Welcome!

Welcome to Otherwise, a contemplative reading room and media workshop for anyone interested in nature, culture, and the relationships between them.

I'm Ryan, an independent researcher and writer. I've been experimenting with old ideas, practices, and media forms, seeking to understand what they have to teach us about the world, our attention, and our relationships.

Although this has been a personal project, I daydream about forming a sort of digital research library, like the Warburg Institute or Boston Athenaeum, with program areas and collaborating fellows--but a bit more homespun and DIY.

Current projects in the space include:

• Lectio Terra - a weekly newsletter of species studies, collecting readings and art about a single plant, animal, landform, or natural phenomena. For example: lilacs and argillite!
• The Earthly Book of Hours - a contemplative archive of images, readings, and natural phenomena that changes throughout the day (and night).
• An Almanac of Impressions - a collaborative repository of observations meant to document the poetry of the seasons; inspired by the saijiki tradition of seasonal keywords. An open chat, with one weekly reminder for the group: details here.
• The Timeshed Project: Field Notes - an invitation to reflect on how time flows through your life; inspired by the ecology of watersheds. An open blog, to share posts of any length, format, or media: details here.
• Laurentia Kitchen [ON HIATUS] - my digital scrapbook/zine related to cooking, eating, and bioregional placefinding.

Fig. 1. “Common mullein (Verbascum thapsus) with an associated moth and its anatomical segments.” Etching with watercolor. London: J. Curtis, 1831. From the Wellcome Collection.