Quarterlyish is a home for short nonfiction pieces about people, places, ideas, and stories that are a little off the beaten path.

For instance: Have you ever thought about the logistics and planning that go into making a successful haunted house? How about Eudora Welty’s reading habits, the process of an art museum acquiring some of its signature pieces, or the person who creates the life-like dinosaur sculptures you see in museums?

If those things pique your curiosity, I think you’ll like it here.

Each letter will also include a recommended field trip (sometimes within the bounds of my native North Carolina, sometimes far away), a few links to other work, and a mood for the quarter as represented by American art, courtesy of the National Gallery.

These missives will hit your inbox on a quarterly(ish) basis. I know your inbox is a busy place – if I have nothing to say or have no stories ready to share, I’ll save it for the next time.