Adjusting the Compass
a little update
Hello!
Over the past few months, my attention has quietly moved elsewhere. Not away from writing, but toward other work that asked for presence in a different way. Summer filled quickly with motorcycles and movement; autumn and winter brought a widening of space, a return to the things that hold me most firmly. What initially felt like absence was really an opening of attention, a change of pace that made room for projects and passions to grow without competing for air. Below are some of the distractions that have left this Substack a little quiet. I’m back :)
A long climb
Last year I began a new project: A Depth Chart for the Heart (aka Diver Post). I’m approaching this project as a passage of attention rather than a fixed destination. There is so much thought filling this project and (like all enjoyable things) I’m confident the project will end, not because it has failed, but because attention is finite and moves on once it has said what it needs to say
Last month, I sat alone in a local café, carrying a quiet uncertainty about whether the work I’d just started (uncovering the history of my dad’s diving collection) was really worth following. When a man came in looking for a table, I invited him to join me. After a few tentative moments, I asked what had brought him there.
He turned out to be a local historian, researching the history of hard-hat diving in Whitstable. The coincidence felt almost improbable. Over coffee, the afternoon opened up as we traced overlapping stories, and I began to see that the heritage of Whitstable’s earliest divers sat far closer to my own family than I had ever realised.
It was a small, grounding encounter, the kind that steadies you without fanfare. Since then, the project has continued to widen, opening unexpected connections across the water and beyond. I’m documenting where it leads here. (This is where I’ll be most of the time).
A milestone
This week, the final issue of TRAIL for the year dropped through my letterbox, marking a year of contributing to the magazine. Through features aimed at connecting riders with nature and promoting responsible, sustainable trail use, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with foresters, hedge-layers, riders, river restorers, farmers, and others who live and work in the countryside.
It’s been a privilege to bring my two passions together and to see the TRF taking real action, keeping legal byways open while also giving something back to the landscapes they pass through. For those unfamiliar, legal byways, also known as BOATs (Byways Open to All Traffic) in England, are ancient rights of way with the same legal status as roads, open to walkers, cyclists, horse riders, and motor vehicles. They form a small but important part of our access network, and when used responsibly, they allow people to experience the countryside in a way that builds understanding, respect, and long-term care for these places.
I’m focusing my practice on long-form essays and print publication, developing work in collaboration with independent publishers and editorial teams. I’m currently developing new writing and working with a small number of publishers who value slower, considered storytelling in a time of increasingly fragmented attention.
From here
I hope to share some more essays here, bringing back my love of nature and travel on two wheels to the Little Race. Here are some mega moments that have been inspiring my writing since I’ve been away, photos and experiences that are shaping essays from here
See you soon,
Kirsty xo