A Few More Days in the Andes, Summer Books, Creative Journeys Podcast

Genius Loci readers:

Fear not! I offer you a shorty after last month’s loooong missive. In this month’s post, I’m off to spend a few more days in the Andes this August, some links to my work I published in June, and more!

The first half of the year is in the books. Despite a few setbacks, the month was a productive one. Among the setbacks was my son getting slammed with a case of hand, foot, and mouth disease — a viral infection producing pox-like sores, some of which can manifest in the mouth and throat thereby making eating/drinking a living hell. All this as his molars were erupting. All this with guests in town. All this with some last-minute, day-job-related hot potatoes to juggle. It has been a rough month to say the least. But now we’re on the other side of it, thankfully. And we’re back to work!

As I wrote in last month’s newsletter, I’m ramping up my On Mountains work. Much of this work is about accumulating a repository of notes and data. It is about processing information and thinking in real time. It is about opening dialog and signalling to the world, This is what is important.

It is early yet, but having a singular focus feels good. Invigorating and clarifying, even. With a singular focus, it is easy to see what is (and what is not) worth doing. I also strangely helps open up a world of possibility. It is, therefore, not constricting but liberating. Liberating, because the focus also frees you from the tyranny of choice, the dictatorship of having too much, and the oppression of an open field.

A Few More Days in the Andes

In one month, I’ll be on a plane heading back to Bolivia for the Festival of the Virgin of Urkupiña.

As I recounted in my book The Hill of the Skull, I visited the festival on my last trip to Bolivia. That was three years ago. But now I’m going back. Why? To learn more about the mountain. To spend more time with it.

And I have some new objectives:

• Interview more people than before, especially pilgrims, shamans, and religious leaders.
• Document more, including more video.
• Listen more and plunge more deeply into the feeling of the holy mountain.

The mountain that pilgrims visit during the festival is the subject of one chatper in my book proposal. So, the main goal is to get the material I need to finish the chapter!

The presidential election in Bolivia has been scheduled for August 17, and Bolivian law prohibits public gatherings around the elections, presumably to curb protests, coups, and other political unrest.

Originally scheduled for occur around the elections, the pilgrimage and festival was moved by organizers a week earlier. The calendar change might impact the amount of visitors, but I do still expect many thousands of pilgrims to descend upon Quillacollo.

I will (probably) not do a pop-up newsletter this year like I did last time. But keep an eye out for August’s Genius Loci newsletter for confirmation and a special announcement.

My Work Published Last Month

• Is AI Making Us Dumber? — I forgot to link to this last month. In this post, I reflect on the impact AI has had on teaching… and some alarming trends.
• The Burnout Society review - I wrote a brief review on Byung-Chul Han’s most-popular book. I will be reading his body of work in the coming months.
• Mountains in the Book of Genesis - For On Mountains, I wrote about the symbolic nature of mountains in the book of Genesis.
• Some Writing Advice from Robert Macfarlane - After listening to an intervew Macfarlane gave, I wrote-up some points that resonated with me.
• 2025 Mid-Year Review - To keep myself accountable, focused, and on track, I’ve written a brief overview of the first half of 2025.

Bits and Bobs

Lots of new books this summer. Robert Macfarlane’s book Is a River Alive? (buy) is a slam dunk. Macfarlane has been on the podcast circuit, with new episodes dropping here and here.

Aatish Taseer’s newest book A Return to Self: Excursions in Exile (buy) comes out July 15. It is an excellent little book, the kind that one can return to.

I also received copies of Monisha Rajesh’s new book Moonlight Express (buy) and Lance Richardson’s biography True Nature: The Pilgrimage of Peter Matthiessen (buy). I haven’t had a chance to read these two books yet, but I’m looking forward to it.

In a related note, I’m dusting off the microphone and recording a few new episodes with Taseer, Rajesh, and Richardson for my Creative Journeys podcast. My conversation with Aatish was recorded yesterday, and it will drop soon.

Okay! At around 800 words, that’s it for this month!

Thanks for your support and farewell,

JB