The desire for discovery motivates us more than we might think. My name is Mark Carlson-Ghost.

Creating a website involves discovery of a different sort, especially if you’re developing a magazine format like mine. Figuring out what your site is all about, at least for me, is also a process of discovery. At least it is for me. The added challenge is how to tie together the diverse interests of the creator (me) in a way that is simultaneously interesting to an internet audience (you).

My Hopes

I have a couple of hopes. One is that the twin themes of developing new narratives and celebrating the diversity of our word is appealing to you. A second is that you find exploring the various articles featured on the site to be one of enjoyable discovery. That’s why I’m okay with traffic to the site growing slowly. It gives me time to populate it with ever more progressive takes on self-help, history and folklore.

If this is a site that interests you, I encourage you to comment as I hope this may become a place where a diverse group of visitors find an inclusive and encouraging environment to spend a couple hours and strike up a conversation. I envision a loose community of empowered women (and men), proud queer folk, psychotherapists, people interested in self-exploration, two-spirit men and women seeking validation, and so on, all contributing to co-create this space.

A Couple Suggestions

One tip I will make is to encourage you to check out the Articles drop down menu on the home page “dashboard.” There are clusters of articles on this site that feature material focusing on women, LGBT folks, Native Americans, and people with disabilities. Not everything on the site is featured on the home page. There just isn’t enough room.

Finally, I encourage you to subscribe and get updates of new articles. This also helps me promote my writing to an even wider audience by allowing me to tell potential publishers of my work that I have a “platform.”

Month two and I am increasingly enthused about this site and the community I hope to reach.

Stick with me. I promise an earnest effort to keep your interest!

Mark Carlson-Ghost

p.s. An article I wrote on LGBT involvement in past presidential elections was just published in the Washington Blade, a leading LGBTQ newspaper. If you’re interested in taking a look at it, click here.

Images courtesy of Pixabay and Scott Fredrickson