On a Piece of Chalk

On a Piece of Chalk

by | Feb 28, 2023 | Substack

As some of you may know, for the past two years I’ve been working on my memoir. I work with a writing coach and last week she asked me to write about my office.

Could it be that my office could tell me more about me than any of the memories of my past?

I began working from one corner and slowly worked my way around the room, clockwise.  

Counting my books, one shelf at a time, I discovered that my office contains over 2,000 books. I knew I had a book problem, but now I could quantify it. 🙂

My books are coming in handy for a project that I’m working on at The University of Texas at Austin (UT) –

As we develop our Science Storytelling Studio with the UT Nutrition Institute, we are coming up with ways to tell stories through a single lens.

One book I own is a fantastic example of this.

Sharing more about this in my latest Substack newsletter: robynmetcalfe.substack.com/subscribe

Did century-old sci-fi predict the future?

Did century-old sci-fi predict the future?

by | Jan 26, 2023 | Substack

You may not expect a book from the 1800s to be the most riveting “beach read” during my vacation to the Caribbean over the holiday break. Neither did I.

What I discovered while reading The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells, a short sci-fi novel from 1897, is how science-fiction writers tell stories that question how we perceive our world now and how it might look in the future.

Can we learn about science from fiction? What do you notice by comparing science fiction written today with 19th century “scientific romances?”

Even back in the 1800s society was already questioning and pushing back science: does technology support and improve society, or does it hurt us? What do you think?

Exploring this topic on my Substack newsletter, out now: robynmetcalfe.substack.com/subscribe

I found a love note from the 1950s

I found a love note from the 1950s

by | Dec 20, 2022 | Substack

Recently, I found a love note from the 1950s sent to me by a boy named Ricky.

The letter was written on a piece of fragile, lightweight and brittle piece of paper, a soft caramel brown, the blue lines of old cursive writing practice sheets handed out to us during the 1950s faintly visible.

This “thing” makes me smile every time I read the carefully written message. Without knowing who Ricky was, and even if he didn’t know how to spell my name correctly, I am moved.

Attaching sentimental value to things is something we do as humans.

Yet in the age of minimalism and conversations about valuing experiences over objects, why do some things take on meaning, and others simply become clutter?

Exploring this topic on my Substack newsletter, out today: robynmetcalfe.substack.com/subscribe

The World Championships of Cheese

The World Championships of Cheese

by | Nov 30, 2022 | Substack

Welcome to the World’s Best Cheese Competition, where “wine is just a liquid” and cheese reigns supreme.

I attended this delicious event about senses and smells in Wales earlier this month, where cheesemakers from all over the globe competed to win the title of World’s Best Cheese.

This is a story you won’t want to miss. I am sharing the what it’s like to attend such an event in my latest Substack newsletter, out today: robynmetcalfe.substack.com/subscribe

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Rock as Hard Places

Rock as Hard Places

by | Oct 27, 2022 | Substack

Do you care about cairns? I do. Learn why in my upcoming newsletter about rocks. What are cairns, anyway? How did they come about, and why do they sometimes look like Sesame Street or Star Wars characters? And, I saw these characters with my guide in Peneda-Gerês National Park in Portugal this month.

Sharing more about this experience (plus some fall reading recommendations) in my latest Substack newsletter, out now: robynmetcalfe.substack.com/subscribe

The Hidden Meaning of Lost Objects

The Hidden Meaning of Lost Objects

by | Sep 29, 2022 | Substack

Have you lost something and found yourself?

Among the many things that I lost during my seven decades of living, so far, is a guitar.

And an island.

I reveal my experiences losing these things and navigating life afterwards in my latest Substack newsletter, out now: robynmetcalfe.substack.com/subscribe

This essay really dives into the hidden meaning of lost objects and the art of “noticing.”