My son — a 2-year-old cat named Steamboat — loves ducks. He gets that from his father.
After a week of deliberating a half-dozen other newsletter names through wordplay and amateur graphic design, Quacker came to mind during an elliptical ride. I glanced over toward one of our media shelves and inspiration struck.
The sound a duck makes is described as “harsh” by Oxford Languages. I’ve always found it delightful, but I also like the feel of sweat against my skin in a summer-hot car. My friends say I’m odd, and I’m inclined to agree.
I’m Joshua Moore, but you can call me Josh. If you didn’t arrive here by way of my Twitter page, you probably have no clue who I am. Here’s the quick rundown:
— Married to Stephanie, who’s the best. Trying to make a human child while raising the aforementioned duck-lover and his sister, Maple.
— Used to be a full-time sportswriter. Now a content marketer who still loves to lend a hand to his former employer, the Lexington Herald-Leader, or anyone else who asks (and pays).
— My Fandom Mount Rushmore: Power Rangers, the Cleveland Cavaliers/NBA, Pokémon, University of Kentucky sports
That’s about it, other than: I love to write and want to do it more. And, hopefully, with improved focus and delivery than the form in which most of my free-time writing has arrived in the last decade.
I’ve tweeted a lot — well over 10,000 times, at least. Many of those had legitimate business purposes — promoting articles from Kentucky.com, sharing video highlights from high school football games or providing commentary during UK football games — but plenty, if not just as many, have been acid rain drops in an ocean of sewage.
I’m indebted to Twitter for its role in helping me build a professional media career, and as long as it’s still around I know that I’ll still use it (self-control issues FTW). The desire to reduce my time spent there predates Musk’s takeover by a couple years, but it wasn’t until the summer that it became my de facto writing platform of record. And, regardless of what happens to the site in the next decade, I don’t want that to be the case.
Quacker is a duckling. I want to write about life, Power Rangers, pop culture, media, our cats, sports, becoming a dad and whatever else comes to mind, really. It’s possible that, in time, it’ll serve more as a hub for a suite of interest-based newsletters rather than a one-stop shop; I get it, not everyone loves teenagers with attitude. There may eventually be a podcast component; I like those a lot.
I’m trying to keep it pretty casual, early on, as I anticipate most early subscribers will arrive from a pretty casual (albeit chaotic) platform. And if you’re one of those folks and this doesn’t sound like something you’re up for, I completely get it. I hope you’ll join me on this adventure, though!
What to expect if you subscribe:
— No more than two FREE newsletters in your inbox every week.
— Cat pictures!
— Shout outs, if you’re so inclined?
Thanks so much for reading. Let’s get quacking.
