Sean McDevitt is a professional copywriter, author, essayist, husband, father, and scrambled eggs maker. Not necessarily in that order.

This site is my online home and "digital hub." From here, you can find links to my most recent essays, quick thoughts, and evergreen notes on a wide variety of topics.

Featured Essays

Start with a couple of my favorite essays from my newsletter, Saturday Night Five.

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

Thinking

Short thoughts, quotes, and commentary, mostly about things I've read.

I quit social media, or at least most of it, and this is what replaced it. Short thoughts, quotes I can't stop thinking about, things I read that made me stop and reconsider something. If you're wondering what I would have posted on any given day, this is pretty close. It's messier and more personal than the essays, and I think that's the point.You can visit seanmcdevitt.net instead of scrolling here. Whatever floats your boat.

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

Byline

A collection of articles I've written for publication.

Writing for a living means a lot of the work ends up elsewhere, not on your own site. This page is where I keep track of it. Feature stories, magazine pieces, institutional writing, things with my byline on them that I'm proud of and want you to be able to find. It's not exhaustive, but it's the work that meant something to me.

Fighting Illini

From 2018 to 2023, I wrote freelance for the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Illinois. All of my writing appeared on fightingillini.com.Over the years, I interviewed coaches, student-athletes, Illinois Athletics staff, and donors, telling their stories.

April 16, 2018 - ‘Illinois Basketball Never Stops’ – New faces, new attitudes
April 18, 2018 - 'It’s a brotherhood' - Football Letterwinners Reconnect
April 19, 2018 - Whitman’s Vision Driving Illinois Athletics
May 24, 2018 - ‘A Promise Kept’ – Former Illini Brandon Lloyd Now an Illini Graduate
June 6, 2018 - United Center Tradition to Continue, with a Twist
June 7, 2018 - ‘Awestruck by our Potential’ - Whitman not taking foot off pedal
June 11, 2018 - 'Showing Progress, Commitment' – Ubben Renovation Plan Unveiled
July 3, 2018 - ‘I'm a product of a great institution’ - Levenick credits U of I
July 9, 2018 - 'The Experience Changes Lives' – Buckley Makes Gift of Education
July 23, 2018 - ‘It’s a Family Reunion’ - Rose Bowl team Honors 10 Year Anniversary
August 30, 2018 - 'The opportunity to commemorate their passion'
September 30, 2018 - 'View from the top is promising' - Delany All-In on Illinois' bright future
October 3, 2018 - 'Where everyone feels accepted' - For Illini Athletics, Inclusion Means More
November 4, 2018 - 'I’d answer the call again' - Be The Match Saves Lives
November 15, 2018 - Susie Atkins Paves the Way for New Baseball Facility
December 12, 2018 - ‘There’s no greater feeling’ Illini Basketball Alums Return to Campus
December 18, 2018 - Belief in Illini Program Helps Raise $47 Million in 12 Months
January 19, 2019 - 'A Smile You Don’t Forget' – Tiffany Hand brings passionate spirit to Illini Athletics
February 17, 2019 - Andres Feliz Scoring Life Opportunities
July 26, 2019 - “He makes people want to be better” -- Illinois Athletics brings student and teacher together
August 1, 2019 - ‘A gift of love’ – Alum Chuck Vermillion honors Illinois’ life impact
August 5, 2019 - ‘Whatever you want in life’ – Corey Liuget leaves mark at Illinois
October 4, 2019 - “The Original Impact Transfer” -- Wayne Paulson Honors Illini Career with Smith Center Gift
October 6, 2019 - Wright Family Legacy Lives on in the Smith Center
October 18, 2019 - 'I’m Coming Home' - Tony Khan Brings New Wrestling League Home
October 29, 2019 - Illini Swimmer Hein Uses ROTC to Boost Leadership
November 17, 2019 - Aussie Blake Hayes Game Changer for Illini
November 19, 2019 - Passaneau Family Gift for Ubben Renovation Honors Father’s Passion
February 21, 2020 - Cancer Center at Illinois Pushing Innovation to Make a Difference
April 8, 2020 - Betty Mood Smith, Smith Center Namesake Passes Away At 90
May 3, 2020 - Illini Equipment Putting Skills to Work for Local COVID Fight
May 7, 2020 - Shelter-in-Place Order Gives Tinervin Family Foundation Added Purpose
May 9, 2020 - Family Honors Lee Eilbracht with Baseball Scholarship
May 10, 2020 - A Mom to No. 11 … A Mom to All
June 3, 2020 - ‘She’ll Always be Remembered’ – Alice Martin’s Spirit Continues Through Illinois Softball
June 10, 2020 - Hall of Famer Gia Lewis-Smallwood Believes Sports Can Lead Fight vs. Racism
September 25, 2020 - Basketball an Outlet for Antigua to Share Hispanic Roots
October 12, 2020 - Aaliyah Nye Finds Family with Basketball and Native American Tribe
November 6, 2020 - The Gang of Nine Loyal to the Orange and Blue
November 20, 2020 - Visions of Grandeur on the Horizon for Atkins Golf Club
December 3, 2020 - ‘The traditions just change’ - How one family tailgate was kept alive
January 1, 2021 - Illini New Year’s Resolution: Build Strength in Numbers
February 14, 2021 - Howard Milton: Breaking Barriers through the Art of Giving
February 17, 2021 - Josh Whitman: Five Impactful Years And Many More to Come
April 22, 2021 - On the Move with Fred Wakefield
June 18, 2021 - Illini of the Roundtable: Whitman Sets Stage with a State of the Department
July 30, 2021 - The Race to $1 Million in 48 Hours; Illini Fundraising hits Milestone
September 19, 2021 - Steinberg Receives Varsity I Achievement Award
November 11, 2021 - It’s all “Homegrown” for new Atkins Golf Restaurateurs Abbie and Ryan
November 18, 2021 - Former Illini Gymnast Develops COVID-19 Breath Test
July 1, 2022 - Allen and Nancy Carter Making Impact for Illinois, City of Urbana
July 10, 2022 - “We’re the Bulldozers”: Removing barriers for Illini success
July 21, 2022 - NIL, the NCAA, and the New Reality of College Athletics
August 29, 2022 - Illini Athletics Finds Fundraising Success in Transparent Approach
October 10, 2022 - The Evolution of Fundraising: An Illini Success Story
November 4, 2022 - Nadalie Walsh Pens Book to Connect the Heart in Coaching
June 22, 2023 - The State of Illini FamILLy is Strong

Transmitter Magazine

From 2020 to 2024, Transmitter Magazine was the premier publication of the radio control lifestyle. Horizon Hobby produced thirteen issues highlighting the people and products in the radio control hobby.For the entire run, I was the Managing Editor writing feature stories, soliciting stories from freelancers, editing, and adding other writing as needed for each issue.

Personal Stories
- The Purdy RC Club
- Living the Dream at BBMods Raceway
- The Miracle of Flight
- A Different Kind of Trail
- Living Between the Seconds
- Dakotah Phend: Prodigy to "Phenom" to Professional
- Sitting in a Lawn Chair in the Middle of the Air
- Winning Time
- A Mile Every Two Seconds
- From RC Pan Cars to NASCAR
- From IMAC Champ to RC Nation
- How to Do What You Love and Still Love What You Do
- A Lasting Legacy in Radio Control
- RJ Gritter: RC Legend Turned Airshow Pilot

Behind the Innovation
- Next Generation Innovation
- All Hail the King
- Behind the Innovation: The Versatile Timber
- Next Level Connectivity
- Behind the Innovation: Mike Patey's DRACO
- Behind the Innovation: 22S Drag Car
- Behind the Innovation: The Losi LMT 4WD Solid Axle Monster Truck

Radio Control Events
- "It's All About You"
- Mudslides and Mayhem
- Joe Nall 2023

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

Writing

The latest essays from Saturday Night Five

Every week, I sit down and write an essay for my newsletter, Saturday Night Five. Some weeks, the topic finds me. Other weeks, I have to go looking for it. Either way, it ends up here. These are the latest ones, and if you like what you read, you can subscribe and get new essays delivered straight to you.

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

Bookshelf

Books I've read, grouped by year.

I read a lot, and I wanted a place to keep an honest record of it. It's just a running list of what I've actually finished, grouped by year, and a Goodreads link.If you see something you've read too, I'd love to talk about it.

2026

2025

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

Saturday Night Five

My free weekly newsletter which features an original essay and four other things on my mind.

Subscribe and every new issue of Saturday Night Five lands in your inbox on the weekend, right when you have a little more time to actually read something worth reading.

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

Slashes

Looking for something? Let me direct you to the proper page.

Inspired by Robb Knight, this is my Slashes page. A slashes page is an index of all my “slash pages.” Slash pages are common pages you can add to a website, usually with a standard, root-level slug like /now or /about.Special thanks to Michael Sass for coining the phrase and Manu Moreale for showing it to me for the first time.

#20 Questions

My personal questionaire designed for you to learn a bit more about me.

#About

About Sean McDevitt and this site.

#Bookshelf

Books I've read, grouped by year.

#Byline

A collection of articles I've written for publication.

#Colophon

How this site is designed and built.

#Now

What I'm doing now.

#Saturday Night Five

My free weekly newsletter which features an original essay and four other things on my mind.

#Thinking

Short thoughts and comments, mostly about things I've read.

#Writing

The latest essays from Saturday Night Five

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

Testing

About

About Sean McDevitt and this site.

Hello! I’m Sean. My professional mission is to provide powerful copy that exceeds expectations. I’m a cross-functional leader, writer, and creative director with a track record of leading creative teams, shaping effective marketing and advertising campaigns, and producing special events.As the lead senior copywriter at Horizon Hobby, my goal is to contribute strong messaging through the power of design and storytelling.

I grew up in a house filled with comic books and science fiction novels, so that's why I have an uncommon knowledge of Star Trek and Star Wars, but I vehemently deny knowing how warp drive works or why lightsabers only go so high.I root for University of Illinois Athletics and the St.Louis Cardinals. I do not have an NFL or NBA team.I’m originally from downstate Illinois, and live with my wife and kids in the Champaign-Urbana area. I studied creative writing at Illinois College and speech communications at Eastern Illinois University.My personal projects include my newsletter Saturday Night Five, the children’s book, Goodnight Princess, and the noir-tinged fumetti, The Beautiful Kill.Through my writing, I share personal stories and explore ideas about being a parent, a husband, a fan, and other things that interest me.My latest book, Captured Ghosts, is coming soon.

Contact me

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have something to share, would like to connect, or have any other reason we should talk.How to contact me:- For anything personal, please email me
- If it’s work-related, use LinkedIn
- I do not use social media. Although I have accounts on these various platforms, I do not actively post on them anymore. They are also mostly locked down. Unless you are a personal friend or family member, feel free to assume I won’t see your message on social media.If you’d like to show your appreciation, you may buy me coffee. If you don’t know what to gift me for my birthday, try my Amazon wishlist.

Privacy and analytics

- This site does not use any third-party tracking scripts.
- This site does not collect any data.

Design and production

If you’re curious about how this site is designed or built, check out the colophon.

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

Standard Disclaimer

STANDARD DISCLAIMER: Please read all instructions and warnings before use. Must be 18 years of age or older to proceed further. Enter at your own risk. Do not enter. Speed limit – 28.8 or higher. Stop here on red. Hostess will seat you. Trucks over 4 tons excluded. Void where prohibited by law. Some assembly required. This is a test of the emergency broadcast system – this is ONLY A TEST! List each check separately by bank number. Batteries not included. Contents may settle during shipment. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Use only as directed. For indoor or outdoor use only. Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly. We make no other warranties, expressed or implied. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Postage will be paid by addressee. Postal service will not deliver mail without postage. No postage necessary if mailed in the United States. Subject to CAB approval. This is not an offer to sell securities. 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Doors do not rebound or bounce back. Your mileage may vary. This article does not reflect the thoughts or opinions of either myself, my company, my friends, or my cat. Don’t quote me on that. Don’t quote me on anything. All rights reserved. Patent pending. For external use only. Avoid extreme temperatures. Avoid contact with eyes and skin. Do not puncture, incinerate, or store above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not place near a magnetic source. Smoking could be hazardous to your health. Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide. Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema. The best safeguard, second only to abstinence, is the use of a condom. No salt, MSG, artificial color or flavoring added. If ingested, induce vomiting. Ribbed for her pleasure. Offer valid only at participating locations. Slightly higher west of the Rockies. Allow four to six weeks for delivery. You may distribute this article freely, but may not make a profit from it. 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Disclaimer does not cover misuse, accident, lightning, flood, tornado, tsunami, volcanic eruption, earthquake, hurricanes, or other acts of God, neglect, damage from improper use, incorrect line voltage, unauthorized use, unauthorized repair, improper installation, typos, broken antenna or marred cabinet, missing or altered serial numbers, electromagnetic radiation from nuclear blasts, sonic boom vibrations, customer adjustments that are not covered in this list, and incidents owing to an airplane crash, ship sinking or taking on water, motor vehicle crashing, dropping the item, falling rocks, leaky roof, broken glass, disk failure, accidental file deletions, mud slides, forest fire, hitting of a deer, milk coming out of your nose due to laughing while drinking, or projectiles, which can include, but are not limited to, arrows, bullet shots, BBs, shrapnel, lasers, napalm, torpedoes, emissions of X-rays, Alpha, Beta and Gamma rays, knives, stones, etc. This disclaimer may not be copied or reproduced in any form without the expressed written consent of whoever I stole it from.

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

Evergreen

How this site is designed and built.

Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here.

Programming and production

This site is built using Carrd. I love Carrd, but I wish there was a way to do a full blog on it that isn’t ridiculously expensive.

Design

The current design is a blend of ideas from my own older sites, Maggie Appleton, Matt Widmann, Andy Matuschak, Michael Sass and a lot from Sean Voisen.

Typography

Body copy for all long-form content is set in Source Serif 4. Headlines and user interface elements are set in Outfit.

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

Everyday Carry

A dynamic list of the things I carry every day.

Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here.

Programming and production

This site is built using Carrd. I love Carrd, but I wish there was a way to do a full blog on it that isn’t ridiculously expensive.

Design

The current design is a blend of ideas from my own older sites, Maggie Appleton, Matt Widmann, Andy Matuschak, Michael Sass and a lot from Sean Voisen.

Typography

Body copy for all long-form content is set in Source Serif 4. Headlines and user interface elements are set in Outfit.

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

20 Questions

My personal questionaire designed for you to learn a bit more about me.

Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire and the Colbert Questionert, this is my list of 20 questions to have a little fun with and learn a little bit about myself.Feel free to use it on your site. However, I would ask that you link back here if you do use it for your own personal site.

1. What is your favorite word?

I like "Petrichor" quite a bit. It's also my favorite smell. "Quadrotriticale" is also a fun word. However, I think I have to say, "Yes" is my favorite word.

2. What is your least favorite word?

I think the word I hate the most is "No."

3. What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Perfect happiness is a moment of stillness where I'm fully present. There's no weight of the past or worry about the future. Just a quiet sense that right now, this is enough.It feels like about 5:30 in the morning, with a distant thunderstorm on the horizon. It's crisp, but not cold outside, and the coffee is the right temperature.

4. What is your idea of absolute misery?

Feeling lost in regret about the past or dread about the future. A cacophony of noise, external or internal.

5. What was your first job ever?

Babysitting my brother.

6. What was your worst job ever?

The summer before college, I worked for the park district. We built a sidewalk, planted a ton of evergreen trees, and built a playset. It was basically digging a lot of holes in the sun.

7. What was your best job ever?

Occasionally, on Saturday, Dad would ask me to work with him at the Pharmacy as a tech. We'd have a morning rush of like five customers and then I'd run to get lunch, and we'd spend the rest of the afternoon talking baseball, reading the newspaper, and basically just hang out. Those were great days.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to try?

I think I would have made a pretty good college professor. I was able to do some adjunct work at the community college level, but I never fully tried to become a full-time professor.

9. What is the trait you hate most in yourself?

I procrastinate too much.

10. What is the trait you hate most in others?

Rudeness. A couple of examples that bother me: Looking at your phone while someone is talking to you, talking loudly on the phone in quiet spaces, and bringing your dog into a restaurant or store when it is obviously not a service dog.

11. What’s a piece of advice you’d give to yourself at 23?

Say yes to more things that scare you a little and say no to more things that drain you completely.

12. What is your greatest extravagance?

I subscribe to nearly all of the streaming entertainment services.

13. What’s one thing you own that you really should throw out?

I just recently got rid of a ratty, old, sweatstained baseball hat that I did not want to throw out. I own a snowblower that I've never used.

14. You have dinner reservations for four, excluding family and close friends, who are the three people (alive, dead or imaginary) you’d invite?

Barack Obama, Robin Williams, and Dave Filoni.

15. What is your baseball walk-up song?

For a long time, I always answered this with "Three-Lock Box" by Sammy Hagar. Now, I kinda like "Bleed It Out" by Linkin Park or "Detroit Rock City" by KISS.

16. Have you ever asked someone for an autograph?

Lots of people. I got Larry Bird's autograph when he came to a basketball camp I was at while he was playing for Indiana State. Gene Simmons signed my copy of Mike Grell's Sable novel, which is a weird combination. I've got a bootlegged "Six Million Dollar Man" screenplay signed by Kevin Smith. My favorite one is a comic book artist, George Perez, who drew a brooding Batman and signed it.

17. You get one song to listen to for the rest of your life: what is it?

John Cage’s 4′33″. We are so lucky to live in this day and age, where we can just take out our phones and listen to beautiful compositions like this for free.

18. Coffee or Tea?

I drink coffee a lot more than I drink tea, but I love them both.

19. What is something you’re really excited about right now?

Finally completing Captured Ghosts.

20. Describe the rest of your life in five words:

Still figuring it all out.

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

Not

A list of things this site is absolutely not.

Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here.

Programming and production

This site is built using Carrd. I love Carrd, but I wish there was a way to do a full blog on it that isn’t ridiculously expensive.

Design

The current design is a blend of ideas from my own older sites, Maggie Appleton, Matt Widmann, Andy Matuschak, Michael Sass and a lot from Sean Voisen.

Typography

Body copy for all long-form content is set in Source Serif 4. Headlines and user interface elements are set in Outfit.

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

Nope

A list of things I don’t want to do, in no particular order.

Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here.

Programming and production

This site is built using Carrd. I love Carrd, but I wish there was a way to do a full blog on it that isn’t ridiculously expensive.

Design

The current design is a blend of ideas from my own older sites, Maggie Appleton, Matt Widmann, Andy Matuschak, Michael Sass and a lot from Sean Voisen.

Typography

Body copy for all long-form content is set in Source Serif 4. Headlines and user interface elements are set in Outfit.

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

Top 4

My definitive ranked list of my top 3 favorites and an honorable mention.

Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here.

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

Uses

My inventory of the gear, software, and other stuff about my office/working setup.

Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here.

Programming and production

This site is built using Carrd. I love Carrd, but I wish there was a way to do a full blog on it that isn’t ridiculously expensive.

Design

The current design is a blend of ideas from my own older sites, Maggie Appleton, Matt Widmann, Andy Matuschak, Michael Sass and a lot from Sean Voisen.

Typography

Body copy for all long-form content is set in Source Serif 4. Headlines and user interface elements are set in Outfit.

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

Verify

Do you have the right Sean McDevitt? This is the record of my online identity.

Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here.

Programming and production

This site is built using Carrd. I love Carrd, but I wish there was a way to do a full blog on it that isn’t ridiculously expensive.

Design

The current design is a blend of ideas from my own older sites, Maggie Appleton, Matt Widmann, Andy Matuschak, Michael Sass and a lot from Sean Voisen.

Typography

Body copy for all long-form content is set in Source Serif 4. Headlines and user interface elements are set in Outfit.

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

Why

How this site is designed and built.

Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here. Intro information goes here.

Programming and production

This site is built using Carrd. I love Carrd, but I wish there was a way to do a full blog on it that isn’t ridiculously expensive.

Design

The current design is a blend of ideas from my own older sites, Maggie Appleton, Matt Widmann, Andy Matuschak, Michael Sass and a lot from Sean Voisen.

Typography

Body copy for all long-form content is set in Source Serif 4. Headlines and user interface elements are set in Outfit.

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

Colophon

How my digital life is constructed.

A colophon is a note, usually tucked at the back of a book, that explains how the thing was made. The fonts used, the tools involved, the people who helped bring it to life. I always liked that tradition, so I brought it here.This page is the behind-the-scenes answer to how my digital life works. If you're curious about the production side of things, you're in the right place.I've had some version of a personal website since 2001. The domain names have changed. The platforms have changed. The goals have not. This is my little place on a quiet street of the internet, and I want it to feel that way.Here's how it all works.

seanmcdevitt.com

This site is built using Carrd. Carrd is a joy to work with for a one-page site. It's fast, clean, and lets me stay focused on the content rather than the configuration.You may also notice that the site doesn't work like a typical website. There are no separate pages to click through. Everything lives on a single page, organized into sections you can jump to directly from the navigation. It simulates a multi-page site.It's a deliberate choice. I like the idea of this site as a single continuous document, without the friction of loading a new page every time. It keeps things simple, especially on the backend.If you want to link directly to a section, the anchor links in the navigation will get you there.The design is a blend of ideas gathered over several years of obsessing over other people's personal sites. Specific credit is owed to my own sites, Maggie Appleton, Matt Widmann, Andy Matuschak, Michael Sass and a lot from Sean Voisen.Body copy for all long-form content is set in Source Serif 4. Headlines and user interface elements are set in Outfit. This site does not use any third-party tracking scripts.

seanmcdevitt.net

seanmcdevitt.net is powered by Micro.blog. If you are not familiar with Micro.blog, it is an independent, ad-free platform built for the open web. It supports short posts, long posts, photos, and all the building blocks of a real blog, without the noise and distractions of the algorithmic social media experience.I think about the .net as the place where I post shorter thoughts, links, and quick observations. Things that don't need an essay behind them. Things I read this morning. Things I want to remember. The original intent of the .net domain extension was always "network," and that feels about right for what this site is trying to do. I'm simply building a small, thoughtful network of ideas rather than shouting into the void.Additionally, you can find this content embedded on the Thinking page.

saturdaynightfive.com

Saturday Night Five is my free weekly newsletter, and it lives on Substack. Each issue features one original essay and four other things on my mind.I chose Substack because it elegantly handles the entire pipeline: write, publish, deliver. There's no fussing with email service providers, no separate configuration for the web archive, no plugin to update at the worst possible moment.It's a centralized platform, but I don't love everything about the direction Substack has taken, as it platforms extremists and tries to become more of a social network. However, for what I need right now, which is a reliable, clean place to write and deliver a weekly essay to the people who actually want to read it, it does the job without getting in the way.You can read the latest at Writing and subscribe at Saturday Night Five or here.

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."

Now

What I'm doing now.

Inspired by Derek Sivers, this note is a reminder to help focus and allocate the right amount of time and energy.This note is updated irregularly.

Focus on being a thoughtful husband and father

This one's always a work in progress, honestly. Right now, I'm trying to be more present. That means paying closer attention to what's going on in the house. Always looking to see what the next right thing is to do.It's less dramatic than it sounds and more important than I want to admit.

Writing and working on this site

I'm getting back into a rhythm. The goal is simple: write more, publish more, overthink less. I've got things rattling around in my head that deserve to land somewhere, and you'll be able to find them here.I'm also leaning into the digital garden idea and will post more to the Notes section when I have time.

Reading more, scrolling less

I keep catching myself reaching for my phone when I could be reaching for a book. So I'm working on that trade-off and I think I have a compromise in adding books to read on my phone and subtracting social media from it.Also, there's a stack on my bookshelf that's been giving me the look, and I'm finally doing something about it.More pages turned, fewer doomscrolls.

Organize my digital media

Years of photos, videos, MP3s, PDFs, ePubs, and other files scattered across hard drives and folders with names like "FINALv3REAL" deserve better.I'm slowly making sense of it all by properly archiving, labeling them accurately, and building a system I'll actually stick to. I'm incredibly fascinated by the Johnny Decimal system, but I'm nowhere near that level of complexity/simplicity yet.Overall, it's the kind of project that's deeply unglamorous and weirdly satisfying.

Finish Collected Ghosts

My collection of short stories and essays has been living in draft purgatory long enough. Captured Ghosts is close... closer than it's ever been to a completed product and I'm pushing it across the finish line.It's the project I'm most excited about and the one I've been most afraid to finish.That's usually a sign it matters.

© 2001-2026 Sean McDevitt | All content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Standard Disclaimer | "No matter where you go... there you are."