This is the touching story of a woman whose life had no room for anything besides work, until a baby hare in distress halted her life and changed how she saw...| letter.salman.io
A newsletter about fostering creativity, building self-awareness and embracing a polymath lifestyle. Each edition features essays, art and resources shared in the spirit of learning in public.| letter.salman.io
Hello, Last week I wrote about losing my mom. Today I want to share a note about grief. The days have been difficult, and I haven’t been writing much. I imagine some of you might be wondering, “What is this newsletter anyway? What is Quick Brown Fox?” Well, here’s a pass on that question, along with a little personal state-of-the-union: Quick Brown Fox is the personal newsletter of Salman Ansari, an author, illustrator and software engineer. The topics he writes about evolve with his ...| Quick Brown Fox
Six weeks ago, my mother died suddenly. I am in shock, devastated, numb, broken, empty, lost, weak. It is hard to speak to anyone. I miss her so much. Her...| letter.salman.io
Hi friends, We're almost halfway through 2025. They say “time flies,” but this year has felt like a long drag through the dirt. I’m pretty sure May lasted a full calendar year. There are so many things happening, all at once. And we’re exposed to everything, immediately, constantly. We were never meant to know this much. We’re not wired for this. It's impossible to keep up. It's impossible to act on everything, respond to each event with full emotion every day, again and again. And ...| Quick Brown Fox
Hi friends, I’ve just opened up an online shop: shop.salman.io. The first product is (of course) my book of fables, Wandering Spirits. The book has been for...| letter.salman.io
There once lived a centipede, happily strolling along. He ran into a frog, who stopped him in his tracks and asked, “How do you decide which leg to move first?” At this, the centipede pondered, and pondered, and pondered… The frog was long gone, and the centipede found himself stuck, sinking in a ditch. Feeling hopeless, the centipede looked around, until he saw a flower in the distance. Its leaves of tantalizing green captivated him so fully, that he forgot the frog’s question entire...| Quick Brown Fox
I was eye to eye with a wolf named Keyni. I surrendered to the moment, sensing the kindness in his eyes, which made his immense paws look playful rather than powerful. I had the chance to meet this majestic wolf when I visited the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, a sanctuary for wolves who cannot return to the wild. The minute I entered his enclosure, Keyni approached without hesitation or fear. Immediately, I felt overwhelmed with emotion. I couldn’t stop smiling. Eye to eye with KeyniTh...| Quick Brown Fox
Last week, we buried our darling cat, Scooby. He went missing the day I left for a work trip, and a few days later when I returned, we found his remains, attacked by some animal unknown. I won’t say more about how he died. I only wish to speak about how he lived. Scooby was our third cat, an outdoor stray who adopted us a little over two years ago. He quickly stole our hearts. He was simply the kindest cat I’ve ever known. You’d think a stray cat would be hesitant or antisocial, but Sco...| Quick Brown Fox
Ahoy! It’s been a while since I wrote to you. I’ve been a bit blocked from publishing blogs and newsletters, not because I don’t have much to say, but because I have too much to say! March has been an eventful month with lots of wildlife adventures I want to share with you. I’m finally catching up on writing about them. Today I want to talk to you about bison. I have a new post for you to check out: Bison in My Backyard A lone bison in Yellowstone stopped me in my tracks, and led me i...| Quick Brown Fox
Hey friends, This weekend, I’ll be flying to Yellowstone for a three-day wolf-watching excursion, hosted by Yellowstone Institute. I’ve never done anything like this before—I’m really excited, a little nervous, but mostly excited. We’ll be observing the many packs that roam Lamar Valley, wolves that have been captured in films and books over the years. My goal is not to take photos or document the experience, but simply to be present—to witness these incredible animals in their na...| Quick Brown Fox
Hey friends, A warm welcome to almost two hundred new subscribers that joined since my last edition! Huge thanks to Creative Mornings for featuring my work. Thanks to all of you for joining me on my creative journey—I hope you like it here. (If you’d like a look at my past writing, hop over to my blog.) Onward! --- Annual Review For many years now, I've been doing a personal annual review at the end of the year. But last year, I skipped it—I was just too overwhelmed emotionally. One of ...| Quick Brown Fox
Alright, technically it was a ram named Gordon Ramsay, but I’d argue that is even cooler than meeting the celebrity chef. The ram let me pet him, and did not scream at me. So, that’s a win in my book. More on the ram later. Welcome to the 138th edition of Quick Brown Fox, a newsletter by me, Salman Ansari. If you forgot who I am, I don’t blame you, because who can keep track of newsletters anyway? As a refresher: I am that guy who is weirdly obsessed with foxes, juggles software enginee...| Quick Brown Fox
Hey folks, I’ve been swamped the past month with moving. I’m finally starting to get my routine back in the new place, and despite the chaos, I’m trying to look at it as a phase of renewal. Just as we move physically, I’m shifting my approach digitally with respect to how I publish online. In the last edition, Reviving the Open Web, I mentioned I want to focus more on blogging again. Since then, I’ve been publishing more pieces directly to my website salman.io, as well as upgrading ...| Quick Brown Fox
Hey folks, I haven’t been publishing much lately. After some reflection, I realized why: I miss blogging. I used to write and publish more freely when I blogged on my site salman.io. Lately, I’ve been focusing too much on Substack, and it has drained some of my creative joy. I know most of you are not even on Substack, so perhaps writing about it to you is an odd choice. Nonetheless, it’s the platform I started this newsletter on with Quick Brown Fox #1 back in December of 2019, so it w...| Quick Brown Fox
A dragon smiles and takes a deep breath, unleashing his fire into the village town square. He looks around, then blows another blast. His aim is flawless. He douses his targets with perfect precision, leaving piles of ash in his wake. The villagers stand by, watching his work, applauding and cheering on their town hero. “That’s it!” yells the town elder. “Great job!” When the dragon first arrived at the village, the people were terrified. But after observing his docile nature, they ...| Quick Brown Fox
Hey friends, I often share links and art in my newsletters alongside a featured essay, but I have sometimes found they make the newsletters run a tad too long. Today, I’m trying out a new approach where I publish a monthly newsletter entirely dedicated to sharing my favorite finds with you. (I’ve also created a new sub-Section for them in Substack, “Salman Selects”, so if you’re not a fan of these curation newsletters, you can unsubscribe from them specifically and still get my othe...| Quick Brown Fox
Dear friends, some exciting news: My book of fables, Wandering Spirits, was selected as a National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist! I’m honored and delighted that my hard work has been recognized in this way. And now onto today’s fresh fable… --- Word’s Worth A merchant sat inside his shop, waiting for visitors. Most days, no one came. Sales were slow. He grew impatient, and wondered if there was a better way. “If the people won’t come to me, then I must go to them,” he thought...| Quick Brown Fox
Recently I was on stage at the Town Hall Theater in Lafayette, doing a Q&A after a book reading event, when the moderator asked, “Why are fables so important to you? What is it about them that motivated you to write your own book of fables?” I replied: “The classic fables are timeless gems of wisdom. Our shared stories, myths, and folklore are invaluable guides on how to live our lives. They’ve lost prominence in our modern societies, though we need them now more than ever. But that...| Quick Brown Fox
A young hare races alongside her best friend, a tortoise. They are both daughters of legends — the tale of their fathers’ infamous race has been told throughout the lands. The day arrives when the young friends must follow in the footsteps of their fathers and race each other on the big stage. They anxiously wait at the starting line, giving each other a warm smile. Bang! The young hare takes off to an early lead. She looks back and sees her friend lagging far behind. She settles into a r...| Quick Brown Fox
Hey friends, I’m back from a long overdue break—I escaped to the beautiful island of Kauai in Hawaii, and spent a week there relaxing, eating, swimming, reading, and somewhat unexpectedly, sketching. I’m grateful I had the chance to go, as it was the first real vacation I’ve had in a long while. At the last minute, I packed a small notebook and a Pentel brush pen. I learned about this very unique pen while watching Jess Karp’s video about pen drawing. What I love most about a brush ...| Quick Brown Fox
You see, there was the small matter of my desk. I refused to use it. I would hide on my couch and avoid it as much as possible. I couldn’t get myself to sit at that damn desk and write. I thought about it for a long while, and decided the problem was the desk itself. It was one of those fancy adjustable desks. It could lift itself up quite high, but it wouldn’t go down low enough for my liking. That put upward pressure on my arms, which pushed on my shoulders, which I believe to be the c...| Quick Brown Fox
When I hear someone say, “Is it Thursday already? Time flies!” I usually smile and nod, but in my head I'm thinking, Really? I usually know what day it is. I live and die by my calendar. But lately, time has felt fuzzy. This happens to me every so often when I’m overwhelmed. I fall into a mindless cycle of working -> watching -> sleeping -> working -> watching… Hours, days and weeks pass by without notice. There is no end to this game of consumption. Eating media left and right, one...| Quick Brown Fox
A monkey is trapped in a prison of steel rods, longing for freedom. A bird flies by, and the monkey yells out, “Oh dear bird, please help me! I’m trapped in this prison.” The bird swoops down, and sees a locked wooden box nearby. He pecks at it with his beak until it breaks open, then delivers the key to the monkey’s paw. The monkey opens it and escapes. “Thank you!” says the monkey. “I’ll remember this.” The monkey dances through the forest, enjoying his newfound freedom. B...| Quick Brown Fox
Wandering Spirits is a collection of whimsical tales that feed the soul, tug the heart, and spark the mind. BUY ON AMAZON BUY ON BOOKSHOP.ORG BUY ON BARNES N NOBLE Inspired by classic books like The Little Prince, these delightfully illustrated fables follow a variety of charming animal characters as they embark on fantastical yet profoundly relatable quests. In this book, you'll meet: a fox who wakes up to find he has many talking tails a wolf who tries to fit in with a pack of dogs a frog w...| Quick Brown Fox
I went into the woods in search of solace. There, after many nights looking down at my phone, I stretched my neck and looked up at those tall trees, those magnificent giants, the redwoods. I kept walking until I reached the fast-flowing stream that cut through the woods. There was a sign. It said that the salmon were dying, and the park people were working hard to save them. Save the salmon? Why do they need saving? I wondered. It’s been raining nonstop for months. I assumed at least the fi...| Quick Brown Fox
A week ago my new book of fables, Wandering Spirits, flew out into the world: BUY MY BOOK On launch day, I had a wonderful time gathering with friends, family and readers to celebrate the release: Since then, I’ve been getting so many messages from readers on how they love the beautiful illustrations, how the stories contain lessons they deeply relate to, and how much fun they’re having reading to kids while doing voices. “These fables are great and poignant — there have been some rea...| Quick Brown Fox
Hey friend, We’re just a week away from the release of my book of fables, Wandering Spirits! Quick reminder that I’m hosting an online launch party on release day, January 23rd at 4PM PST. I’ll share insights on my process writing the book, perform a live reading of one of the book’s fables, then open it up for questions and discussion. Join the party here: lu.ma/wandering-spirits. Today I have a fresh tale for you to feast on. Gather round, dear friends, a new fable begins… --- The...| Quick Brown Fox
Last week, I announced my book of fables is launching on January 23rd, 2024. The book will ship with paperback, digital ebook and audiobook editions. We’re just three weeks away now! I’m throwing an online launch party at 4PM PST on January 23rd to celebrate—join the fun and RSVP here: lu.ma/wandering-spirits. --- 2023 was a tough year filled with many personal challenges for me, but I also reached several milestones, including finishing my book. Today I’m taking a look back at some o...| Quick Brown Fox
Exciting news: I’ve finalized the launch date for my book of modern fables, Wandering Spirits, and it’s very soon! I’m releasing the book with paperback, digital ebook and audiobook editions on January 23rd, 2024. I’m hosting an online party to celebrate on launch day, and you’re invited! I’ll share some insights on the process of writing the book, do a live reading of one of the fables, and then open it up for Q&A. I’d love for you to join. Learn more and RSVP for the book part...| Quick Brown Fox
The skies are gray. The grass is wet. The air is cold. I stare at the soil and think of Scooby’s meow. I struggle to accept that my beloved cat is gone. The bitter chill of wind seeps through the gaping hole in my heart. I thought about finding a book to help me through the grief. Jane Goodall's book, A Book of Hope, came to mind. I figured her wisdom would be apt in this moment, as she has spent her lifetime understanding and supporting animals and nature. But I’m hesitant to start readi...| Quick Brown Fox