Bob Welch: Heart, Humor & Hope
A new year, a new leap: A weekly column
Dec 19, 2023
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Ten years ago this month, December 2023, I left The Register-Guard as a columnist. In terms of ideas, it seemed I was increasingly plowing already-tilled soil. And, inspired by a book called Necessary Endings, I’d realized it’s hard to have a new adventure if you don’t let go of the old.
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So, on a snowy afternoon—rare for Oregon’s Willamette Valley—I said goodbye to my colleagues, some of whom I’d worked with for nearly 25 years and walked into the wintry unknown.
It was the best job I’d ever had, and I was only fifty-nine. I wasn't sure how I'd replace my R-G income. But a decade later: no regrets. Since that day, I’ve taught at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism & Communication; returned to work at The Register-Guard as a part-time associate editor in the editorial department for two years—during a historically contentious presidential race; watched hundreds of games involving our five grandchildren; traveled to the Caribbean, Hawaii, the Czech Republic and Poland, specifically Auschwitz; scattered my 93-year-old mother’s ashes at Yachats; taken my first (and last) surf lesson; fallen back in love with golf; recalibrated my Christian faith; collaborated with five authors to write their books, one about a woman featured on ABC’s “20/20” who learned her biological father was her mother’s gynecologist; edited and/or designed books for seven other clients; and written four books of my own, one based on my experience of hiking the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail. (Seven Summers and a Few Bummers.)
In other words, I think I got the adventure I sought, the most mind-bending, soul-stretching, foot-blistering decade of my life, which is primed to reach the 70-year mark on Feb. 3, 2024.So, now what? Glad you asked. Beginning the first week of January 2024, I’m going to write a weekly column on the Substack platform. No Register-Guard affiliation. No affiliation, period. Just me and readers, a relationship made possible by the good people at Substack, who will facilitate the effort.
The focus of this literary offerings? Think of my Register-Guard column, only with no local boundaries that the paper required. Think of the heart, humor and hope that I shared at my three Hult Center events. Think laughter one week, a lump in the throat the next, and a disbelieving shake of your head the next. Variety.
Some writers are experts in one area—and beat that same drum, bringing them great financial rewards. (See John Grisham and his courtroom thrillers.) Me? Whether writing books or columns, I’ve always set my sails, then let the wind decide where I should go, my frequent tacking making me very average sums of money—but providing me great satisfaction in the meantime.
Same with this venture, I hope. In a month’s time, I might—in the spirit of low-hanging fruit—tickle your funny bone about something stupid I did, inspire you with a story about random acts of kindness, inform you about the secret life of a ghostwriter and wax poetic about winter storms in Yachats that occasionally turn the surf into whip cream. (At times, with photos to illustrate my themes.)
Pacific Crest Trail hiking, history, culture, places, books, writing, weather, sailing, seasons, sports, adventure, family, faith, authors, Oregon icons, Lane County trivia, Eugene idiosyncrasies—you name it, I’ll probably write about it. I might even make occasional forays into faith and politics, in the same way one reaches into a jar of bees. But the overall thrust of the column will be upbeat, optimistic and encouraging.
In many ways, these are dark times; perhaps my words can offer a glimpse of light. And with the sad demise of the once-mighty Register-Guard, it’s become more difficult to understand the very place we live and the people who live here. I hope I can do a little something to change that, even if it might only be a one small finger in the leaky dike of ignorance. I hope I can make you better understand this place we live, better undersgtand the people who live here and, for better or worse, better understand yours truly. (The paint is still drying on who I am, for which I'm glad! Too many people refuse to change—and change is often good.)
“Some vulnerability is essential to the personal essay,” writes Phillip Lopate in The Art of the Personal Essay. I will aspire to offer you that.
So, the ingredients for this literary trip will be: (a) one part flawed writer; (b) however many readers choose to get on the bus; and (c) roughly 1,500 to 2,000 words per week.
Why this? Why now?
First, I’ve found myself thinking, “Oh, that’d make a great column” but had no way to share the idea with readers.
Second, at book events, writers’ workshops and elsewhere, I’ve been humbled by former readers of mine who tell me that they miss my stuff.
Third, with the PCT hiked and most (but not all) of my books written, I find myself with more time than usual.
Finally, technology — specifically Substack — now makes it possible to email such a column to subscribers, charge a nominal fee for it, and get reader feedback.I know, I know, I had you at “nominal fee.” Some of you might be thinking: Wait, I have to pay for this? The bad news is yes. The good news is it’ll only cost you, per month, roughly what you pay for a Starbucks white chocolate mocha.One year’s worth of columns—52—will run you $5 a month—the least amount Substack will allow me to charge. Or $50 per year, a 20% savings compared to paying weekly.
Everyone likes a deal, so I’ll sweeten mine with the promise of four bonus columns: one of my “Q&A” columns each quarter of 2024. Similar to what I did at The Register-Guard, I’ll answer questions about minutia related to Eugene, Springfield, Lane County and Oregon. Questions you have. Questions I have. All in the spirit of solving those nagging mysteries that keep us awake nights, like, “Why does the City of Springfield have turn-arrows on Q Street along I-105, where, if you followed the guidance of such arrows, you’ll ram your car smack into a concrete barrier, since there are no streets to turn onto?”
Part of the fun of this new adventure will be the uncertainty of it; I’m riding the bicycle even as I build it. That’s the “great unknown.” Like hiking the PCT, I don't know what’s around the next bend or over the next pass. Will my adventure fly? Will it flop? Who knows? But as they say: the greatest risk is not taking one.
If you want to take this leap with me—and remember, you can opt out at any time, with a pro-rated refund—here’s what you need to know: To subscribe to “Bob Welch: Heart, Humor & Hope.”
First, as mentioned, subscribing costs $5 a week or $50 a year, payable with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or ApplePay.
Second, for that, each week you will be e-mailed a fresh Welch-written column of about 1,500 to 2,000 words, plus four “Q&A” columns of similar length, one each quarter. Fifty-six columns in all. Eighty-nine cents a pop if you pay by the year. (Take that, John Grisham!)
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Third, you have three ways of getting involved:
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First,
Purchase a subscription for yourself.
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​Second, you can
Third, you can donate a subscription for someone you don't know who can't afford one.
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Questions? I’m happy to answer them. Email me at: bobwelch@bobwelchwriter.com.Thanks for your time. And I hope you’ll take the leap and, beginning the first week of January 2024, join me on this new journey!
