The Whole Field • Volume 4 • No. 21 • New Moon • November 20, 2025
A Still And Quiet Conscience • 10" x 14"
Wait for Me On The Blue Horizon • 10" x 15"
All We Ever Wanted Was Everything • 8" x 10"
Paper Collage • Holly Polich • 2025
If I Didn’t Write This, Would I Read It?
Is this newsletter helpful? Does it create another obligation, a small pressure, in a world of obligations; more words and stimulus in a world awash with too much already?
These are questions I think about from time to time. Often, it's helpful to stop, take a step back, and reflect on impact and what's working, as well as what might be shifted. Could you give me a hand? I've linked to a five-question survey below, a quick one, and I'd truly appreciate your honest thoughts. They might shape the future of this little, regular dispatch that we've been putting together for over three years now.
As a token of gratitude, we'll choose one entrant at random for a small prize — a signed copy of the upcoming Woven publication, along with a note of personal thanks, mailed directly to you.
The Warp — Ideas and Inspiration
|| 1 || Earlier this week, just behind 221 N. Bridge Street in Bellaire, a spot also known as Crosshatch Meeting Place + Mercantile, helpful hands noisily rolled up the rear metal door on a U-Haul moving truck. Soon after, they heaved a two-hundred-pound contraption into the building. And after that, those hands brought in a heavier haul—the stone top for the composing table that goes along with the Pilot letterpress printer.
Suppose you want to know more about the vintage printing press that now graces the Crosshatch storefront. In that case, you can pick up on some of the basic gist in this write-up originally published in the winter of 1984: The Pilot—A Splendid Little Press, from the Amalgamated Printer's Association. If that whets your appetite, come by sometime (like December 6th). We're thankful to have an incredible traditional printing mentor just down the road, Chad Pastotnik at Deep Wood Press, and are excited to get ink rolling with his guidance.
|| 2 || I don't remember which episode it came from specifically, but I recall a sentiment from one of Post Carbon Institute's Crazy Town podcasts: the tricky thing is not coming up with what's needed in a world rife with overshoot, inequality, and excessive consumerism; those ideas are all over the place. The hard, yet necessary, piece is sorting out how to actually move towards what's needed.
Here's a recent example. Read the beginning of this policy brief, and you'll encounter two goals: meaningful work that addresses the "challenges of the 21st century", and job security and employment. Read the rest of the brief, Public works for a degrowth transformation; jobs for all who want them, and you'll find a proposal for achieving those goals in the form of a state-sponsored jobs guarantee "designed to contribute to the reorganisation of our economies to meet human needs within planetary boundaries."
The author, Charles Stevenson, lays out the case for such a program by including historical (Civilian Conservation Corps, anyone?) and current international parallels, addressing critiques, and offering resources for further learning. The idea is that the more prevalent an ecology-minded job guarantee becomes in mass conversation, the greater the potential for cultural shift and subsequent political enactment. Here's the executive summary, the fastest primer, or you can listen in on Charles' recent appearance on the Economics for Rebels podcast here.
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 || Upcoming Events at Crosshatch Meeting Place + Mercantile—There's plenty to be done before we’re fully open, but we have a few opportunities coming up for you to visit the space at 221 N. Bridge Street in Bellaire. Click through for more details.
December 6th, 4- 7pm: Artisan Pop-Up & Holiday Card Making at Light Up the Night
December 10th, 9-11 am: Drop-in Coffee Hour with Taylor
|| 2 || Good Hart Artist Residency (Harbor Springs, MI)—Open Call for Applications Beginning Soon. "Visual artists, writers, and composers are invited to submit applications on Submittable to our open call between December 1, 2025 through January 13th, 2026 for residencies scheduled between June 2026 - May 2027." Click here for more details on applications, upcoming residency opportunities, and information sessions.
|| 3 || The World We Want Book Club. Monthly Thursday gatherings, 6:30-8pm at the Upper Carnegie Building in Petoskey. Upcoming discussions include Palestine 1492: A Report Back by Linda Quiquivux (tonight, November 20th) and Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (December 18th.) Find more details here.
|| 4 || Beekeeping!
Benzie Bee Guild - Presentation and Discussion on Natural Approaches to Honey Bee Health and Hive Survival. Friday, November 21st, at 5:30pm. "Join us for a short presentation and discussion about Natural approaches to honey bee health and hive survival. There will also be a potluck. Please bring a dish to pass, your own tableware and a beverage. There will be a raffle so bring a bit of cash for tickets! We will be in the main building at Grow Benzie."
Grand Traverse Beekeeping Club—Monthly Meeting & Potluck. Thursday, December 4th, 6pm. Check in here for further details on the 206 S. Oak St. (Traverse City) gathering.
|| 5 || Michigan Organic Food & Farm Alliance (MOFFA) Organic Intensives 2026. Registration now open. Click here to learn more about the one-day learning experience offering tracks in medicinal herbs, home food gardening, and cut flowers.
|| 6 || "Are you taking care of yourself and those you care about? At Michigan State University Extension, we know farming can be tough. Whether you or a farmer you work with needs support, Michigan State University Extension is committed to helping. All services are free. Teletherapy • Educational Presentations • Farm Financial Analysis • Business Management Strategies • Other Farm Stress Resources • Free Online Courses • Mental Health First Aid. For more information, visit: extension.msu.edu/legacygrants or contact Remington Rice at riceremi@msu.edu."
|| 7 || The Tip of the Mitt New Hunters Guild—If you are interested in self-reliance skills, sourcing your own meat, and/or gaining a better connection to nature, consider checking out this flyer for information on gatherings, events, and how to get involved with the guild.
|| 8 || Happenings at The Alluvion Between Now and the Next Whole Field include: The Jeff Haas Trio featuring Laurie Sears + Lisa Flahive, Phil Cook, Funky Uncle, Organissimo - 25 Years of Jazz with Soul, The Alluvion Big Band, and Big Fun.
Find more information at 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. Click here to subscribe to our mailing list.
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