Hey team,
I just want to say thanks for reading every week. I’ve recently been putting in query letters to publishers and agents for a book I’ve been working on, and it’s really discouraging for someone like me who has a tense relationship with social media. I don’t have 20K+ followers on social media, nor do I have plans to strategically acquire (or, um, buythat many followers. So that rules me out in many places.
But if we’re looking at numbers, my favorite one is the over 70% of you who open this thing up and read it every week. Substack tells me that over 50% is something to shoot for; my numbers approach 90% some weeks. That gladdens my heart, and I hope you keep enjoying this little letter.
You might have noticed that my July offerings are a bit lighter than others have been. I’m taking a bit of a break and gearing up for a new series. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy some lighter fare.
The Part Where There’s an Essay: One for the Queen City
(The bit below was written for some friends who recently relocated to Charlotte from New England. I’m sure the locals who read this newsletter have some opinions on my list of “bests” — you can sound off in the comments if you’d like!)
Where I grew up near Worcester MA, we children were faithfully taught the rhyme about our capital city:
And this is good old Boston, The home of the bean and the cod, Where the Lowells talk to the Cabots, And the Cabots talk only to God.
As a child growing up in New England, I learned some truths about living there.
People from New England are often perceived as rude; they are instead being private, and they don’t want to impose on you.
The smell of decay, when it’s at the edge of the ocean, is the best smell there is.
You’re gonna need those Bean boots.
Don’t bother taking the ice scraper out of the car for summer. You’ll need it back soon enough.
Sports teams have one syllable: The Pats, The B’s, the C’s, and the Sox.
The backyard pool gets opened according to the calendar, not according to the temperature.
Yankee ingenuity is no joke. It’ll get you out of some jams, but it might get you electrocuted, too.
Now I’d like to officially welcome you to the Queen City, currently 15th in the nation in size and growing all the time. She is our adopted home for the last 18 years, and she’s made us feel welcome.
A few things you should know about Charlotte:
Just like Boston with New York City, she has a bit of a younger-sibling attitude towards the state capital, Raleigh. But she’s getting over it.
The basketball team is owned by the greatest one to ever play the game, Michael Jordan, but the team can’t seem to figure it out. They’ve tried changing the team name twice. I guess that’s not the problem.
The best burger is at the Diamond; the best shrimp & grits is at Tupelo Honey; the best coffee is at Not Just Coffee; the best tacos are at RuRu’s; the best atmosphere is Sunday nights at Workman’s Friend, when the music is live and the Guinness is plentiful.
Downtown is called Uptown. It’s on a hill. We’re very sorry for this confusion, but it’s too late to change it now.
Charlotte is oddly preoccupied with the fact that they had the first Declaration of Independence from England. It’s a complete myth, but they’re very proud of it, and celebrate each year on MeckDec day (May 20).
Charlotte is a city of neighborhoods. You will hear of Plaza Midwood, NoDa, SouthEnd, Elizabeth, Dilworth, Southpark, and more. All of these places have a Charlotte address.
The president of the confederacy, Jefferson Davis, was standing at an intersection in what is now Uptown when he received news of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. You can see a plaque there, right in front of McCormick and Schmick’s restaurant.
Pro sports teams are young here, but still beloved. College basketball rules the day. The night before the college football season starts feels like Christmas Eve.
I must mention the trees. Everyone loves how green it is, even in the city-est of city neighborhoods. Pin oaks, beeches, white oaks and red oaks line the streets. This also means that big storms can mean big trouble. Tree services do good work here.
The leaves won’t change until Thanksgiving. October and November lack the cold snap and vivid colors of a New England fall (I’m still not over it), but they gently lull you into winter, with cool, sunny days and an easy chill at night. You’ll get by with a fleece jacket and a scarf most of the time. The daffodils will be up by January. Yes, really. Spring is more of a March situation than May.
Winter means rain. If it snows, they don’t have equipment to remove it, so you get to stay home and watch it melt. It’s truly bizarre, but it’s kind of like the lack of air conditioners in northern New England. If you’ll only use it a few days a year, why bother?
I’m really sorry about late summer; if you want someone to be angry with, catch me in September when everything is dead and it’s still humid and ninety degrees. I am still confused as to how a climate can be so wet and so dry at the same time.
The people here are almost always from somewhere else, so much so that true natives are referred to as “unicorns.” This means that there is always a warm welcome and help when you need it. Southern hospitality is a real thing, and it’s kind and generous. Most of Charlotte’s adopted children have taken on the mantle of generosity as well.
To all of you, we give you a warm welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. When you are in town, you are our glad responsibility and our guests. Cheers.
For the Anglophiles
This is perhaps the most ambitious of these entries. But because it’s the week of July 4th, I ask — have you read Edmund Burke’s Speech on Conciliation with the Colonies? This guy knew what was up. But nobody thought so at the time, at least on his side of the ocean.
Reads & Listens of the Week
I was floored by number ten on this list from John Piper: “…I found a way to contact a local abortionist doctor about four blocks from my house. I took him out to lunch. I told him, ‘I’m a local pastor. I’m pro-life. I want to understand you. Would you go out to lunch?’”
Maybe you are also feeling the press of summer’s own kind of busyness? Enjoy this one from You’re Not Crazy: Finding Rest for Your Soul.
If you have kids who you’d love to keep interested in reading, subscribe to the Withywindle podcast! I recently revisited the episode with Daniel Nayeri, author of Everything Sad is Untrue.
The New York Times did a review of three scenarios for the war in Ukraine. Because…oh yeah, that’s still going on.
I enjoyed reading this bit from Uneasy Citizenship about supporting families in the Post-Roe era. “…the focus must be on offering real support to babies, mothers, and their families. This should come from us individually, as Christians. It should come from our church bodies. It should come from related specialized nonprofits, like pregnancy resource centers. And yes, given what is at stake, it should come from the government, too.”
The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful and virtuous. - Frederick Douglass