Sunday Letter
Jack Cheng’s monthly(ish) newsletter on creative work, slow tech, and the art of living.
You can also support my creative practice by joining the Dumpling Club.
Choo Choo Has an Ouchie #459
A Fistful of Firsts #458
Sweaty Poets #457
A Working Writer #456
Find Your Crew #455
Scattered and Productive #454
What the Situation Demands #453
New Year Notes #452
Fractal Nature of Days #451
Rest or Rot #450
for marty #449
Twice Attested #448
Thermal Delight #447
Financial Safe Word #446
Expansion through Compression #445
Induced Demand #444
Befittingly Mysterious #443
Ugly Sugar Daddy #442
China Core Sample, 2025 #441
Packed and Packing #440
Avoidance #439
The Aftervibe is the Message #438
Too Early for Spring #437
Better Messy than Boring #436
Individually Adapted #435
Noctalgia #434
The Commonality is Worldbuilding #433
Dedicated Time #432
Embodied Work #431
How Bridges are Built #430
Some Postpartum Favorites (Baby Not Required) #429
Fluxx #428
Best Daze #427
The Paradox of Craft #426
Is Today the Day? #425
Concentrated Intensity #424
Die Hard, Calmwashing, and Cosplaying the Future #423
Cardboard Software #422
New iOS App, A Book Award, and Summer Teaching Plans #421
April Odds and Ends #420
(Re)clipse #419
Discovering the Story #418
Joining the Club #417
Makers Mod Their Tools #416
On Copiloting #415
All Work is Care Work #414
My Daily Routine, January 2024 #413
Makings Of #412
Of Models and Mentors #411
Catnip for Perfectionists #410
Gardening Class and Career Advice #409
Second-part Community Project writeup; Zine giveaway #408
Summer Odds and Ends #407
Plecnik’s Ljubljana #406
Building in the Community, Part 1 #405
Chronos/Kairos #404
Ludicrously Capacious #403
Body Doubling #402
Three (More) Meditations on Maintenance #401
Midsummer Odds & Ends #400
A Book Launch #399
Pub Week, Summer Events, and the Audiobook #398
Shanghainese Midwestern #397
Maintenance Ethic #396
Cover Reveal and Pre-Orders for my New Novel #395
Pruning #394
A House for Oneself, Part 2 #393
A House for Oneself, Part 1 #392
A Columbus Jaunt #391
Structure-Preserving #390 389 Working with Your Hands #389
Mirror-of-the-Self Results #388
Furniture Project #387 386 Mirrors of the Self #386
Self and Wholeness #385 384 Fifteen Properties #384
Ornament Project #383
Wholeness and Centers #382
Unnamed and Named #381
A Threshold, Four Ways of Knowing #380
Back to School #379
Breakfast Nooks and Foundational Skills #378
Recent Discoveries #377
Home and Away #376
Seeing and Forgetting #375
On AI-Assisted Writing #374
On Time Scales #373
It Finally Happened #372
Tighter Loops #371
Making the Mountain #370
A New Short Story #369
The Opposite of Chaos #368
On Wintering #367
Necessarily Boring #366
Obvious and Legible #365
Nausicaä #364
Tools and Platforms #363
A Picture Book Challenge #362
War and Pause #361
On Believing in Labels #360
Random Days #359
The Thrill of the Funct #358
The Slow Web, Ten Years Later #357
A Year of Finishing #356
My Kaer Morhen #355
Snow-Covered Paths #354 353 The Line of Charm #353 352 Thanksgiving #352 351 The Most Active of Readers #351
End of a Season #350
The Swing You Have #349
A Most Difficult Game #348 347 Creative Confidence #347 346 One, Then the Next #346
Bookends #345
Juggling #344
Wedding #343 342 Sand for the Idol #342 341 Glimpsing the Machine #341
Curb Appeal #340
Cicada Spring #339 338 Mass Air Flow #338 337 Inoculations #337
Found Underneath #336 335 Kenyan Runners and Creative Outliers #335
On Validation #334
A Phantom Tollbooth Tribute #333
Exploration, Presentation #332
Long Enough to Matter #331 330 Watch/Read/Listen: Spring Forward Edition #330
Puppy Superstitions #329
Thawings #328 327 Tin Men and Unintended Symbols #327 326 BookSmitten #326
Ewok Banquets and Hobbit Joy #325
Fast-twitch, Slow-twitch #324
For Yourself and Others #323 322 Transcribing “See You on the Bookshelf” #322 321 Pleasure Principle #321 320 New Year, New Approaches #320 319 Wendell Berry’s Tiny Little No #319
When We’re Vaccinated #318
An Election Diary #317
A Marvel, An Obfuscation #316
Harmonious Orbit #315
To Get a Better View #314
Quivering Leaves #313
Uncharmingly Reflected #312
Only #311
Spring Moving to Summer #310
Better Likelihoods #309
Three Meditations on Tools #308
Slow Green Fireworks #307
Writing with Steinbeck #306
The Exactness of Tools #305
Site Repair #304
Rituals, Old and New #303 302 A Daily Coronavirus Newsletter #302 301 A House Alive, A Long Day at the Polls #301
A Coronavirus Party #300
A Quick Chicago Trip #299
An Added Degree of Resolution #298
A Slow-ish Recovery #297
A Rare Moment of Sun #296
A Time for Rest #295
An Unintentional Retreat #294
A Groove #293
A Recommitment #292 291 A Blessing #291
Clouds Lifting #290
Un-Collapsing #289 288 Desiderata #288 287 Inundation #287 286 Eating My Way Through #286
Retreat #285
Out from Storage #284
Moving-Out Day #283
Atomic Habits #282
Kresge Artist Fellowship #281
Flywheels #280
Labor of Love? #279
Paint Stripping #278
The Enchanted Rose #277
Flying into DTW at Golden Hour #276 275 Mic Check #275
Muscle Memories #274
An Artist on Your Terms #273
Sky Ladders #272
Shanghai Core Sample, 2019 #271 270 Memberships are Now Live! #270
Doctor, Lawyer, Engineer #269
Greetings from Hong Kong #268 267 Commons-Unlocking, Quarterturn #267
Selective Environmenting #266 265 Doing Less #265
New Hope #264
Personal/Universal #263
Metabolizing #262
Lights, Camera, Action #261
Security #260
Progress, Visible and Not #259
Windows and Commutes #258
Better Questions #257
Atmospheric #256
Cleanup Review #255
Minor Setbacks #254
Autumnal Energies #253
More Reporting #252 251 History has its Words for You #251 250 Entrance Room #250 249 Rendezvous #249 248 Ninja Warrior #248
On Maintenance #247 246 Things Kept and Let Go #246 245 Flavor of the World #245 244 Scaffolding #244 243 Grown Wild #243 242 Urgency Without Haste #242 241 On Quantity #241 240 Constellating #240 239 Swimming in Words #239 238 Sentence Plot #238
Already-Busy Spring #237 236 On Efficiency #236 235 Production Function #235 234 On Stones and Specialization #234 233 The Golden Kite #233 232 Order of Operations #232 231 Sidelines #231 230 The Effect is Real #230
What’s the Same #229 228 Roads Diverging #228
Small Yet Momentous #227
Harvest #226
Thanksgiving Mornings #225
Travel Cold #224
Bread and Fife #223 222 Tend Your Corner #222 221 Still Writing #221 220 Perpetual Student #220 219 Embodying #219 218 Gentle Chaos #218
Eclipse Tripse, Part 2 #217 216 Eclipse Tripse #216
On Naming #215 214 Meat on the Bones #214
Where Do We Go #213
One Year Old #212
Sun and Wind #211
Doors Unlocking #210 209 Filming #209
The Flowers #208 207 Get Ready, Stay Ready #207
The Same Dog #206 205 Tooth by Tooth #205 204 A New Roommate #204
The Preparation is the Trip #203
Moving Downstairs #202
Spacious #201
Who I’ll Be #200
Texas Librarians #199
Sound and Voice #198
Unfrozen #197
Sauna #196
Nowruz and the Nain #195
End of the Tour #194 193 Whirlwind #193 192 Re-Dedication #192
A New Medium for Sundays #185
Room for Quiet #184
On Independence, Part 3 #183
On Independence, Part 2 #182
On Independence, Part 1 #181
Appreciating the Hangover #180
What Endures #179
My Forthcoming Novel #178
On a Trip to Ikea #177
Moving Day #176
The Toughest Work of All #175
Nothing Too Small #174
They Keep Me Surrounded #173
Jump Starts #172
On the Move #171
How We Japan #170
The Gate #169 168 Salt and Fire #168 167 Fault Tolerance #167 166 Learning to Squat #166 165 The Most Shanghai #165 164 The Living Story #164 163 Last Days in Detroit, For Now #163 162 On Despair and Imagination #162 161 New Mountains #161 160 The Antidote #160 159 Techno-Shabbat #159 158 An Interview with Wildness #158 157 The Added Comma #157 156 A Novel is a Tree #156 155 Defenderiness #155 154 I Dropped My Phone #154 153 Snapchat #153 152 This Side of Deadline #152 151 Epiphany #151 150 Sealing Portals, Dressing Wounds #150 149 The Beautiful Question #149 148 New Old Hobbies #148 147 Real or Not Real #147
Coalition #146 145 Hunt and Harvest #145 144 On Receiving Feedback #144 143 Follow Through #143 142 Rebound #142 141 Embodiment #141 140 Coalescing Continuing #140 139 Spontaneous Remembering #139 138 Writing is Transformation #138 137 What Persists #137 136 Shanghai Nights #136
A New Year’s Wish #135 134 Deadlines and Mother Projects #134 133 To Breathe #133 132 The Evolving Manuscript #132 131 Across Five Years #131 130 Confident Uncertainty #130
The Home Wind #129 128 Celebration of Intimacy #128 127 The Talismanic Image #127 126 Writing is Relationship #126 125 The Cowboy and the Herd #125 124 Three Kinds of Reading #124 123 Saltiness and Losing with Grace #123 122 Continuity #122 121 What Fire Wants #121 120 Obsession and an Old Friend #120 119 Vertigo #119 118 Liminal Space #118 117 Only in New York #117 116 Furnishing the Interior #116 115 What’s Happening #115
Moving Day #114
Seeing #113
Ninety and Humid #112
Mixing Metaphors #112
Mackinac #111
Mama Grace #110
Hands-free #109
School’s Out #108 107 New Orleans #107
Loveline #106
Monument Valley #105
Seeing Mountains #104
About Those Darlings #103
How I’m Editing, May 2015 #102 100 Richard Yates #100 99 The Second Time Around #99 98 Hello Again #98 97 Squeezing the Toothpaste #97 96 Meerkat #96
The Question #95
Show and Tell #94 93 New Languages #93 92 Crib Sheet #92 91 The End of Wet Work #91 90 Variations on a Theme #90 89 Mastery and Cleanliness #89
Poor Scientist #88 87 How Easily They Wash Away #87
Wet Clay #86
Some Thoughts On Spider-Man #85
Outward Movement #84 82 When We Talk About Japanese Swordfighting #82 81 Hairy Crab #81 80 Chinese Funeral #80 79 Toward the Setting Sun #79
Void #77
A Detroit Mix #76 75 Once Upon a Time in Detroit #75 74 One Week In #74 73 Things I Have Done This Week for the First Time in My Life #73 72 Periodic Deep Waterings #72
An Empty House #71 70 Retreat #70 69 Splitting Logs #69 68 On Sacrifice #68 67 Speed of Life #67 66 This is Darkness #66
A New Cycle Begins #65
The Virtue of a Spider #64
A True Account of Meeting Frank O’Hara in Washington Square Park #63
Three Scenes from a Friday #62
I am a Tree (and Other Observations) #61
It’s Summer #60
A Somewhat Minor Incident #59 58 Given the Circumstances #58 57 The Difference Between Seventeen and Thirty #57 56 What the Meat Fruit Says #56 55 Everything Happens #55 54 X #54 53 I Don’t Need a Car #53 52 On Love and Neglect #52 51 Home #51
We’re Having a Fire … Sale #50
The Longest Day #49
The Pacific Stole my Glasses #48
And I’m Not Just Talking About the Clash #47 46 Pop Songs #46 45 Unpaved Cowpaths #45 44 Loading #44
Stamina and the Search for Endings, Part 3 #43 42 Stamina and the Search for Endings, Part 2 #42 41 Stamina and the Search for Endings, Part 1 #41
The Darkness You See #40 39 Adventure Mode #39
Soroche #38
A Week in Lima #37 36 Out to Sea But Not #36 35 Travels With Myself and a Cold #35 34 Waiting for Delivery #34 33 Misunderstood #33
Great Ocean Road #32 30 Breath #30 29 State of Suspension #29 28 The Ground is Shaking #28 27 A Letter #27 26 Yurt Life #26 25 The Archer and the Empty Book #25 24 The Road is Already Written #24 23 Ducks on the Lake #23 22 Macguffins, Parabolas, and the Thing Above #22 21 The Questions We Ask #21
Burnt Glue #20 19 And You Want to Travel Blind #19 18 On Looking #18 17 Secret Rooms and Unseen Cities #17 16 The Perfect Wedding #16 15 Daily Routine: August 2013 #15 14 No One Is To Use the Stereo #14 13 Fifty Shades Rewritten #13 12 On Gathering and Digging #12 11 LA Driving #11 10 Somewhere Else #10
The Space Between #9 8 Three Changes from Fog City #8 7 People Shaped Algorithms #7 6 The Part That Loves #6 5 Moving Upstairs #5 4 It’s Not You, It’s the Writing #4 3 A Something About “Something About” #3 2 The Conversation #2 1 New Digs #1