This week I am talking with Christopher Brown, author of the brand new book, “A Natural History of Empty Lots: Field Notes from Urban Edgelands, Back Alleys, and Other Wild Places,” a blend of nature writing, literary nonfiction, and memoir that is also a manifesto for rewilding our urban spaces as well as ourselves.

Christopher’s other books include the legal thrillers, “Rule of Capture” and “Failed State,” and his debut science fiction novel “Tropic of Kansas.” Christopher also writes the popular urban nature newsletter Field Notes.

Also a lawyer and a naturalist, Christopher has worked on two Supreme Court confirmations, rehabilitated a brownfield, built an eco bunker, protected government whistleblowers, taken two companies public, restored a small prairie, raised two amazing kids and trained a few good dogs. And that's just the shortlist.

We covered:

- Resisting “society’s pressure to specialize”

- Balancing multiple careers

- How a gig at his college newspaper spawned a path that has led to some pretty varied–and cool–places, such as having lunch with a retired German prime minister, playing pool with Frank Conroy, and working at two Supreme Court confirmation hearings

- Managing your own expectations for how successful you think you ought to be, and by what age

- Rule number one for staying inspired as a writer

- The ingenious way he taught himself to “carve out the time from a busy life of work and family to write novels that didn't suck”

- How to create the conditions where you accumulate the raw material of the work

- The origins of his “Field Notes” Substack

Visit Christopher at https://christopherbrown.com/ and sign up for his Field Notes newsletter at https://fieldnotes.christopherbrown.com/.

For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.

Thank you for listening!

And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value).

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