This Here Newsletter in 2022
In 2022 I tended to write about whatever happened to grab my attention on any particular day. Sometimes people read them, which is gratifying. Counting this post, I have written 123 posts this year. Here are the ten most popular based on how many were views they received. (I have no way to know how many of these were actually read. Substack’s analytics fall short of telepathy, alas.)
The Secret of Losing Weight. How I lost 80+ lbs in one year. My theory about why this is popular is that people have good will towards me for some reason. How can I feel anything towards you readers except gratitude and love?
A Good Day for Readers in Houston. At the beginning of this year, Houston experienced an intellectual tragedy when Half Price Books on Westheimer at Montrose closed. But later in the year a miracle happened when Basket Books opened. I wrote about this new bookstore, and readers of The Great God Pan Is Dead seem to agree that Basket Books is a very good thing.
The Big Show part 1. Every year Lawndale puts on The Big Show and I’ve written about it every year since 2009 except for the year it was cancelled because of COVID. People love the Big Show, and I think that is why this post was popular.
To Be a Poet In Dallas. Robert Tramell’s surprisingly great book Jack Ruby & the Origins of the Avant-Garde in Dallas: And Other Stories was the subject of this post. I wish all my posts about books were this popular. I think this one got a lot of readers because Jeet Heer linked to it from his popular Twitter account. Thanks Jeet!
Impractical Spaces: Houston Is Available. This book by Pete Gershon (with one chapter by me) was the subject of many posts on Pan. And the book is a key work of Houston art history. I was selling copies but sold out—but it can be ordered here in town.
Kyiv Diary. Because the criminal scum running Russia invaded Ukraine, Ukraine and its citizens have been on my mind a lot this year. In The Face of War is a small book collecting journals of the first few weeks of the war, written by Yevgenia Belorusets in Kyiv. It will apparently be released by New Directions in March 2023 under the title War Diary.
Selling Our Culture to Sharks. Why this post caught on so much is kind of a mystery to me. It appears that everyone hates scuzzy private equity sleazeballs taking over our valued public institutions. At least, I do.
Leaving the Station. A beloved art institution suddenly shuts down. I have many great memories of art at the Station.
Watching Artists As They Age. Part of the excitement of this post was witnessing the transformation of Reeves Art + Design into a major art venue for Houston. But part of it was seeing the current work by four artists whose work I have been following for many years: Christopher Cascio, Terry Suprean, David Hardaker, and Brandon Araujo. (Not to mention the work of a young artist completely new to me, Max Kremer.)
3602 Locke Lane. This is one of a long series of real estate posts I’ve done over the years. I love browsing through HAR.com and seeing what art is hanging in real estate photos. But I have been a little less willing to do this lately because so many seemed staged for marketing purposes with somewhat generic artwork. But this house has Dorothy Hood and James Surls art on display, so if it was staged, it was a damned ambitious realtor with excellent taste.
Every post I write has an appeal for money at the end, via my Patreon site or my online bookstore or my Storenvy site. I have thought about charging for views for The Great God Pan Is Dead, but I am not convinced enough people would pay for the privilege of reading my jottings. Plus, I like giving Pan away for free.
But that said, I do need money. I am job hunting, and if any readers out there are hiring, I am interested. Full time or part time, short term or permanent—drop me a line. My email address is robertwboyd2020@yahoo.com.
And let me close by saying how grateful I am for every reader who clicks on one of these posts. You give me life!