Archive • Quick Brown Fox • Buttondown

June 10, 2025

Hi friends, We're almost halfway through 2025. They say “time flies,” but this year has felt like a long drag through the dirt. I’m pretty sure May lasted a...

🦊 Salman’s Store

June 2, 2025

Hi friends, I’ve just opened up an online shop: shop.salman.io. The first product is (of course) my book of fables, Wandering Spirits. The book has been for...

143 🦊 The Centipede and the Frog

May 28, 2025

There once lived a centipede, happily strolling along.He ran into a frog, who stopped him in his tracks and asked, “How do you decide which leg to move...

142 🦊 I looked a wolf in the eyes

May 20, 2025

I was eye to eye with a wolf named Keyni. I surrendered to the moment, sensing the kindness in his eyes, which made his immense paws look playful rather than...

141 🦊 Bison in My Backyard

April 8, 2025

On my encounter with wild bison in Yellowstone, a herd of bison in my city’s backyard, and lessons learned on the tragic history of bison in North America.

140 🐺 Wolf Watching

February 11, 2025

Hey friends, This weekend, I’ll be flying to Yellowstone for a three-day wolf-watching excursion, hosted by Yellowstone Institute. I’ve never done anything...

139 🦊 The best books I read this year

December 31, 2024

Personal annual review, journaling with watercolor, and the best books I read this year.

🦊 I met Gordon Ramsay

December 3, 2024

Alright, technically it was a ram named Gordon Ramsay, but I’d argue that is even cooler than meeting the celebrity chef. The ram let me pet him, and did not...

🦊 Pencil's Purpose, Bird with Burnout, and Rob Burbea

October 8, 2024

Hey folks, I’ve been swamped the past month with moving. I’m finally starting to get my routine back in the new place, and despite the chaos, I’m trying to...

🦊 Reviving the Open Web

September 4, 2024

One personal website at a time

🐺 Dragon's Breath

July 30, 2024

A fable for creativity

🦊 Salman Selects — June '24

June 25, 2024

4 links, 3 books, 2 quotes, 1 artist

🐺 Word's Worth

June 18, 2024

Dear friends, some exciting news: My book of fables, Wandering Spirits, was selected as a National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist! I’m honored and...

🦊 Do Pointless Things

June 4, 2024

Recently I was on stage at the Town Hall Theater in Lafayette, doing a Q&A after a book reading event, when the moderator asked, “Why are fables so important...

Heir's Race

May 13, 2024

🐺 Modern Fables #7 — A followup to the classic Tortoise and the Hare

🦊 Sketching Kauai

April 29, 2024

Hey friends, I’m back from a long overdue break—I escaped to the beautiful island of Kauai in Hawaii, and spent a week there relaxing, eating, swimming,...

🦊 The Desk

April 9, 2024

You see, there was the small matter of my desk. I refused to use it. I would hide on my couch and avoid it as much as possible. I couldn’t get myself to sit...

🦊 Gift Yourself a Glimmer

April 3, 2024

Moments of glimmer await us everywhere. But if our minds are too full, we have no space to receive them.

Sticks and Stones

March 5, 2024

🐺 Modern Fables #6

Wandering Spirits: Modern Fables

March 5, 2024

Wandering Spirits is a collection of whimsical tales that feed the soul, tug the heart, and spark the mind. BUY ON AMAZON BUY ON BOOKSHOP.ORG BUY ON BARNES N...

🦊 Capitalism Killed the Salmon

February 21, 2024

I went into the woods in search of solace. There, after many nights looking down at my phone, I stretched my neck and looked up at those tall trees, those...

🦊 I launched a book

January 31, 2024

A week ago my new book of fables, Wandering Spirits, flew out into the world: BUY MY BOOK On launch day, I had a wonderful time gathering with friends,...

A tour of my best newsletters and favorite books of the past year

🦊 My Book Release is January 23rd!

December 26, 2023

Exciting news: I’ve finalized the launch date for my book of modern fables, Wandering Spirits, and it’s very soon! I’m releasing the book with paperback,...

🦊 Grief is the Price of Love

December 19, 2023

The skies are gray. The grass is wet. The air is cold. I stare at the soil and think of Scooby’s meow. I struggle to accept that my beloved cat is gone. The...

So long, sweet Scooby

December 12, 2023

Last week, we buried our darling cat, Scooby. He went missing the day I left for a work trip, and a few days later when I returned, we found his remains,...

The Newt Who Knew

December 1, 2023

🐺 Modern Fables #4

What’s the most impactful book you’ve read this year?

November 27, 2023

This year, I’ve read fewer books than ever. For the past six years, I’ve published a post at the end of the year sharing the books I’ve loved (you can find...

🦊 Level Up Your Audio

November 14, 2023

Recording high-quality audio at home, and my first forays into voice acting

🦊 Repetition as Ritual

November 7, 2023

Last week, I wrote about my experience at a meditation retreat, in which a man fainted and reminded me of the preciousness of life. Another lesson I learned...

🦊 Finding The Words

October 31, 2023

Last weekend, I attended a meditation retreat. After an hour of sitting, a loud thump broke the silence. A man had just collapsed onto the floor. At first I...

🦊 Quick Links — October 2023

October 24, 2023

I usually don’t delve into politics in this newsletter, but this isn’t about politics—there is an ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza that demands attention...

🦊 Drawn to Life

September 19, 2023

The return of Elly and the Fox

I’m working on a fable about a fish. I’ve probably rewritten it ten times by now. At first I felt frustrated by this endless cycle of iteration. But then I...

Pay the Piper

July 10, 2023

🐺 Modern Fables #2

🐺 Introducing Modern Fables

May 29, 2023

Sharing whimsical tales that feed the soul, tug the heart and spark the mind

🦊 Angels on the Trains

May 13, 2023

I remember when I was a child and we were moving. Again. We had spent a few weeks packing up our lives, and were on a train headed across Canada. I can’t...

🦊 Six Essays on Creativity

April 17, 2023

#107 — Avoiding the pitfalls of success, becoming the signal in the noise, finishing what we start, embracing playfulness, and finding the faith to keep creating.

🦊 Finish It

April 3, 2023

#106 — The heavy cost of holding back your work

🦊 Sketchplorations

March 20, 2023

#105 — Behind the scenes: Illustrating a book of fables

🦊 Keeping the Creative Faith

February 28, 2023

#104 — A sustained belief that something is worth making, even if you can’t predict its outcome

🦊 Yin & Yang

February 20, 2023

How the duality of everything can help us reframe happiness and our concept of self

🦊 Reviving my childhood artist

January 30, 2023

#102 — My love-hate-love relationship with drawing

🦊 The Printing Puzzle

January 23, 2023

#101 — Planning the print editions for my upcoming book of fables

🦊 The Rains Have Ceased

January 16, 2023

#100 — Launching a drawing course, illustrating my book of fables, and my continued obsession with Hayao Miyazaki

🦊 Greatest Hits

December 19, 2022

#99 — My best essays of 2022

🦊 Bumps Are the Road

December 12, 2022

#98 — Life is meant for living, not waiting.

🦊 Favorite Books of 2022

December 5, 2022

#97 — The best philosophy, creativity and fiction books I read this year, along with a few thoughts on my book reading habits.