I launched These Traces in February 2020, and had this to say in issue 002:

“I find myself looking forward to writing this newsletter, in a way that’s very different from my interaction with the blog. And I think this is due to a kind of permeating silence. The fact that, regardless of how many people will read these words, we remain a closed circle. This remains somewhat ephemeral.”

Two weeks later I was writing issue 003 under lockdown, that silence now deafening—and everything was about to change.

In the wake of the recent decision to sunset the 1EYE SOCIETY membership, a friend suggested that I may have spread myself too thin along the way. Content is content, and while a newsletter offers an illusion of personal connection (a fact that Substack has ridden all the way to the bank), the truth is I've always had those connections right here, on this blog. My post-pandemic self (ugh, sorry) isn't as enthusiastic about creating a closed circle anymore.

Which explains why you might be reading this issue as a blog post today :)

If you’ve never read the newsletter, here’s a primer:

The opening image is usually something unpublished.
The commentary spans a variety of subjects.
I always include curated links, sometimes with quick impressions thrown in.
It ends with a summary of blog posts (everything published since the last issue).

The newsletter isn't going away: if you don't visit this website regularly it can still act as way to catch up with any recent content you may have missed. New content, straight to your inbox (or reader of choice). But I'm doing away with segregation and opting for cross-pollination.

So welcome to These Traces 092: an arc instead of a circle.
On to the links...