This is the 38th edition of ‘The Encouragement Files’, a weekly celebration of curiosity and inspiration. We hope it encourages you to amplify the creativity of those who lift your spirits in this fractious, out-of-kilter world.
We are on the tiny Greek island of Kythnos. This is not a picture-postcard tourist destination … you have to take a taxi and a bus from the port of Piraeus to another port town, Lavrio, for the 08.15 ferry to Merihas. There, on the west of the island, you grab a taxi to navigate the narrow road across the island to Loutra, a small village with a tiny marina; wealthy yacht folk stop by to dip their toes in the thermal waters flowing into the bay, and to top up supplies after a lazy lunch of perfectly grilled Greek flavours. Meanwhile, local people get on with the business of chiselling out a tough living in the off-season.
It is a place to take your time; siga siga (slowly, slowly).
Beyond Substack
A R C H I T E C T U R E
Okay, so we are a little ‘out of season’, but we relish the Mediterranean style. What’s not to like about cool, simple spaces that encourage a through breeze?
A R T
Great art is not just brushstrokes and penmanship. It is seeing, interpreting and seizing moments. The opportunism and humour of David Zinn’s work is a joy.
So Good We Saved It
A glance into our Substack in-box
There’s a peculiarity to travel. Wherever you are at a given time, thoughts drift to where next. Maybe it is just us, or the nature of a 3-month trip that demands planning, bookings and an eye on the calendar. Whatever it is, we find ourselves musing on Italy where we’ll spend much of November. Marco & Sabrina have us salivating at the prospect of Sicily - Ortigia for a few days, Catania for a week - but also, they throw in a Neapolitan curve ball … but maybe Turkey was enough chaos for one trip. That’s the secret of great travel writing, something we aspire to offer as we travel ‘off the beaten tracks’, words that lure you in. Once again, Laura McVeigh has got us covered with a timely piece about the genius of Anthony Bourdain, including practical ideas to apply to our own writing. Laura has also sharpened our thoughts about Italy with an excellent guide to some favourite libraries (the perfect escape from the chaos), and bonus book lists to help travellers read into Italian literature. What is travel if not curiosity writ large? This week - belatedly - we discover that Carlo Navato has a newsletter called The Curiosity Dividend and we are catching up with some great thinking and writing we missed. Lovers of analogue creativity will be delighted to note Carlo’s writing project using a 1972 Olivetti typewriter. Although there’s no shortage of digital in the world of magazine production, the arrival of Souvenir Magazine is a celebration of slowing down for the long reads, taking time over the photo galleries, gentle enquiry, making time for thought. Sadly, we will miss the launch in Paris, but we cannot wait to have a copy on our coffee table. Hats off to the formidable creative talents of Kyle Berlin Augusta Sagnelli and Samuél Lopez-Barrantes among others. Thanks to Talestack News by S.E. Reid and Top In Fiction by Erica Drayton we are keeping up with the writers who are making up stuff as they go along … but never forget how challenging it can be to put words (particularly fiction) out into the public gaze. We are thrilled that gabby has found a voice and the courage to share her stories. BUT, before you can share, you have to have some words written and Alexander M Crow offers a simple idea to complement your existing drafting process, 30 minutes at a time. Go on, give it a try.
That’s it … time for us to get reading … and writing.
[Don’t forget to click on the links and follow the trails of breadcrumbs]
Off The Beaten Tracks
Istanbul | Izmir | Ephesus | Cesme
Turkey is glorious chaos. A clash of ancient and contemporary, the past with the here and now. It emerges from a cloying, billowing cloud of cigarette smoke to assail your senses. Thick accents and thicker coffee … opulent celebrations of national founders, breadline housing perched on barely accessible hills. Caretakers of history, resolute followers of tradition. Loud, brash, cloaked in exhaust fumes … but also slow, friendly, and conversational. Izmir is devout - the call to prayer echoes from hundreds of minarets - yet liberal; heels, thighs, and affectionate public courtship. Greet someone with merhaba or thank them with teşekkür ederim and the smiles widen. Watch the fisherman land a catch and feel connected. Turkey grounds you whilst leaving you dizzy with uncertainty.
Back next week, same time, different place
Barrie and JoJo
Such a gorgeous post. Many thanks for the kind shout-out, and I am loving that writing desk by the window. Bliss! Look forward to hearing your impressions of Ortigia - it is one of my absolute favourite places (and the archeological site at Siracusa is remarkable).
Once again I am swooning over those architectural fantasies you keep tempting me with Barrie... In a different life, one that involved an actual bank account that had a total that didn't always make me want to run and hide, I think you may well have been my husbands worst enemy! I have redesigned my home ten times already this year...
Wonderful sharing as always, I am in need of a catchup in Notes again... see you there!