone’s welcome.

Namaste, friends.

Let’s write the future.