It’s been a while since we spoke. I have my reasons.
When the 2024 election happened, part of me felt antsy because I wasn’t on the job. I wasn’t anchoring or reporting or commenting on the results or the aftermath. The days that followed were filled with plenty to talk about, and I had lots of ideas for what to say to you. Nothing felt right, so I didn’t publish anything, and I haven’t really published since. In fact, I’ve gone mostly dark on social media. Why was that?
Simply put, I’d lost my desire to say anything.
I’m humbled that so many of you have shown up for my ideas, insights and thoughts over these last many months. And it’s been great engaging with you, especially when we shared our views candidly and respectfully. The Night Light has been a meaningful connection at a time when many of us feel intellectually isolated. Thank you so much for your support, membership, engagement, empathy and friendship.
If I’ve learned anything from doing this, it’s that the Substack/YouTube/podcast life is not enough for me. Not only has it not been nearly lucrative enough to sustain itself, but it always felt a bit unsatisfying. Producing weekly livestreams by myself was grueling, though your comments and stories made it very fun. Still, I knew it wasn’t the venue for my best work, plus I couldn’t afford to keep it going. Time to pivot, hard.
To that end, I’ve decided to suspend The Night Light for the foreseeable future. Next month I’m moving out of Las Vegas to take a position at The University of Chicago: staff, not faculty. I’ll keep performing with The Onion (which is based in Chicago) as fictional anchorman Dwight Richmond on the satirical Onion News Network. And I plan to start public speaking, doing keynotes on the communication skills that can help people connect in these contentious times. Most social networks have burned my trust, but I’ll be cautiously active there: follow me @joshualistening on BlueSky, Threads, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Chicago is a city I’ve always been fond of, with good friends in a vibrant community. Being a national broadcaster has taught me that every big city has the same issues: different players in the same roles with almost identical storylines. Very few civic problems are truly unique. Chicago has its share of major issues, but it has even more major assets. I can’t wait to dive in.
In this video I get into why I’m moving on from The Night Light, including something I recently learned about the legendary American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Perhaps I’ll find my way back to this, but right now other dreams are calling. This new adventure requires all my focus and energy. And, I’ll be honest, energy has been hard to come by. Even applying for jobs felt like a depressing admission of failure… and maybe it was. Thankfully, failure is rarely fatal. What I learned from launching The Night Light will benefit UChicago’s intellectual engagement efforts. And I’m not done putting my own ideas into the world. Who knows what could happen?
Again, many thanks for your support. 2025 is going to be an intense and pivotal year. Stay engaged, but please give yourself permission to do what I’m doing: move confidently toward a better life, no matter what else is going on around you. I turn 45 next month, and I’m still finding my way. Forming new friendships, rekindling my creativity, making more DJ mixes (upbeat, melodic, disco-inspired music), generally unlocking the best of who I am… it’s daunting and exciting, but now is the time. I still have a lot more light to shine, and so do you. Onward and upward.
Until we meet again — and yes, we will meet again — keep on shining.
Someone like me needs your light right now… and we need it now, more than ever.
❤️
Share this post