I'm back - haussamen.com

Hello!

I’m on my feet again after a few tumultuous years, and I’m writing today to tell you that I’m getting back to work.

So much has happened in my life since I shut down NMPolitics.net in 2020. Most notably, I got covid in August 2021 that developed into long covid.

At a time when many people were emerging from their pandemic bubbles, my family dug in deeper to protect me.

I spent 2.5 years essentially disabled and sometimes bedridden. It wasn’t until earlier this year that I regained my health.

That and other experiences from the past few years have had a significant impact on my relationship to our society, which has evolved quite a bit since you last heard from me.

I’m ready to rejoin the public conversation with the sharp, nuanced writing you’re used to getting from me. I’ve already soft-launched my new website, obviously. I published my newest commentary Monday. It’s a defense of the state law that gives you the right to access government documents – a law that is under attack from local governments across New Mexico, including Las Cruces. You can read it by clicking here.

I’ll soon be launching a companion email newsletter. Through the website and newsletter I’ll be sharing commentary, personal essays and more.

With democracy on the ropes and climate change accelerating at a frightening pace, the stakes are high, and I’m excited to be rejoining the conversation about how to address the most critical issues of our time.

You’ll see the commentary about politics and government that so many of you have told me you’ve missed. I’ll also be sharing personal essays about what’s happening in our world and nature photography; I find hope through these types of expressions, which I’ve shared on social media for years. Some of you have encouraged me to develop that type of work further, and I’m delighted to be doing it.

I’m in conversations about doing reporting on issues that matter to our people and communities, too. New Mexico’s journalistic capacity degraded further while I was on the sidelines, and I want to contribute. I will likely incorporate that work into this project as well.

As before, I won’t put my work behind a paywall. I believe in making accurate news, information and commentary accessible to all. And it’s been five years since I contributed financially to my family’s well-being, so I will seek donations from folks who find value in my work. With your past donations, you all helped me make a living as an independent journalist for almost 15 years. I’m trusting that you’ll help me again so I can focus on writing with the depth and nuance you expect from me.

I’m thrilled and very ready for this new chapter. I hope you are too. Stay tuned. You’ll hear from me again after the holidays.

P.S. – If you want to help me out now, you can share this post to let your friends know about my plans. Folks can subscribe to my newsletter by clicking here. Thanks!