Volume 4 • No. 14 • New Moon • July 24, 2025
Three's Company • 8" x 10" • 2021
Wing It • 8" x 10" • 2020
The Rookies • 9" x 12" • 2019
Laura B DeLind • Linocuts
Something showed up in our mailbox not too long ago — a curious envelope featuring a hand-stamped letterhead: “The Luddite Club.”
Inside this welcomed surprise was Vol. 1 — №2 of “The Luddite Dispatch.” I devoured the brief write-up in the glossy, artful bifold and leaned back in my chair, satisfied, realizing the tale it told was worth sharing, perfect for reproducing in Crosshatch’s Whole Field. Soon after, my relaxation was derailed by a question: would I have to seek permission the way the letter had arrived, snail-mail and all, Bellaire-to-Brooklyn, waiting all darn day?
Reality is, we’ve got deadlines to meet. Penning something appropriate, finding an envelope, waiting for delivery to New York City, hoping for their reading, consideration, and positive response, and then waiting for that to make its way back to Bellaire struck me as inconvenient.
You might wonder why in the world I’d even begin to entertain such a process...
The Warp — Ideas and Inspiration
|| 1 || It's always strange encountering words you intended to write before you've written them. That wasn't exactly what happened when I opened Green Door Folk School'srecent email and found Libby Schnepf's "Slowing Your Scroll In an Attention Economy," but it was close. I think its release was limited to their newsletter, but the gist of the dual-purpose write-up was to draw attention to seven new fall classes coming up (beginning Sept. 13th), but also serve as an articulate encouragement to lean into what sometimes is inconvenient:
"Coursework at a folk school asks you to wait and sit with discomfort. They encourage you to notice what happens, the amount of time it takes, the connection you feel to nature, when you carve a bench with your own hands instead of buying that wobbly one on the internet. That act, and folk school learning more broadly, might even be described as inconvenient. We’d take that as a compliment.
In a world obsessed with speed, where immediacy is flattening creativity, culture, and ecosystems, slowing your scroll, and choosing the longer route, is a kind of resistance. Inconvenience and that, at times, aggravating slowness--it is the point."
|| 2 || One more snippet, this time from Smithsonian Magazine's What the Luddites Really Fought Against:
"...Technology is everywhere, knows all our thoughts and, in the words of the technology utopian Kevin Kelly, is even “a divine phenomenon that is a reflection of God.” Who are we to resist?
The original Luddites would answer that we are human. Getting past the myth and seeing their protest more clearly is a reminder that it’s possible to live well with technology—but only if we continually question the ways it shapes our lives. It’s about small things, like now and then cutting the cord, shutting down the smartphone and going out for a walk. But it needs to be about big things, too, like standing up against technologies that put money or convenience above other human values. If we don’t want to become, as Carlyle warned, “mechanical in head and in heart,” it may help, every now and then, to ask which of our modern machines General and Eliza Ludd would choose to break. And which they would use to break them."
The Weft — News and Events
We’re heartened by a wide-range of expressions of resilient communities and gatherings. Here’s a smattering of regional events and happenings that reflect that diversity, collected for your consideration. Choose your own adventure!
|| 1 || Intercontinental Biennial of Indigenous Art & Culture Exhibition at Commongrounds. Opening reception today (July 24th) at 5pm. A traveling collection of artwork from artists ranging across Latin America, along with indigenous artists from the U.S. and Michigan. On view throughout the first and second floors of Commongrounds until August 31st.
|| 2 || Field Day at Providence Organic Farm. July 29th, 9am-3pm, Central Lake. An opportunity to hear from Ryan and Andrea Romeyn as well as a panel of livestock producers and learn more about Providence's production and marketing practices. Presented by the Michigan Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). Free with lunch provided. Register by noon today (July 24th!)
|| 3 || Upcoming Talks at Bay View (Petoskey):
Temple Grandin - Visual Thinking. Thursday, July 31st, at 7:30pm.
Mary Berry, along with Maggie Keith, Justin and Noah Rashid - Building an Economy for Small and Mid-Size Farmers. Tuesday, August 5th, at 4:30pm.
Robin Wall Kimmerer - Keynote Address, Braiding Sweetgrass. Thursday, August 7th, at 7pm.
|| 4 || Climate Cafe Hosted by the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America—Sunday, August 3rd, 4-5:30pm, via ZOOM. "A Climate Cafe is a gentle, nonjudgmental space to simply be human. A place where you can speak from the heart—or stay quiet and just listen. A place where it’s okay to feel whatever is there. Climate grief is often entangled with many other kinds of grief, and you are welcome to bring all of it."
|| 5 || Grand Traverse Beekeeping Club: August Apiary Visit & Meeting, Thursday, August 7th, 6pm. Covering mite treatments with honey supers, brood equalizing, escape board and honey extraction demo. Find more details on the Birch Point Road gathering here.
|| 6 || Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference Tickets Now Available!—Leelanau County. Mon-Tues, Aug. 18th-19th. Space is limited; two days packed with valuable content designed to get you excited about the remainder of the season and thinking ahead to future years. Not quite ready to commit? Click here to learn more about this year’s conference, or here to purchase your ticket now.
|| 7 || Desiree Cooper Reading and Book Signings. The Antrim Writers Series presents two opportunities to hear from Desiree Cooper on Wednesday, August 27th. The first, from 3-4pm at the Bellaire Public Library features her children's book, "Nothing Special," while the second, from 7-8:30pm at Bee Well Mead and Cider, showcases her flash fiction collection "Know the Mother." Find more on the free events and reserve your spot (and books!) at the links above.
|| 8 || The Water is Life Festival will be held on Saturday, August 30th, from 12-9pm. Find out more and register for the family-friendly, free celebration of water and connection on the Petoskey waterfront. Expect amazing bands, recreation, vendors, and more.
|| 9 || Interlochen's Nature & Art Series—"A variety of two-hour programs focusing on creative exploration of nature, art, and food," offered June through August. Check out classes and dates, and register here.
|| 10 || Happenings at The Alluvion Between Now and the Next Whole Field include: Tae & The Neighborly with special guests Trillium Groove, Big Fun, Charlie Millard Band Album Release Show & Charlie's Birthday Celebration, The Pickle Mafia with special guests: wtrbd, Funky Uncle, Wheatpaste Wednesday, and Harmolodics & Evening Star.
Find more information at www.thealluvion.org.
sponsored by:
Desmond Liggett Wealth Advisors is a mission-driven, fee-only wealth management company with a simple purpose: to generate exceptional value for the individuals, families, small business owners, and non-profit organizations they serve. Desmond Liggett Wealth Advisors believe in and adhere to triple-bottom-line analysis for portfolio investments, ensuring that they review how a company’s environmental and social values impact its long-term resilience and, consequently, value.
Crosshatch’s The Whole Field is a biweekly (meaning roughly every other week) human-written newsletter. We aim to provide engaging, thought-provoking content that’s worth your time. If you’ve been forwarded this email and want to receive future editions, click here to subscribe to our mailing list or view past newsletters.
We also envision this best as a collaborative work. If you have any suggestions, leads, questions or feedback, we appreciate your reply directly to this email.
Copyright (C) 2025 Crosshatch. All rights reserved.