Who are you and why are you doing this?
Wow, way to make it sound like I’m robbing a bank. I’m Peter Rubin—a writer, editor, and person who tends to get a little obsessive about things I’m interested in. I’ve worked everywhere from GQ to Complex to Wired; most recently, I helped launch Level at Medium. I’ve also written a book, been on Jeopardy, done video series, and once upon a time almost became the fourth judge on some new show called American Idol.
As for why I’m doing this: I found myself with a little extra time this summer and started asking myself what a new creative pursuit might look like—one that would let me write about things outside the realm of Things People Will Pay Me to Write About, ideally in ways that are both fulfilling (for me) and interesting (for readers). This is the answer to that question. The Peter Principle isn’t hot takes or armchair analysis, it's not a link-dump, and it’s not actually about the depressing business axiom. It’s not really about any one thing. Instead, it's a way to dive into the rabbit holes that have defined my life—influences, hobbies, obsessions, formative experiences—using people who happen to share my name as a springboard.
Each week I'll pick a new Peter to write about, both as a person and as a lens through which I'll try to get at something a little bit bigger. Some of them will be Peters you know, some of them will be Peters you should know, some will be Peters not many people know at all. But they'll all mean something to me, and hopefully after reading they'll mean something to you too.
Another newsletter? Seriously?
A fair question! They’re popular these days. But there are good reasons for that. For one, it helps writers get their work to people who want to read it, without depending on social media. For another, it takes away the burden of remembering to visit a website: If you subscribe, you’ll get a new edition of The Peter Principle every week, directly in your inbox. (And if, like me, you’ve run back to RSS readers, you can even add this directly to your feed and not worry about the newsletter disappearing into your Gmail Promotions tab.) And it’s free. No paywall, no ads, no nothing.
But my name’s not Peter.
That’s probably for the best, honestly. You have no idea how many emails you’d get calling you “Paul.” Besides, this newsletter isn’t for people named Peter—though if you do know someone lucky enough to have that name, and you think they’d enjoy this, send it their way!
Where else can I read your writing?
I try to keep my website updated, and for older stuff, I have a somewhat embarrassing older site too. I’m also @provenself on Twitter, and about everywhere else. But if I’ve got anything new on the way, you’ll find out about it in the newsletter too.
