Greetings from Pittsburgh
Politics, Pittsburgh, Pizza, Pizza
Yard Signs Don’t Vote is a newsletter counting down to election day, focused on how communities, campaigns, and organizations are engaging voters. I’m curious to explore who's doing interesting, creative, or fun things leading up to the 2024 election.
What will this newsletter cover?
Here’s what I’d like to write about:
The view from Pittsburgh: Living in a swing state is exciting, and western Pennsylvania is a particularly vibrant place to be a voter. Whether it’s TV, YouTube, Spotify, or Instagram, campaign ads are everywhere. So many ads. So many text messages.
Celebrity appearances: One of the perks of living in a swing state is the celebrity get-out-the-vote efforts. Last week, the First Gentleman visited with Michael Stipe from R.E.M. and Jason Isbell. Right after the concert gates opened, the campaign texted us to announce Barack Obama would be in town next week for a rally.
Cool campaign stuff: Campaigning has evolved a lot in the past decade. I want to highlight some of these changes.
Human interest stories from the campaign: One of the things that interests me most is how people engage with their neighbors about politics and elections. I would like to share more of those stories.
Local vs. national headlines: I’ll explore how local media is covering the election compared to the national narrative. Are the key issues for swing-state voters reflected in national headlines?
Volunteering info: I’ll share how and where to volunteer for voter registration and election protection.
Got a great yard sign? Or read an article worth sharing? Send it my way!
Why are you starting a newsletter?
Gretchen Rubin, the author of “The Happiness Project” and host of the podcast “Happier With Gretchen Rubin,” introduced me to a yearly list—20 in 2020, 21 in 2021, etc. The idea is to make a list of 24 things you want to do in 2024. So, for the past few years, I’ve been making a list.
My 2024 list is well, boring. One of the big items is “renew my passport.” Another item is “run a 5k.” And in the not exciting, but need to deal with it section “get new plates” and “go to the dentist - twice.”
I’ve been to the dentist twice this year, and over the summer, I was gifted a new set of plates. I finally just got rid of the old set of dishes. Two weeks ago, I ran a 5k.
Hanging out in the maybe, someday, if I have time section of my 2024 list is “start a newsletter.”
Last week, I stopped by the Pittsburgh Art Book Fair. I saw some posts on Instagram with some cool posters and tote bags. At the book fair, I stopped by the table for Karen’s Book Row and purchased some of her unique Pittsburgh postcards. I also picked up the book “Slice Harvester” Colin Atrophy Hagendorf's memoir about a two-year quest to eat a slice of pizza from every pizza shop in Manhattan. I love a quest (another idea I learned from Gretchen Rubin), so I could not not buy this book.
In the prologue to the book, he writes…
“I felt a vague sense of anxiety, standing outside, knowing that if I stepped through the door and ordered a slice of pizza, I was committing to something big-and taking my plans out of the realm of Drinking and Talking and into the realm of Going and Doing.”
19 years ago, I started a little blog about Pittsburgh. The blog is currently offline, the Twitter account was hacked and the followers have vanished. IheartPGH still gets some updates on Facebook and Instagram from time to time. I have a love/hate relationship with social media. I love sharing local stories. I hate feeling the need to keep posting. I’ve promised myself that any new quests, online or offline, will have a start AND an end date. So with a clear end date, I’m going to give this newsletter a try.
Some of my personal goals for Yard Signs Don’t Vote are…
Learn to use Substack. I have been kicking around some other ideas for websites and newsletters. (Would you be interested in a newsletter about aging parents?)
Spend more time writing.
Experiment with affiliate links. (If I link to a book or product, I will note when it is an affiliate link.)
Try out Threads.
Ask three people to contribute to the newsletter.
Read more newsletters about the election.
Try using AI to generate a logo.
Publish some useful lists of information around the election.