I haven’t told you much about the Arctic horses yet. They are beautiful survivors. They wander the taiga, over permafrost, in the coldest region of the world that is permanently inhabited by humans. They are semi-wild. People own them, but they feed themselves and wander far and free. No fences. Photo Eric Guth
Come along! Sign up! My next newsletter comes out tomorrow. Previously unreleased photos from Russia, links to new audio stories, and a letter from me to you. Even a song that has inspired me on the road – and I’ll tell you why this custom tundra vehicle is called The Cockroach. I send these out…
I’m writing these days, which means reading too. From Wade Davis: “… the myriad of cultures of the world are not failed attempts at modernity, let alone failed attempts to be us. They are unique expressions of the human imagination and heart, unique answers to a fundamental question: What does it mean to be human…
What qualities make someone a good listener? Please send me your ideas on this!! Listening has been the focus of my work for the last three years, but what makes for great listening? With Vikvun, in Russia, we had no shared language, yet I felt I could understand him quite well. Photo by Eric Guth
Today, National Geographic turns 130; as a National Geographic Explorer I’m proud to celebrate! The National Geographic Society funded my work in Russia’s Far East this past fall, and I had the privilege of interviewing dozens of people to learn about modern Arctic culture in one of the north’s least known regions. For many of…
Me…Russia, 2017. It’s the last Saturday of the year, and my house is very quiet, which makes it easier for the memories to come back. Here’s a section from my Russia diary for anyone feeling homesick, jarred by change, or unsure just what the hell to do next. It’s okay to be scared sometimes. Dear…
We’ve been around the world. Into Russia from the east and out through the west. Everyday I’ve come across different representations of culture and different ways to share it. Like this Sakha mural in a grocery store in downtown Yakutsk. Eric set up the tripod, and I asked for a selfie, and a few bystanders…
When I woke up in Yakutsk, the metropolis of Russia’s Far East, and planned the day with our host, Egor Makarov, I never expected that a few hours later his recommendations would take me into the middle of the diamond industry. At the top of just another staircase and through a gate made of rebar,…
The stories we tell ourselves. . . Anadyr is the urban heart of Chukotka. It’s home to 15,000 people, but with the apartment buildings, administration centres, a cultural complex, swimming pool, movie theatre, supermarket, mall, and some hotels, it feels like a city. It’s a city in the middle of the tundra on the edge…
Office time can happen anywhere. And hey, at least here I can do some ironing. Mostly, I tell you about the action, sometimes the emotion, rarely the straight-up behind-the-scenes, office-style elbow grease to make it all happen. I’ve just spent an hour writing about that stuff, and it’s just too boring to share, so I’ll…