Hi Reader,
In today’s Lucky to Be Here, we stay in the United States… and we explore what home means with Dr. Charlie Hunt.
Dr. Charlie Hunt is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Boise State University. He's the author of two books about the U.S. Congress, the co-host of the "Scandalized" podcast on the NPR Network, and he writes the Substack newsletter "You Are Here" about the intersection of place, politics, and poetry. More recently, Charlie and I started a side podcast called “Poetry Nook”, where we explore poetry and what it means to us from different angles. You can find our discussions once a month as part of his newsletter, You Are Here.
In this conversation, Charlie shares his journey through career transitions within academia, the significance of place in shaping identity, and the challenges of public engagement in academia. He discusses the importance of community and home, reflecting on how these concepts have evolved in his life. Charlie also offers practical advice for aspiring creatives within and beyond their 9-5 jobs, emphasizing the need to trust one's instincts and the value of starting from a blank slate.
I personally appreciated this discussion because in addition to having known Charlie for many, many years now, I believe that this exploration of home and what it means is one that goes beyond borders and nationalities. While there are specific nuances to making big moves across countries, there is common ground regardless of whether you have moved abroad or not in the concept of home, and what it feels home to each of us at our core. As Charlie says during our conversation, “home is a way of binding us together.”
You can find out more about Charlie on his website, read and watch his newsletter You Are Here on Substack and follow him on Instagram at @charliehunt.
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See you in two weeks for another episode of Lucky to Be Here,
