{"id":1,"title":"Station identification","slug":"station-identification","body":"![Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat](/images/1)\r\n_\"Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat,\" by Vincent van Gogh, [here](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436532)._\r\n\r\n<span class=\"dropcap\">I've decided to give</span> blogging another shot. If you don't know me, I'm John West, a writer and technologist, currently reporting the news with code at the _Wall Street Journal_, where my work has received multiple awards including two Pulitzer Prizes.\r\n\r\nI've written a few books: a book-length personal essay called _Lessons and Carols_ (Eerdmans, 2023), a reported book called _The Internet Will Die, and So Will You_ (Here Below, September, 2026), and _The Psalmist_ (Union Square, Hachette, January, 2027). I'm hoping this will help me write my next.\r\n\r\nWelcome to <span class=\"dropcap\">This Republic of Letters.</span> Don't change that dial.","createdAt":"2026-04-20T13:30:31.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-04-20T13:30:51.000Z","tags":[{"id":6,"name":"station identification","type":"topic"}],"artifacts":[{"id":1,"title":"Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat","originUrl":"https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436532","hostname":"www.metmuseum.org","year":1887,"type":"painting","createdAt":"2026-04-20T13:20:11.000Z","tags":[{"id":1,"name":"vincent van gogh","type":"topic"},{"id":2,"name":"met museum","type":"publication"}]},{"id":2,"title":"Lessons and Carols","originUrl":"https://bookshop.org/p/books/lessons-and-carols-a-meditation-on-recovery-john-west/d5b7be0b6b407d82","hostname":"bookshop.org","year":2023,"type":"book","createdAt":"2026-04-20T13:28:30.000Z","tags":[{"id":3,"name":"john west","type":"author"},{"id":5,"name":"indie – eerdmans","type":"publication"}]},{"id":3,"title":"The Internet Will Die, and So Will You","originUrl":"https://herebelowbooks.com/9780802885425/the-internet-will-die-and-so-will-you/","hostname":"herebelowbooks.com","year":2026,"type":"book","createdAt":"2026-04-20T13:28:56.000Z","tags":[{"id":3,"name":"john west","type":"author"},{"id":18,"name":"indie – here below","type":"publication"}]},{"id":4,"title":"The Psalmist","originUrl":null,"hostname":null,"year":2027,"type":"book","createdAt":"2026-04-20T13:29:35.000Z","tags":[{"id":3,"name":"john west","type":"author"},{"id":4,"name":"hachette – union square","type":"publication"}]}]}