A Manifesto From The Field

What Over the Field is all about

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

This is a manifesto of sorts, outlining my aims, ambitions, and hopes for Over the Field. It is helpful from time to time to write one. It clarifies one’s thoughts and scope, puts necessary limits around one’s writing, and helps you, the reader, know what to expect and whether or not you want to continue reading along. A manifesto serves both me the writer, and you the potential reader. It is a good and necessary thing.

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The Manifesto From The Field

So without further ado, here, in brief, is what Over the Field is all about:

• Aiming for an Agrarian revival. Advocating for the Good Farmer; showcasing the wisdom that is contained within the writings of the Agrarians; and furthering the cause of Agrarian localism which includes how we all — both farmers and non-farmers — can contribute to the proper stewarding and husbandry of this wonderful world.

• Highlighting and arguing for the goodness and necessity of limitations. Exploring numerous areas of our society and individual lives where limits come into play: agriculture, work, energy, transportation… My key point is that it is by working within our limitations that we flourish.

• Showcasing and exploring the beauty and wonder of Creation and the rural communities around us. Directing our thoughts and attention to what is magnificent and worthy of our attention, including those parts of our world that we may otherwise overlook.

• Exploring the theme of rootedness and localism. Fostering focused attention and dedicated care for our local areas, wherever they may be, in order to become faithful and wise citizens.

• Advocating for a healthy scepticism of the Machine, technological determinism, and transhumanism.

• Exploring the beauty, awe, and complexity of the natural world — its fauna and flora, habitats, and ecology — helping us to see with fresh eyes and deep wonder.

• Engaging with the writings of Wendell Berry, Ivan Illich, James. C. Scott, Ellen Davis, Jaques Ellul, Herman Daly, James Rebanks, Paul Kingsnorth, and Chris Smaje (and more).

• Promoting the early English Agrarians and their ideas: e.g. H.J. Massingham, Adrian Bell, Eve Balfour, Albert Howard, Lord Northbourne…

• Write all this as beautifully and wisely as I can, demonstrating quality and well-crafted writing.

• 100% AI-free writing.

I hope these are aims and ambitions that align with some of your own values and ambitions.

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Supporting The Field

I am immensely grateful for every reader. It means a lot to this young writer that you take the time to read, and hopefully ponder, the words I write. Reading in and of itself is a great and valued means of supporting me, coupled with sharing my work. But for those who want to go a step further, for those who share my aims and hopes, there is the option of becoming a paid subscriber for as little as £25/$34 per year (I aim to keep my price well below the average on Substack).

I think it would be wise here to spell out exactly what a paid subscription will get you:

• Access to my full essay archive. Essays over a year old, (which I frequently make mention to in my footnotes or hyperlinks) are paywalled automatically. This means the archive is continuously growing, adding additional value to the paid subscription.

• Access to the online Wendell Berry Reading Group and all past session recordings. This takes place by Zoom where we discuss an essay that Mr. Berry has written. The next session will be scheduled shortly. Once my house move (hopefully soon) has taken place, I aim for this to become more regular fixture — once every month and a half or so.

• Full access to my poetry anthologies.

• Access to my paid-subscriber only Nature Writing essays — deep dives into natural subjects that aim to help us consider nature and the environment from angles and perspectives we may not have thought of.

• Potentially a future project of short reflections on Wisdom from the Agrarians. This may be a weekly post for paid subscribers which takes a quote from an Agrarian writer and offers a short c300-400 word reflection on it.

• If you send me your own writing/drafts via email I will make sure to read it and offer comments.

Alternatively, there is the option of becoming a Patron of Over the Field, which gives you all the above benefits plus up to two hand written letters per year, the opportunity for one-on-one Zoom calls, and a few group Patron zoom discussions per year.

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For Those Who Wish To “Exit The Field”

If Over the Field is not something that you wish to engage with further that is fine — my aims are rather niche! I invite you to unsubscribe. I am not offended in the slightest, and do not wish to waste your time or clutter up your probably already over-burdened inboxes. You can unsubscribe at the bottom of this email or via Substack.

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Help Cultivate The Field

Lastly, a wish of mine. I would love to have more direct contact with my readers. If you are ever in my part of the country (Essex/London at the moment and hopefully Cumbria/North Yorkshire in the future), do let me know if you want to meet up. Just this week I had a thoroughly enjoyable day spent with one of my Patron subscribers with some really stimulating conversation.

Secondly, I would love for you, dear reader, to actively help shape and develop my thoughts, ideas, and ultimately, my writing. I am endeavouring at the end of all future essays to include a brief outline of things I am currently working on and would love to receive messages emails, or even letters of your own ideas, pushbacks, thoughts, questions, applications, etc on these projects. If I use your ideas, I will be sure to footnote you in the essays or reflections. Where credit is due, I will make sure it is given! You can email me by replying to any email/post from Over the Field or you can message me for my email address or postal address. Alternatively, my message inbox on the Substack platform is always open.

Thank you for you for journeying along with Over the Field thus far. There are many more fields to explore which I look forward to showing you.

Warmly,

Hadden

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I am currently working on an essay on how marginal areas (especially farming) can be a refuge from the Machine and an essay on the virtues of “dead time”. Send me your thoughts and comments in reply to this email.