'The Westrn' Grows! Introducing Our Editorial Team ✏️

Katie Hill, Kestrel Keller, and Gabriela Zaldumbide bring decades of experience to 'The Westrn'. My response in two words?

Holy. Sh*t.

Listen, I know some of you probably thought I’d dropped off the bandwagon. It’s true, in a way.

This whole idea was initially borne out of frustration. I was burnt out on creating work that others used for their bottom line, while constantly trying to advocate for my own. I wanted to write real stories, the kind of stories that tingle in the soles of my feet before they become a spark of an idea in my brain. The kind that allow me to take some time to get right. I wanted to reach deep into my love of research, dig until I hit gems, then polish them on the surface until clarity sang like a song.

So, I put a little writing out into the world. And you all joined me here. And writers kept reaching out saying, me too/me too/me too. Some of those conversations held a sense of something different, and a unification arose with little effort. Five weeks ago, we had our first phone call.

Since then, we’ve spent countless hours on meetings, writing pitches, business plans, press releases, research, and more. The fruits of our labor have yet to become front-facing. But plans are being etched in stone. Stories are in the stages of fermentation, outlines, rough drafts, and dated in an editorial calendar.

So accept my small apology, I owe you all for the wait. Don’t worry. You are about to get seriously caught up.

But first, can I introduce our freakin’ editorial team?

Meet The Editors & Their Insane Bylines

In what world did I ever expect to have an editorial team here? No world. This, my friends, is truly a dream team. I count each of them as co-founders in this next phase of ‘The Westrn’. (Excuse me while I pinch myself.)

Below, you’ll find their bylines. Think of it as a teaser. We’ll be releasing their intro pieces over the next few weeks. More on that below.

Katie Hill, Managing Editor (Austin, TX)

Byline: Outdoor Life, MeatEater, Texas Observer, Kansas Wildlife and Parks Magazine, Mountain Journal, and more. Featured in Popular Science, Montana Outdoor Radio Show, Texas Standard, and others.

Kestrel Keller, Executive Editor (Poughkeepsie, NY)

Byline: High Country News, National Geographic, Outdoor Life, New Scientist, Biographic, Science News, Vice News, Wired, MeatEater, Western Confluence, Outside, and others.

Gabriela Zaldumbide, Creative Director (Gunnison, CO)

Byline: Wide Open Spaces, Forbes, Project Upland, Hunting Dog Confidential, Backcountry Journal, The Wildlife Professional, Bugle, Hook & Barrel, Gunnison Country Times, and more.

And I guess I have to add my own byline as well.

Hey, I’m Nicole Qualtieri. I’m the Editor-in-Chief of this crew, and that’s a title I never expected to have. I live in little ol’ superfun(d) Anaconda, Montana.

Byline: Outside Magazine, USA Today, Men's Journal, GearJunkie, MeatEater, Modern Huntsman, Backcountry Journal, EPIC Journal, Outside Bozeman, and more.

What’s Next: Intros From The Team, Long Reads, & More

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be releasing personal essays from each member of the team that delve into who they are as writers and why they’re here.

Expect to see those roll through each Tuesday and Thursday. You’ll meet the lovely and punchy Gabby Z. on Thursday with our outdoor adventure queen Maggie Slepian to follow on Tuesday.

Behind the scenes, we have twelve stories that range from personal narratives to legit investigative pieces on our editorial calendar that will begin dropping in July. A long-form narrative podcast is in the works. Gabby is exploring our ability to make short films and print collateral as we speak. And we’re also tasked with the less-writerly work of creating a sustainable business model, with the aim of certifying as a B-Corp.

I’ll ask for a smidge of patience as we figure out the bells and whistles of this whole deal.

Sound Crazy? Yeah, It’s a Little Crazy.

This is just a newsletter, right? Well, we’ve decided to pursue this as a bonafide publication.

Someday, we hope to branch out beyond Substack and build our own platform. But the beauty of the ‘stack is that it does all of the structural work while we figure out the rest. We’re happy to live here for right now.

We. What a word. It’s an honor to sit at the helm of this ship, but more than anything, I’m excited to dig in with this cohort of folks. I’ve admired, respected, and followed their collective works for such a long time that it’s less about being at the helm and more about being in their midst.

Welcome to the next iteration of ‘The Westrn’. We’re so grateful that you, dear reader, are here.