THE UNDERSTORY Is the New RHIZOSPHERE

Welcome to our gathering of writers, especially those who love nature.

I am a writer. I am obsessed with writing well, for myself and for anyone else gripped by this same passion.

My First Newsletter for Writers

On March 21, 2023 I started a Substack newsletter for writers—different from my main Substack, Trackless Wild (my own writing, opinions, thoughts, ideas, opportunities.)

I called this second newsletter The Rhizosphere. Most of my work is about nature, and I think of it as an ecosystem, and in an ecosystem, the rhizosphere is an underground mycelial network of nourishment and support. I described The Rhizosphere as “My best thinking about writing, being a writer, and getting your work out into the world.”

On Tuesdays I published tiny essays about writing. Rhizo was the place where I

• announced prizes

• marketed my writing courses

• shared writing opportunities

A Big Change Occurred

Early August of 2024 a six-day-old baby arrived into my arms. Eight months later my husband and I adopted her. My duties as a new parent mean that I’m having to reduce the number of deadlines in a week.

Therefore, I have decided to merge Rhizo into Trackless Wild. At the same time I decided to drop the “rhizophere” name—writers in my courses gave me feedback that it was too intellectual. It was off-putting for some folks. The name wasn’t easily recognizable as having to do with writing.

The New Name

I created a section of Trackless called The Understory | Writers Gathering. It is about writing, being a writer, and getting your work out into the world. I am in the process of migrating posts from Rhizo over to here. The process takes a minute; it is not seamless.

Why the Comments Are Missing

The posts that migrate do not come with comments, so we lose the community input that we created over in The Rhizosphere. We lose the data on hearts and restacks. That is sad and essentially silences a lot of folks who took the time to comment, add information, comfort others, and more. However, I am certain that as time passes, this kind of community will develop in The Understory.

I Invite You

If you wish to receive posts in The Understory, please indicate that when you sign up for Trackless Wild.

Please tell your friends who write about our community here. I look forward to being with you.

Meanwhile, happy writing!