Where exactly am I right now?
You Are Here is a newsletter that deals with questions of place and politics. The newsletter’s abbreviation — which, of course, is YAH — sums up my level of excitement and interest in these questions and their potential answers. In the research I do for my day job, and the hobbies and interests in my personal life, I dig into the power of place and location in our politics, our economy, our social lives, and our personal journeys.
In this newsletter, you can expect to find reflections and analysis on how where we live, love, and work intersects with and influences our politics. I’ll also be dipping into areas where place and localism pops up in our culture; so you can look forward to the occasional poem, podcast, or video that touches on some particular and (I think) important aspect of place. You can get a better feel for the kind of shenanigans you’ll be subjecting yourself to by reading the introductory post for You Are Here:
Does being here cost money?
At this point in time, anyone who subscribes (free or otherwise) can expect new posts every week, along with audio versions of every post. You can subscribe and access the current archive of audio posts here on Apple Podcasts, or here on Spotify. You’ll also be able to listen directly on Substack (or other platforms) anytime by clicking here.
So, if this newsletter feels like your cup of tea/coffee/water/whiskey, I hope you’ll consider subscribing by clicking on the button down below so that new posts can come directly to your email inbox.
As the newsletter has expanded, I’ve decided build out different and more frequent kinds of writing projects. To support these projects, I’ve opened up totally optional paid subscriptions for those who really love my work, and who are willing to pay the lowest possible monthly amount Substack will allow me to charge, which is $5 per month; or a discounted $50 per year if you decide you’re really on board. I also have a flexible $100 per year “Locals Only” option for those of you who really love this stuff, and who also want the opportunity to suggest future topics!
In addition to subscribing, I also hope you’ll consider sharing You Are Here with a friend, family member, colleague, or mortal enemy who might enjoy it.
What’s the author’s deal?
The author’s deal is that his name is Charlie Hunt, a political scientist by trade who teaches and researches at Boise State University in Boise, Idaho. I’m a Rhode Island Native, and live in northwest Boise with my spectacular wife, Keara, and my two dogs; a blue heeler/absolute gentleman mix named Rhody, and a miniature dachshund/absolute horror show mix named Pennie.
I’m the author of two books: The first is an expansion of my doctoral dissertation about the electoral advantages members of Congress get from having deep local roots in the places they represent. The second is a textbook about Congress that I wrote with the inimitable Casey Burgat and SoRelle Gaynor. It has a really badass cover that I did not design.
I also torture myself by submitting and occasionally publishing academic articles to peer-reviewed journals. Generally speaking, I can’t recommend doing this. But since I already did, you can check out my research in journals like American Politics Research, Electoral Studies, and State Politics and Policy Quarterly.
Beyond academia, my more user-friendly political analysis has appeared over the years in USA Today, The Washington Post, and the Brookings Institution, and I publish with some regularity in The Conversation, which has its own. If you’re more of a listening person than a reading person, you can hear me on The Big Tent (Spotify/Apple Podcasts), where my BSU colleagues and I break down the week’s news in local, national, and international public affairs. I also host a podcast called Scandalized (Spotify/Apple Podcasts) on the NPR Network with my colleague Jaclyn Kettler on political scandals across history.
