Category Archives: Mastodon

In the latest edition of the Kintsugi magazine — an online publishing experience of gathering writers across the Mastodon network — I wrote a piece for the third editing, thinking about the experience of reading in online spaces, and how the voices of writers inhabit my reading experiences.

My piece is at pages 16 and 17, but you should read some of the other pieces there, too. I’m enjoying this writing experience, and how being within a networked space allows words to tumble into other stories and insights. I appreciate Erdal as curator and editor and cheerleader for this publishing venture.

Peace (sounds like),
Kevin

I’ve been spending more and more time, writing and making new connections in Mastodon, a federated social media space not run by some corporation intent on selling our data and invading our privacy for stockholders. It’s run and overseen by people. I donate to the Mastodon effort through Patreon. I’m appreciating the many connection points there, from music collaborations to daily writing to remix efforts. I am also greatly appreciating this new eMagazine that is designed in and of the Mastodon space.

It’s called Kintsugi. Here’s what its editor and Mastodon friend, Erdal O. writes about that word, Kintsugi, and the intent of the magazine:

Kintsugi borrows its name from the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery to give it a new lease of life. The philosophy behind this has its roots in the Wabi-Sabi tradition, which sees existence as  imperfect, incomplete and impermanent; instilling a sense of appreciation, acceptance and harmony in the way we live and interact with nature and people.

Kintsugi is a project organised and put together through social media, mainly the Mastodon network. The contributors have not met in person or face to face. Our aim here was to show that people can do good and put together something unique and different. We wanted to encourage others to come forward and do the same.

Here, we celebrate the diversity of people and ideas.  The Kintsugi magazine covers a diverse set of themes and ideas. We celebrate the value of goodness and and the broken lines in each one of us, akin to repaired pottery.

I was so intrigued by the first edition (now available in different format at Internet Archives) that I submitted a piece about “small writing” and added a few comics to the mix for the second edition. (My friend, Terry E., meanwhile, had some poems posted in the same edition.) I also sent in another piece for the third edition, whenever that comes out.

I love the open nature of this kind of publication — the way Erdal puts the call out via the open network and invites a variety of voices into the mix — and the range of articles and media in the magazine is a lovely experience. All for free. All in the open.

Peace (in federated space),
Kevin