Reiss

The first kind person that I met in the city.

Maybe the second, after my airport transfer driver – but the way that he drove made me think that he wished me bodily harm for leaving him waiting for an hour. He doesn’t count for now.

Anyway, I met Reiss when I checked in at my hostel on the first night. Very late, very exhausted and mildly dissociating after 37(?) hours in transit, I was pretty ready to crash and start the trip proper the next morning. After paying and putting my things away, Reiss came up and asked if I was Australian. We then spoke about his travels to the country and his mates, and why I was there. After chatting for a bit in the lobby, we made plans for a photoshoot the following afternoon.

When 5pm came around, Reiss walked into the lobby and we immediately set out to take photos. It was fun and effortless and set such a great tone for the first few days. Once we wrapped shooting, we retired to the hostel bar for a quick drink before Reiss’ dinner plans and my jetlagged bum to return to bed. Several hours and a few canned margaritas later, I crawled upstairs happy to have made a friend and very aware that the alcohol content of drinks in the US might be stronger than anticipated.

Reiss, thank you so much for immediately setting a good note for this trip.  

LOUIS

Someone who I met last time I was here, who in a small interaction taught me a lot about photography.

In 2015, I saw Louis standing in front of B&H photo. When I approached to ask for his portrait – something I had not really done before, and was working up to do a whole lot more – he accepted, as long as I bought an instant portrait from him. Fair trade. But I would only be able to take one photo.

When I took a photo and underexposed it, he let me take one more – but he told me to hold my camera in portrait orientation, “Like a real portrait photographer.” The next photo was fantastic, I loved the one he took of Sarah and I, and we parted ways.

When I got to the city, I was hopeful that I might run into Louis again over the time. He visits events and takes photos for tourists and residents so I thought the chances would be good.

Turns out, they were very good.

Day 1 in the city (arrival is Day 0 for arriving at 11pm), I got out of Bryant Park Station and turned around to see Louis sitting on a chair. I came up, explained how I met him last time and we did the same deal as last time (though I took more than one photo this time).

When I asked how he’d like his portrait taken he said “Good.”

Louis was one of the big inspirations that got me moving on the 1000 Portrait Project in 2016. It feels like a beautiful rounding out to have him in it, right in the end.

Thank you, Louis. I think I’m a real portrait photographer now.

TEAGUE

First weekend of the trip, I was at the Brooklyn Flea when a stranger complimented me on my camera.

I thanked them and we got talking. Teague asked how much film I had on me, and I said I had a bit - but wasn’t sure if it had all gotten zapped by the airport CT scanners.

Without hesitation, he reached into his bag and handed me a roll of Portra 800 (the film holy grail).

He said he had plenty of rolls on him, and that you should always have fresh film on hand.

I used that roll for a studio shoot (safe in the knowledge that the film would be fresh and good!!) and was so struck by the kindness of cool artistic strangers.

Cheers, mate.

Check out Teague’s work here!

Ben

While I’ve been here, I’ve been getting properly into shooting Polaroid film.

It makes sense that my path has crossed with Ben, who lives and breathes the stuff over at Brooklyn Film Camera.

At their exhibition / opening event, Ben took my photo and that little photo now sits on a shelf in the store - with another he took of me up on the wall.

Since then, I’ve been into BFC countless times. Polaroid film quickly became the biggest expense of the trip - but also the loveliest way to document eight weeks in a new city.

A moment that stays with me is walking into the store with my friend Nicole, who Ben greeted with a polite and upbeat “Hey!” before seeing me behind her and booming out a much louder “HEY!” - which made all of us crack up.

He then took a photo of me with my new cap (go Gators) for the BFC Wall of Fame.

It took me a while to dive in to life over here but folks like Ben made it easy to stick my head under the metaphorical water. Such a lovely person who lights up when he talks about film and film-related nonsense. We’ve talked about the military background of photography, silly film stocks, wonderful cameras and the community around photography in NYC.

It’s been beautiful. Thanks Ben!

Check out Ben’s photos here!

Kyle

Technically the first person I spoke to on the trip.

I emailed Kyle ahead of the trip, after seeing Brooklyn Film Camera at a Brooklyn Flea Market stall years ago. I’ve followed the team there on social media for a long time and dropped him a message to see if he – or anyone at the shop – would be interested in having a portrait taken for my 1000 Portrait Project.

He immediately responded that they’d be honoured and encouraged me to swing by when the shop opened.

I came by and took three portraits - of him and Cecilia and Lucas. Kyle was last up, and when we set up he asked “How many people do you have left to photograph?” When I pulled out my phone and took a quick count, I let him know that he was the last one. We then had a fun little shoot and I walked out with my project finished, six and a half years after it started.

I’ve seen him plenty since then, and I’m always greeted by a fist bump or a handshake (with some secret handshakes discussed), and a nice chat. I’ll be glowing in the memory of BFC and the little community the store is cultivating for a very long time.

Thanks so much Kyle!

Check out Kyle’s work!

Cecilia

An incredible artist and photographer who I had the privilege of meeting at Brooklyn Film Camera. Cecilia was one of the last people to be in the 1000 Portrait Project – and is the very first person to be in my next project, Relics.

The things we spoke about will be showcased when I’ve sorted out my approach for Relics, but I’ve loved getting to chat with Cecilia about family and photography in my time here and the innumerable times I’ve stopped in at BFC.

Cecilia, of course, also takes some really incredible photos, with some genuine and heartfelt connections in them.

I strongly encourage you to check out Cecilia’s work heeere!

SAMANTHA

Oh god, where do I start?

In four short days we accomplished so much chaos. Samantha is a friend from back home - , from Nebraska but lived in Melbourne for quite a long stint. We got to know each other a bit back home, and stayed in touch from time to time. When this trip came around, we spoke about where we’d meet up in this big ol’ country – before I twigged that I already paid for accommodation in a big apartment, so I invited Sam to visit, crash on the couch, and introduce me to the world of musical theatre.

What followed was the loveliness of when you push out from the space of the Person I Know and Like, and land much closer to Wonderful and Close Friend I Could Trust With Anything. What a phenomenal jump.

What followed was also essentially a four day bender comprising of theatre shows / beer roulette / movies / dancing / losing my possessions / finding my possessions / long chats over tables / sleeping in / being very upset about hangovers / long walks / seeing where the night would take us / general chaos / hitting the bricks when things sucked and pretty earnestly throwing ourselves into any situation we could.

I learned so much about travel from Samantha. I learned so much about her and had so much fun that I think it set me on a good path to meet everyone else I did once she continued on in her trip to Europe. I’m so glad I took the chance on inviting a pal to come to New York and she gave it a go.

Since we parted ways we’ve kept in track over voice memos – debriefs on the day and funny stories and encouragement and enablement for silliness from across an ocean and a small time diffo. It kind of feels like she never left.

Thank you so much, Sam. You’re a fucking gem.

Olivia

Sometime in the middle of The Samantha Bender period of New York (this is said lovingly of course), I met Olivia at Ficco (the bar formerly known as Fiction). She was working behind the bar when Sam and I blew in, and we told her stories of beer roulette and ridiculousness. Olivia said that she thought we were fun and I think we ended up with some shots as a result.

Since then, I’ve had really lovely and long and honest conversations with Olivia – usually intermingled with work biz and a lot of ridiculousness as the nights flow on and the Lightweight Australian Tourist half of the conversation starts to get a little tipsy. On one of our first proper evenings of chatting, I stayed from 5pm to close (sometime after 1am), where we ordered food to the bar and I helped with a little packdown – what little I could accomplish given my motor skills.

It’s been wonderful. I so look forward to swinging by the bar to see Olivia and the folks she works with, and meeting her was easily one of the highlights of the start of the trip – another example that people are lovely and open and warm if you give them a chance to be.

I couldn’t finish this little section without mentioning the evening that the jazz band at Ficco cancelled, so before the DJ arrived Olivia blasted the venue with early-2000s pop bangers, resulting in every person in the venue having a boogie well into the wee hours of the morn. Fucking phenomenal.

Olivia, you’re bloody wonderful.

JACK

Jack was one of the earliest people I had contact with in the city – I joined a Facebook group for photographers and models in the city, and Jack replied immediately, saying he had time and could show me nice places around the city to take photos off the beaten path.

His photo work is, frankly, incredible – he’s got such a good mind for portraits and is so easy to get on with.

We met up to explore the old Brooklyn Army Terminal, to find an old abandoned train Jack had seen in photos. We arrived to see a bustling building, full of businesses and people working, and ended up going on a wee bit of a goose chase to find the train. But find it we did, and we took some great photos.

After this little day of photos, Jack so kindly invited me along to his birthday drinks the following week, where I met his partner and some of his wonderful friends. We had beers, we bowled, it was beautiful.

Little moments like Jack messaging before I started off on my journey are glorious confidence boosters, and I’m so glad I got to meet him (though I wish we’d found more time to hang out and chat – but there’s always next time for that!).

Thank you so much, Jack. You’re such a talented photographer and a great friend.

Please go follow Jack!!

BECKA

The Queen of Williamsburg.

I think it’s fair to say, straight off the bat, that if I hadn’t met Becka, this entire trip would have travelled along a very different trajectory. Through her I met all of the wonderful folks involved in Writing Under the Influence, I got to meet some brilliant people at her Open Book literary open mic, and there have been few days in my trip that haven’t involved her since we met.

Early in the trip, I went to a movie night being hosted at Ficco on Hooper Street. After watching one of the strangest Norman Reedus performances in a film ever, Becka came up to chat at the bar – asking what I thought of the movie. We struck up conversation and I told Becka about my little solo travelling in the city. She immediately recommended I swing by The Keep from 7.30 on Tuesdays (and this is now me recommending this to you), to write and hang out and have a drink with a varied and lovely bunch of writers. I went along, made a couple pals, and really enjoyed the night.

But the big turning point of the trip would be the following night, at the one year celebration of Open Book, where I got to hear so many of those writers perform their pieces in a supportive and warm setting. I could not believe how many pieces I heard that struck me, and I immediately went up to chat with a few of the writers whose pieces really affected me – those writers are now people I’m very grateful to call my friends.

That night, Becka, the writers and myself all ended up at Duff’s until the very early hours of the morning. The month and a half since then has been filled with little adventures, long walks, long nights, a lot of beer and a truly life-changing amount of conversations with Becka and the people she introduced me to.

Becka has so much time for people, while also juggling more tasks than any person I have ever known. I’ve seen her throw together a fantastic piece for the open mic with minutes to spare, after helping to mend some clothing and catch up on our collective days and work on her zine and sort out work business. She has so much care for everyone around her and the artistic communities she moves through and supports. An icon and a legend.

Becka, my travel will be measured in Before and After meeting you. Before was nice – after is something so far beyond words. I am so thankful for your time and care and enthusiasm and effort and vibrancy.

I’m going to miss you a ton, but I look forward to snail mail correspondence and seeing all the things you’ll achieve - the people you’ll bring together and the art you’ll create and facilitate and take part in.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

p.s. support Becka’s work and order a copy of the next zine, featuring so very many talented people!!

Also follow her on Insta

NICOLE

One of the writers whose work struck me at the October Open Book event was Nicole – dressed in a powerful gold jacket, she read a piece that left myself and the folks sitting around me devastated. I went up to chat after the show and we immediately started bonding over a mutual appreciation for Australian writer, Patrick Lenton. A strong start to any friendship.

Nicole is the one who told me that travel can feel like summer camp – where you’re always aware of the big clock ticking down, so friendships spring into existence and deepen wildly quick as you share experiences and stories and every part of yourself that you can.

And that is exactly how things have been – we became friends, then she quickly became one of my best friends.

There’s just no way I can condense all of the hours and tens of thousands of words we’ve exchanged into a piece here that will do our friendship justice.

I think the only way that I can describe it is that becoming friends with Nicole made this not feel like travel at all.

When you travel, you try to see the Big Things, experience the things that you can’t see or do back home. When you live somewhere, you get to spend slow days in cafes chatting, working on laptops in the same space and trading words between tasks, hanging out a little on big evenings but knowing you’ll see each other the next day or the one after to debrief and catch up all over again - living a bit slower. The clock in the background is still ticking, but you don’t hear it.

I will be leaving New York as the best version of myself yet, and Nicole has been such a pivotal part of this.

Nicole, thank you. For all of it.

I can’t wait to read and hear your writing, to see the beautiful and strange and fun places that life will take you.

‼‼‼

p.s. please subscribe to Nicole’s amazing neuesletter!!

p.p.s follow Nicole’s insta for some wonder and amazement and photos and also writing

DIEGO

I met a whole bunch of photographers on this trip, most of them at NYC Film Lab / Lomography / Brooklyn Film Camera’s photo walk and meetup weekend.

When I got to the walk – a wee bit nervous, knowing nobody there – I immediately started chatting to Diego, who was holding a McDonald’s Fries 110 film camera. Which is entirely as ridiculous as it sounds.

We all wandered about, took photos and spoke over the first evening – groups branching off and coming back together and ambling around at our own pace (my little branch off group made it to the end event wildly late). Diego and I spent time at the end of the night having a beer and talking more about photos. We immediately clicked and had a lot of ridiculous energy crackling between us.

When the photo event wound down, Diego asked if I wanted to keep hanging out, so we wandered over to Vinnie’s Pizzeria and had a fantastic conversation about art and social media and photography. There I got one of my favourite compliments to date – when Diego said that I was very diffusing to be around.

Diego’s knowledge of film photography is absolutely wild – and maybe second only to his keenness to collect the beautiful and the strange in camera technology. We took photos the next day at the Film Photographers Meet-Up, and his photo of me won a one-shot portrait competition through Lomography.

We’ve stayed in touch and their support and kind words and openness has been a really incredible part of the trip.

Thank you so much Diego – can’t wait to see what you do with the photo community out west, and hope to bump into you again, in your state or mine.

For legal purposes this is a joke, but I can’t wait to flip a Mini Cooper with you.

Check out Diego’s work!

LEXI

Ok so I just want to start this one and say that there is a somewhat-generally-held-view that you shouldn’t meet people you look up to, in art or otherwise, just in case they’re not good and it sours the feelings you have about what they’ve made.

I’ve looked up to Lexi’s photo work for a long time. I’ve followed her photo journey for so very long – I think after seeing other photographers in NYC and the United States share it. Basically, she’s an unbelievably talented portrait and travel photographer – and every time I see her work it stops me in my little scrollin’ tracks so I can briefly marvel at it, and hope to improve my work.

So I was briefly nervous at the photo walk (mentioned above), when I saw Lexi and some folks chatting, but decided to go up and mention that I’m a huge fan of her work. When I mentioned this, she lit up like a Christmas tree and we ended up having some really lovely conversations about travel while we all moseyed along into the Brooklyn sunset.

I took some lovely portraits of Lexi and we had some great conversations that weekend that left me very thankful to be in a city with so many folks making great art – especially folks who are so kind and welcoming in talking about art.

Lexi is a gem of a person, a legendary photographer and I hope this story is a little reminder that if you see someone making art you like, you should absolutely let them know.

Go follow Lexi!

ELI

Eli, like Lexi (above), is a photographer whose work I have really admired for a long time. So when I met both of them at the same time, it was a beautiful little revelation.

We hit it off super well, talking about photography and sharing our work, chatting through the afternoon wander and back to the bar and then online here and there.

I then had a lovely afternoon where I travelled down to Sunset Park to meet up with Eli and another spectacular photographer, Brandon. We ate doughnuts, took photos as the sun set (turns out the park was well named – the light that washed over was bloody gorgeous and so good for photos), and had some lovely conversations about art and travel and nifty cameras (I’m super envious of Eli’s gigantic Mamiya RZ67 and, of course, the photos he takes with it).

We took a walk, photographed some nice cars and their owners, then found our way down to the waterfront. It was one of those moments where I was so pleased to have found myself in that part of the world at that particular time with the people I’ve found myself there with. I’ve had that feeling a lot.

This is yet another reminder that art is never hierarchical - good artists should support other artists, and they so often do.

Eli’s work is brilliant, so please go check it out.

Thank you so much, Eli. Can’t wait to see what you create next!

Jo

I got to meet Jo at the same photo walk as Diego and Lexi and Eli – she was hanging out with a group of folks I moseyed over to, and Jo, myself and another photographer, Daisy, bonded over their British accents (and the times I’ve been mistaken for a brit).

Jo has been working in the city for the last year, taking photos for a publication that she worked for over in the UK.

We had such a good chat about photography – though unfortunately her appearance at the photo walk was right after sending her Olympus OM-10 in for repairs (the result being the repair folks telling her to just buy a new camera – fair but sad advice).

After the event, we stayed in touch and organised a quick photo shop and hangout one evening before events – which included a few tries at Brooklyn Film Camera’s film photobooth – and then another big day of lunch and camera shopping, to find a replacement camera for Jo. This ended up in a big wander and a photoshoot in the park, which was just so lovely.

Jo’s heading back a few days before I am. But it’s been so nice to meet another traveller, and such a wonderful photographer, and to get to know a new pal better over a few weeks while I’ve been here.

I hope your return to the UK is so wonderful, Jo!! Thank you for all the time we shared here!

Please go follow Jo’s work!

Dima

Dima was another one of the folks who got in touch with me through Facebook, to tee up a photoshoot while I was in the city. We met up at Bryant Park on a chilly morning, and wandered around taking photos through the morning.

It’s strange looking back on two months and realising that I have only really done a couple photoshoots. I have hundreds of photos – and a good handful of portraits – but most of them are incidental, if that makes sense? A lot of photos of friends from carting a camera around with me wherever I go (wait until you see the Polaroids). But very few dedicated photoshoots. And that’s fine, of course – I’m so happy with how my time got allocated here – but I really enjoyed getting into Work Mode while taking photos with Dima.

Dima was a kind, collaborative and enthusiastic model, with great ideas of how we could use various spaces and backgrounds in the park. I walked away feeling nicely creatively fulfilled, and we were both stoked with the photos that came out. There’s not much more you can ask for from a photoshoot, is there?

Dima, this was an excellent little highlight of the trip. Thank you so much for your time and trust.

Go follow Dima’s modelling work!

Jenna and Chris

Some friendly faces in the big city!

Jenna is a pal from back home, someone I had the pleasure of meeting at a little(?) gathering of wedding photographers, called Snap Hoedown 2022. I can’t begin to describe the wonderful and weird and close and silly and educational and nonsensical experience of spending three days in a historic homestead / the bush with 40+ photographers, but it was a joy meeting her!

She and her husband, Chris, were out in the US for some photos and decided to do a coast-to-coast adventure along the way. On one of their final days in NYC, we met up for doughnuts and coffee and a photobooth trip to Brooklyn Film Camera and a whole lot of talking travel and photography. Jenna had just had a disposable camera lens adapted onto her Canon camera, so we got well into the nerd shit.

But at this point in the trip, there was such a brilliant loveliness in seeing pals from home. We talked about what we loved about the city and things they’d done in their trip, what they had still on their list, and all about the things I’d seen and done so far.

We took portraits in BFC’s backyard – and a lot of Polaroids – before parting ways for the evening, the sun getting low.

It was so nice seeing this pair in the city. Thank you both so much for stopping in to say howdy!

Check out Jenna’s wedding work and obvs hire her if you’ve got a knot you’ll be tying!

Gray

I met Gray pretty early on the trip. I had been stopping in to Masquerade, the bar they work at in Brooklyn, and we got talking one night about photography (I’m assuming because I plonked my little camera on the bar next to me?).

Gray mentioned they had been taking up photography and had been doing some self portrait work – and proceeded to show me really fantastic portraits of themselves.

We had a chat for a bit while I drank a cocktail – again becoming aware that maybe drinks are a wee bit stronger than back in Aus – and made plans to meet up for a photoshoot down the track.

Between that night in the bar and the photoshoot where I took this portrait, I heard Gray read a piece at the Open Book Literary Open Mic at Ficco. Their piece was well-written, amazingly-performed and, most importantly, I saw someone actually swoon at one of Gray’s lines.

Literal, honest-to-god swooning.

It was amazing and an appropriate response.

We eventually met up for a photoshoot, in a park in Williamsburg next to the river. We wandered and took a whole bunch of portraits through the park – over half an hour, we came away with a heap of images and Gray was so fantastically at ease in shifting poses and locations throughout. Genuinely a joy.

Gray, it’s been so nice meeting you and bumping into you around Williamsburg! I can’t wait to see more of your writing and photos!

Go on, give him a follow

Cici

One of the most earnest, open and vibrant people I’ve met in this gigantic city.

Owner of one of the best British accents and the best rip-off-Aussie accents that I’ve heard in a very long time, Cici has been powerfully high-energy since we met at the literary open mic and every day since.

But on top of having stamina that would put most people on the planet to shame, I’ve seen so many moments of really genuine care and affection from Cici to her friends in the group. It’s so nice when you see someone who exudes care for the people around them - Cici is that in spades, and it comes back around because the people around them are just as lovely. I could write a book about the gorgeousness of Writing Under the Influence (WUTI) and the people in it, but it would be the sappiest thing in the goddamn universe.

I’m also so stoked that Cici – along with our pal Ruh – was the person I spent my first American Thanksgiving dinner with; cooking and eating and talking and drinking and playing Trivial Pursuit until the wee hours of the morn before a quiet train ride home.

Cici, thank you so much for your time and your stories. I can’t wait to hear and read more of your pieces – and to think of you whenever I’m sad on an airplane.

Go! Follow! Cici!!

Chops

The King of Facial Hair. Our benevolent lord of photography, hoisting his Leica Monochrome out at the most opportune times.

It’s been such a gift to get to know Matt and see him at WUTI and NYC Photo Stroll events and parties and apartments and bars. He’s animated, he’s caring and really insightful to talk to.

In times past, I’ve met photographers who have been a bit inaccessible – there’s sometimes a feeling of hierarchy and a bit of gatekeeping and a lot of comparison, all of which gets a bit gross and not fun.

Matt/Chops here is the antithesis of this – he’s always found a moment for a chat, really takes the time to know people, to welcome them and to encourage them.

That, and he takes really mesmerising photos of lovely moments. So many times in the trip, I’ve seen him quietly raise his camera to his face, and then down the road we’re all sprinkled with beautiful little photographs of laughing and dancing and silliness. In this, I see so much more of what I’d like to do with photos; posed portraits are gorgeous, but it’s also nice to capture a moment as it happens, as a viewer without interjecting into it.

Matt, it’s been a pleasure.

Thanks for being a positive influence on my photography and a brilliant presence through this whole trip. Can’t wait to see what you create and to live with eternal FOMO seeing the shots you’ll take here.

If you don’t already follow Chops, I’m mad at you. You, specifically

Sinclair

My first impression of Sinclair was with my eyes closed. He was performing a piece at the October Open Book open mic – a segment from a larger story, which was written with such an exceptional level of detail that I closed my eyes in the packed bar to visualise the scenes and interactions he described with a calm and measured voice.

Of course, I had to ramble at him about how much I enjoyed it right after.

We’ve had many conversations since then – about writing (where he has given me very kind and thoughtful advice on pieces and structure and wording), about relationships and his stay in the city and, very importantly, about our strong shared love for Skyrim.

One of the things that strikes me about Sinclair is how actively he listens to you when you’re talking. Of course, conversations are all about bloody listening and responding – that’s literally the entire deal - but I remember telling Sinclair about lofty dreams about coffee shops and photo studios and coffee table books and he had such polite and rapt attention and wanted to know so much more about it. He also made a very specific and very lovely effort to find time to see me one-on-one before I left, which felt so special.

Sinclair, thank you for your time and for your advice. Very glad I got to meet you.

Abby

I’d apologise for the photo, but I don’t think anything else has the intended effect – which is portraying a whirlwind of a person whose approach to life may be only rendered in photographs (this photo is called Devilled Abby because of the hat and the devilled egg in her hand, which is important).

Abby is one of the people I’ve become closest to on this trip. We met pretty late in the trip – at one of the Tuesday night WUTI evenings, she was carrying a hollowed out duck bag and what followed was a brilliant night of absolute silliness and instant photos.

Since then, we’ve chatted frequently – mostly in ridiculous jokes and memes and derailing any conversation we can with nonsense, but also with a lot of moments of earnest and honest emotion.

We’ve shared so many stories about work – her work in film, day to day bizarreness and the paths our lives have taken to lead up to this point.

Shortly after we met and hit it off, she messaged to express her upset at how soon I was leaving – letting me know I was depriving the United States of Jesse Graham. It was so nice and it will forever stick in my memory.

I was hoping I’d make it to the city and maybe meet a person or two I could call a friend by the time I left. Folks like Abby and Becka and Nicole have become truly close friends and I couldn’t be happier about it.

Abby, thank you so much. I’m going to miss in-person shenanigans but I think we both know how easily we can keep this game going online.

Derail. Bite. Full Goblin Mode. Carry on the legacy.

Jon

An institution. A New Yorker of so many years, it spans 2/3 of my life. Jon, like Becka, like Nicole, like Cici, like Sinclair, like Chops, like many above, welcomed me in to WUTI - the group he runs along with some lovely units around Brooklyn.

Every Tuesday, from about 7pm, Jon and a bunch of writers of various ages and friendship levels gather at The Keep to work on pieces, socialise and write to some prompts that Jon diligently sends out around starting time. The time is filled with workshopping, bouncing ideas, sharing in little sorrows (like magazine rejections) and telling some very silly stories (usually with a ciggie or two in hand, out the back of the bar).

Since the moment I popped along to The Keep, Jon has taken the time to say howdy, to get to know me, and to chat about all things his life and mine. It’s been really heartening and gorgeous to feel welcome in a Big New City.

Case in point to this, Jon moseyed up to The West with myself and a bundle of other good folks, solely to have some good chatting time and one last evening together before I hit the road. His enthusiasm for music is fantastic to see, and for the rest of my days I will never forget him excitedly exclaiming “raw dogging the EARTH” (about sleeping outside) during a game of Kings.

Thank you so much, Jon. Appreciate you so much.