The Newsletter
Exploring the connections, communities, and commitments that bind us together.
The work of Connective Tissue centers on the question: What will it take to seed and cultivate our generational project of civic and communal renewal? We believe this calls us to write into both the imaginative and practical, dreaming up new civic possibilities while pointing to tangible actions we can all take to realize these possibilities. We believe this calls us to draw on the spiritual and the material, embracing the mystical immeasurability and ineffability of human relationships while grounding our writing in academic substance. And we believe this calls us to avoid taking ourselves too seriously, approaching our work with the healthy dose of humility, goofiness, and self-deprecation it deserves.
What We Publish
Originals
Original pieces highlighting big ideas and practical actions for our generational project of communal and civic renewal.
Example: “Beyond Bob”, “Connection Grift”
Q&As
Interviews with the doers and thinkers who are imagining and cultivating the renewal of shared lives in community.
Example: Gerrel Jones, Elizabeth Oldfield
“[Connective Tissue] is ‘an insightful, irreverent watering hole’ for people working to build stronger communities.”
- David Hsu, The Omidyar Network
From Our Readers
“Connective Tissue is my favorite newsletter. Sam's … smart policy analysis, insightful interviews with unexpected voices, and hot takes make me smarter and more inspired every time I open this email.”
- Casper ter Kuile, Joyful Belonging
“Whew... this is a word, and the kind that you print and keep with you as part of your practice for years to come.”
- Haley Ingersoll, on “We’ve squeezed the ‘life’ out of civic life”
“Oh my god, this.”
- Nellie Beckett, on “Connection Grift”
“One of the most valuable sources for those of us … contributing to the infrastructure necessary for healthy, flourishing communities.”
- Michael Wear, Center for Christianity & Public Life
“This sang to me.”
- Elise Granata, on “The lies we tell ourselves”