The author as a young boy in Pittsburgh, Pa.

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Homesick is a weekly newsletter about place, identity, and the complicated nature of home. It is written by me, Matthew Newton, and published here on Substack. Home, as a topic, is both incredibly narrow and wildly broad. Narrow in how personal histories, geography, and familial ties anchor us in place and time. But broad in the sense that home also exists in memory and travels with us across decades, borders, oceans, and time zones. In simple terms, Homesick is a biography of place. The name, inspired by that feeling of emotional distress we have all experienced when we find ourselves away from home in a new and unfamiliar environment, is deceptively simple. Look closer, however, and it reveals infinite layers of interpretation.

You can also follow Homesick on Instagram.

When is it published?

Homesick publishes at least four times a month. A new issue is delivered to your email inbox each week. When it arrives, you can expect one of the following types of stories:

  • Dispatches: Shortform, blog-like posts that examine place, identity, and home through the lenses of art, film, literature, music, and more.

  • Interviews: Longform conversations with artists, filmmakers, historians, musicians, writers, and more, where we talk about their work and its relationship to their place in the world.

  • Essays: Thoughtful, incisive, and far-reaching writing on topics personal, political, and provocative. Sometimes a long read. Other times short.

How much does it cost?

Homesick is free. But it is also reader-supported. If you can afford to buy a subscription, I hope you will. Your contribution keeps the lights on.

Who writes it?

Homesick is written by me, Matthew Newton. I am a writer, editor, and arts worker from Pittsburgh, PA. My writing has appeared in Aperture, Artforum, Guernica, the Oxford American, The Paris Review Daily, 3:AM, Spin, Forbes, and more. I’ve been a cultural commentator on NPR and Al Jazeera America, and I’m the author of Shopping Mall (Bloomsbury). To learn more about my work, you can visit my website.

Contact

If you are interested in getting in contact, please send me an email. You can also find me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

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Matthew Newton is the author of HOMESICK, a newsletter about place, identity, and the complicated nature of home.