Greetings Explorers!

Wow, what a turnout for our first event of the year. For the first time ever we actually ran out of field guides before we even crossed the line in the sand. We’ll be running a second printing of these zines so if you were someone who came out but didn’t get one let me know and I can send one your way.

Thanks you to everyone who came out to join us. The Captain’s Report will be available soon but for now, look at all these Explorers!

As this was the first event of the year, we also debuted a new Stellar Cartography book. For the first ten years this book has always been made by finding an evocative book title, removing the book block, then replacing it with drawing papers. This year I wanted us to use some of the green “leather” we had left over from last year’s Adventure Camp. When Denorae found out this is what we were covering it with, she took it upon herself to design an intricate cover, alluding to our upcoming adventure to France. Check out her design in the photo below or in person at an event, it’s beautiful!

Continuing the theme of zines/books we have two people in our greater community with recently published books. The first is Lea Redmond’s: This is For You: Gift-Giving as a Way of Life. I just finished this book and was overjoyed by Lea’s insight into the act of gift giving. Her many interviews with gift givers makes this book feel expansive, as the perspectives are beyond hers alone. Having said that, it’s clear that her unique way in which she views the world is fully on display. At the Explorers Guild, we often talk about seeing the world through the lens of an Explorer, this book is all about seeing the world through a lens of empathy and wonder.

The other book is: The Hybrid Handbook: A Coloring Book, by Sara Levine. In this one, Sara’s delightful puns and whimsical drawings take center stage. I have some of Sara’s hybrid creature zines and a print of her porcupinecone (all of these are super Explorer aligned) and I found the coloring book the same kind of fun. I can imagine each of these creatures gracing the pages of a Stellar Cartography book, and that brings me much joy.

What a great way to start the year! Thank you again to everyone who came out on Saturday, those of you on this list, and those who read through these dispatches all the way. We have more announcements coming soon, and until then…

Semper Explorandum Explorers!