Looking Back, Looking Forward
A year on Over the Field
It has been a splendid year. I became a published writer (thanks to
) and managed to get five more pieces published. I finally visited my father-in-law in South Africa and fulfilled a dream in visiting Scandinavia (though I failed to see my favourite animal: the moose). I appeared on three podcasts and started a new part-time course which is enabling me to dig deep into the topic of Christianity and environmental stewardship. And now as the year draws to a close, I am just over two weeks away from moving into my new home in Sedbergh, Cumbria, in the foothills of the Howgill fells. Sedbergh also happens to be England’s Book Town (five independent book shops in a town of just over 2700 residents!)It has been a splendid year indeed.
And it has been a good year, too, for Over the Field. I have started to host some Wendell Berry reading groups online on Zoom which have led to some great discussions and even an essay. I have begun some fortnightly Wisdom from the Agrarians, drawing from the deep and rich wells of wisdom contained within the old clothbound books of these writers, and I have also published some nature writing pieces (which has felt like going back to my roots).
Highlights from the year
Looking forward, there are some particular challenges that lie on the horizon. The British government is becoming increasingly hostile to farming and has shelved some environmental initiatives that farmers (and their lands) used to benefit greatly from. Both these courses of action will have severe ramifications for our cherished countryside. AI is continuing to infect and impact the writing scene, and the competition writers feel under from this insidious technology will exacerbate. And our biophysical limitations are going to be further stressed and tested as we continue down the mass-consumeristic path of the Machine age. Addressing these challenges (and more) will be a key focus of my writing next year.
On the positive side, moving to a rural place will give me plenty of subjects and topics to write about and I am eager to live up to Wendell Berry’s maxim of “living your subject”. I can’t wait to write about my new home, the wildlife it contains, and the people who live there. I am also excited to continue my explorations into the writings the agrarians both old and new, and also to delve more deeply into the work of Sir Roger Scruton,
, and James C. Scott. Expect to see these names come up in the footnotes of future essays.I want to thank those of you who have become paid subscriber this year. It means the world to me and is integral in supporting financially the writing that I do. Next year, I will continue to offer Wendell Berry Reading Groups, publish Wisdom From the Agrarians, and more of my essay archive will be going behind a paywall.
To say thank you to all my readers and to get into the festive giving spirit, I am offering for the whole of December 25% off a paid subscription to Over the Field (which comes to £19.50 or $25). These paid subscriptions are vital in enabling me to continue writing on and advocating for agrarianism, good farming, and the beauty of creation, and enable me to invest the necessary time required to hone and improve my wordsmanship.
I am aware the year is not over yet. I still have a few pieces I aim to publish before this year draws to a close including one on the importance of play for the farmer and a reflection on that most mysterious plant: Mistletoe. When I have moved, I will also publish an ode to the county I am about to leave behind: Essex.
Finally, some thanks are in order to a few fellow writers who have helped, publicised, supported me the year. Special thanks go to
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and all my founding Patrons. I also want to thank my wife Kiara, who makes all that I do possible.So, thank you all my readers for taking the time to read my words this year. I hope you will continue to enjoy reading Over the Field in the coming year.
And if any of you are ever near Sedbergh (or the Lake District/Yorkshire Dales) do let me know!
Warmly
Hadden
Very excited to see what new thoughtful writing emerges as you settle into your new home!
Best wishes for continued success and happiness in your new Sedbergh home. Your writing is inspiring and your Substack is a personal favorite!