October 5, 2026

Dubuque, Iowa

Dear Friends,

As I write, Halloween is a month away, and I’m thinking about Wendell Berry. “Halloween” is All Hallows’ Eve, the night before All Hallows or All Saints’ Day, a day for honoring the hallowed dead. Berry called himself a “marginal Christian,” and I’m sure he’d want nothing to do with being canonized. But he has a sainted place in the history of Front Porch Republic, which has not inaccurately been described as a Wendell Berry fan club, and his departure feels like the approach of some season of change. Fall is in the air.

Fall has always been my favorite season. Everything is dying, but for a life-long student and long-time professor, it’s also when everything starts up again. On campus there are new people, new projects, new energy, a new sense of commitment. We all know it will fade around November, but everything fades, and that only makes it matter more.

FPR is going to keep doing what we’re already doing, but Berry’s passing makes what we’re doing feel more important than ever. Our work, as I see it, is to regularly call to mind what Berry and many others have helped us to see, and to grapple with those old truths in ways that shine new light on the strange world that’s coming into view – a world where Berry’s suggestion that “the great division will be between people who wish to live as creatures and people who wish to live as machines” seems not so much a prophecy about the future as a description of the present. FPR is one of the few places that is doing this work, and now that Berry himself is gone, we have more work to do.

I don’t think any of us who write for the site would claim to be the next Wendell Berry, though it would be wonderful to see someone of that stature emerge. But we’re doing our best to echo his voice, even and especially when we challenge or complicate it. He wasn’t perfect, and I didn’t agree with everything he said. But everything he said was worth listening to, and that’s the standard I hope FPR can maintain.

Some of us will gather in Indianapolis at the end of this week for our annual conference. Most of what we do we do for free, but lots of things cost money, and this is one of them. We think it’s worth it – meeting in person, not just over a screen, is one of those things that’s now more important than ever. We have a small group who give a few dollars a month, and we’re deeply grateful for the support. If you’re one of that number, thank you. If you’d like to add your two cents (or, rather, your three dollars), welcome. If you give but can afford to increase your gift by a few bucks or more, consider it. And happy Halloween.
Regards,

Adam Smith
Associate Editor