Hey dear reader,
Hello from New York, where life feels so post-Covid it’s surreal. Bar-goers are spilling out onto the streets and blocking traffic. Sweaty strangers are grooving and rubbing against each other on the dance floor. Central Park smells of churros and weed. Sheep Meadow is full of kung fu training, live musicians strumming guitars, and comedians doing stand-up on the lawn (“I’m so southern my 23andMe came back a Slim Jim”). For the first time in a long time, New York feels alive, and there is a real sense of hope in the air.
Anyway, I’m back from my hiatus, acclimating to life with plumbing, a mailing address, and fact-based reality. I miss the adventure of the road but not the soggy tent. But despite all the luxuries of modern life that have returned, the transition home has not been as smooth as I had anticipated. In some ways, life has actually been a lot harder. As you’ll read in my next essay, I’ve had a tough few months. What was supposed to be a time of rejuvenation turned out to be one of the most difficult periods of my life, from which I’m still healing.
But I’m slowly starting to bounce back, and damn have I missed Contra Post. I love this newsletter. I’ve never felt so connected to my voice than I have here, and free to obsess and explore the world uninhibited by the inevitable restrictions on style and process that often come with working with traditional media.
That being said, I’m also still a full-time freelancer for said traditional media (girl gotta eat), which means that my schedule is completely, and excitingly, dictated by those gigs.
As I said in my last letter, Contra Post will live on. But going forward, it’ll be more at the whim of my latest assignment or adventure. When I’m out reporting a story, so much is left on the cutting room floor and doesn’t make it into the final piece. The scents, the sounds, the feelings, the characters. But to me, I find meaning in those details and corners. So, Contra Post will remain my public diary of lived reporting, personal and professional. You’ll get essays, dispatches, behind-the-scenes of stories I’m working on, and well, really whatever draws my interest. I’ll send my missives your way as often as I can. As such, Contra Post will remain free of charge.
Thanks always for reading and supporting me. You make me feel brave.
xoxo
Casey
P.S. I really love hearing you guys. Got something on your mind that you want to share or that you’re curious about? Just reply to any Contra Post. I’ll see it and get back to you.