This Newsletter Needs a New Name
Help Me Choose It
When I started publishing on Substack in October 2023, I didn’t plan to write about Ottoman or Middle Eastern history. In fact, I deliberately avoided it because I wanted this to be a space separate from my academic work. A personal space, not a professional one.
This changed in August 2024, when I began sharing posts about my own research interests. And to my great surprise, the Substack community showed an interest what I had to say, which led my newsletter to grow.
This also created a problem, though. When I first started, I’d chosen the name for my publication almost on a whim since I simply meant to write about my own life and didn’t expect the platform to mean anything.
Now that I’ve been writing on a more specific topic, however, I’ve realized that the name “A Few Thoughts On…” could be confusing for readers, especially the ones who first come across my Substack. A reader kindly pointed this out to me recently, asking me whether I would consider changing the name of my publication to something more related to Ottoman history, and they were absolutely right.
I have also been thinking about it for a while now, and your feedback gave me the necessary push to pull the trigger. So I’m considering five new names for my Substack, and I’d love to know what you think.
Below, you’ll find a short poll. If you could please take a moment to vote, it would mean a lot.
Once again, I want you thank you for all the interest you showed in my work.
I’ll be back with more articles on Ottoman history in the following days.
Meanwhile, please check out the draft syllabus for my upcoming online course on Ottoman history if you haven’t already done so.
Until next time!