March 2024 Edition

Dear Friends,

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Lately, we’ve been reflecting on a certain peculiar phenomenon: digital invisibility. We live in a radically interconnected world, with more access to long-range telecommunications than any previous generation, yet most of us, most of the time, are not seen.

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For some, invisibility may be a blessing. For others, a curse. For many, it’s simply a daily condition, like the clothes we’ve been wearing for years, or the place we call home.

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For those of us striving to build something, though, whether it’s a resume, a client list, a research project, a work of art, an organization, a community, or even a legacy, it’s a hurdle to overcome.

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We know better than most what it means to dredge ourselves up out of digital invisibility. Over the past fourteen months, The DateKeepers has grown at a pace that’s startled everyone, even us. Our audience now exceeds 100,000.

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We did not plan this.

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We did, however, make choices that rendered rapid growth inevitable. Had we horded success for ourselves, we would not have come so far so quickly. We’re growing because we’re building a community premised on reciprocity, collaboration, and raising the visibility of all its members—not for the sake of vanity, but to foster productive interdisciplinary partnerships by giving a platform to people who are doing real and valuable work and helping them stand out amid the noisy, overcrowded online world of propagandists, bots, and trolls.

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If you’re seeking to cut through the chaos, access more opportunities, and connect with likeminded people all around the world, you’ll fit right in among our Friends. We invite you to visit our Friends Page , have a look around, and if you like what you see, apply to join our network by proposing a collaboration .

In Other News

Production will slow down for March and April—two pieces per month instead of four—while the Outinis are at MacDowell. Come May, we’ll resume our normal publication schedule. Don’t mourn our absence. Savor the anticipation!

Story Time

February began with “What Do We Valorize: Alpha Ousmane Toure Turns Pollution into Opportunity ,” which spotlights the work of a Senegalese chemical engineer who’s devoted his career to resolving a structural contradiction that could spell disaster for his country’s agricultural sector, coastal marine ecosystems, and the livelihoods of millions.

Dr. Richard Vogel’s DateKeepers debut, “Do I Know You: A Rant about Labels and the Conflicts They Feed ,” arranges several comical anecdotes around a deadly serious question: are we heading straight for Defecation’s Reservoir? Also, what exactly is Defecation’s Reservoir? Is it really as bad as it sounds?

Peppur Chamber’s “Gifts Unexpected ” begins with, “Recently, a friend told me that death is not something to fear.” This piece brought back a question that we grappled with for much of last year, in the wake of our friend Mark’s death: how, after a loved one’s passing, can we continue to lead the life we know that person would’ve wanted us to lead? If you’re also grieving, we recommend this poignant reminder that there’s more to loss than pain.

Award-winning poet and translator Shalini Rana closed out February with “A Case for Brussels Sprouts ,” a lyric essay on food, family, cultural hybridization, and how our taste change as we age. Before running this piece, we whipped up a batch of the titular brussels sprouts sabji ourselves, even though it meant hitting four different grocery stores. That’s how committed we are to fact-checking. And here are the facts: it was delicious.

Because Stories Move Mountains

Do you want to live in a world where the media cultivate?hope and not fear? Where change-makers reclaim the spotlight from?fear-mongers? Where your voice can be heard? Help us get there: Follow us on LinkedIn , share our links across your socials, support our work with a donation, and subscribe to read .