Zephyrlings!

Hello All!

This website was formerly a blog called Culture Keeper. It was originally a place to keep track of the beautiful things my friends were making… and gradually it grew into its own digital magazine with an amazing team of folks. I wanted to keep that archive of articles available… and continue to grow and explore through writing some of the ideas we are exploring with Zephyrlings… but we shall see how that all evolves.

The word “zephyrlings” is a translation of a word coined by Goethe from a wee bit of text (that to my knowledge never made it into one of his poems or books):

“Weil er da recht war wo er war und nicht von Zephiretten Traumage von nichts getragen ward.”

“Because he was exactly where he was and not blown by dreamy zephyrlings from nought to nought”

This phrase has been a constant source of inspiration for me over the past two decades, and I hope it gives you something lovely to ponder as well.

We are launching Zephyrlings this month with a wallpaper that has been years in the making. I am excited to share that with you all soon.

Thanks for following along as we build something new!

Best Wishes,

Jonathan Randall Grant

Creative Director, Zephyrlings

Memorial Day

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Best wishes this Memorial Day.

From the Culture Keeper Team


 
 

Bon Appétit: Discover France's Gratin Dauphinois

Bon Appétit: Discover France's Gratin Dauphinois

A VIDEO REPORT BY BILL DIEM

In a Culture Keeper first, at least in recent memory, we bring you a recipe! In a video report narrated in French (never fear, non-French speaker, we’ve included some English text for you), Bill Diem takes us from the market to the kitchen to a dinner table surrounded by friends ready to enjoy the evening’s star dish. Along the way he sheds some light on the history of this representative of France’s reputed culinary traditions.

The View From Here: Mahboob’s Afghanistan

The View From Here: Mahboob’s Afghanistan

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MAHBOOB FAIZI

In the newest installment in our roving View From Here series, Mahboob Faizi takes us to a quiet spot near Kabul, Afghanistan. With this article, we’re excited to add a new language in our Sans Frontières series of articles published in multiple languages. Mahboob has written for us in both English and Dari, which is the version of Persian spoken in Afghanistan.

Xela: A Place Revisited

Xela: A Place Revisited

TEXT BY DONNA FORD
PHOTOS BY SARAH CONNER

Donna Ford lets us come with her to revisit a poignant season in her life that continues to resound nearly two decades later. We’re happy that through the photography of Sarah Conner, who is currently in the Guatemalan community that was so formative for Donna, we’re given extra glimpses into the scenes of this place.

Books Are Like Water: The 24-Hour Bookshop

Books Are Like Water: The 24-Hour Bookshop

STORY BY HEATHER M. SURLS, WITH TRANSLATION HELP BY MARADI AYED ALHAWARI
PHOTOS BY HALA MAHMOUD

Our resident correspondent in Amman has been working on this story for ages. As she ran into road block after road block, we thought we might have a mysterious mini-series on our hands, complete with legends, cracked-open doorways, and classical Arabic to decipher. But our intrepid writer persisted and now brings you a delicious story of the power of a multi-generational love affair with books.