When I started posting my From This Side of the Pond series on Hive I cannot for the life of me think why I didn't look to see if there was a USA community to post in.
So, they've been posted in the Freewriters community up to now. I'll make the switch from the next one.
What is From This Side of the Pond? They are essays of about 2k words where I, a Brit who has never been to the States, writes about something that has caught my attention.
Apart from writing the essays I'm also planning on turning them into podcast, though that is taking longer than anticipated.
If any folks reading anything see an obvious error, reach out and let me know. Or if you live in a small corner of the USA that you think folks should know something about, let me know.
Every fourth essay will be about one of the states. I'm doing them in order of their admission to the Union. I've done up to Connecticut already, and am always looking to hear from folks who want to talk about their state. But what I want is the stuff that isn't going to turn up on a general google search. Do you have a local store that sells stuff you just cant get when you travel to another state? or maybe there's a local legend which is every bit as interesting as the Jersey Devil, but just not well know. Or, maybe, your state has one of the World's Biggest things, and it's in a tiny town well of the interstate.
Please, let me know.
For the podcast, apart from the essays which I'll read, I'm also thinking of doing interviews so if that's something you's be interested in taking part in, let me know. Part of making that decision will be how easy it is to have people willing to take part.
Up to now I have essays about Paul Harvey, Bigfoot, Barbecue - there's two on that subject, the first 5 states to join the Union, Free Speech (my favorite so far) and Buffalo, among other things.
If you're sitting later, on this coincidental date, sipping a beer, watching some fire works, and thinking a limey kinda needs to know why the US is so great, then get in contact and tell me something about it.
And, just maybe, before I get to the end of the series (I'm planning on about 200) I'll have had the chance to visit, and write some of them from experience.
as a final note, the lovely picture that is my header was taken by my friend Kirsten Alana, who is a talented travel photgrapher. If you're looking for some unique art for your own house, or for a gift, consider buying a print from her website.
Essays in this series already available:
1 - Inspiration
2 - On Free Speech
3 - A Memory of Travel
4 - Delaware
5 - Bigfoot
6 - The Mammoth-Flint Cave System
7 - The Isle of Eight Flags