And we’re off!
Welcome to the very first newsletter! I'm hoping to send these at least every other week, updating you on where I am and what I've been up to.
This first one is just an introduction, but already...
I am seeing the world with new eyes.
From the airplane window I notice new features of The Bay I’d never looked at it before. Snaking tendrils of the Sacramento River extend far into farmland, crossed sometimes by train tracks and highways, before narrowing suddenly on dry, empty land. Pit mines stand out in stark contrast to the green, their azure pools surprising bottoms to upside down terraced pyramids.
In many ways this trip is about observations. Though I lived in Sonoma for so many years, I don’t think I really saw it until I came back with fresh eyes. I gave purpose to my gaze.
This time, my medium is audio — it is an attempt to observe the world by hearing to its many stories. Each interview is a chance to truly listen to those around me, and hopefully to learn something new. Though I (and maybe you) have gotten used to the format of my interviews, I’m going to be experimenting with new ways of storytelling, and finding guests.
As I travel to some of Sonoma’s Sister Cities, I’ll hopefully uncover exciting and diverse stories we can all identify with.
Just as our memories often form in the moments between photographs, I will be interviewing people between my journeys to the cities as well. Though not directly Sonoma related, the connection to Sonoma is that I want to share what I find with my fellow Sonomans in the hopes that we turn our curiosity towards those around us, wherever we are.
Jack London, a famous Sonoman (Glenn Ellen counts), got his start as a war correspondent. He traveled in Manchuria and Alaska reporting back on what happened during the Russo-Japanese war. His observations helped inspire the rest of his works and generations of Americans — including me. I’d like to consider this trip as my humble attempt to emulate our great Sonoma Author, this time as a Peace correspondent in a time of global misunderstandings.
Hello Sonoma!'s punctuation already expresses excitement with its exclamation mark, but perhaps for this journey I’ll add a comma: Hello, Sonoma!, so it reads more like what it is: a letter back home.
I hope you’ll enjoy my correspondences from the field and thank you, as always, for tuning in.
Ciao,
Francisco
June 20, 2022
New York City, NY