Through the Lens, Too
Season 12, #2: Daytalking with Photographer-Writer Glenn Cook
DAYTALKING IS ALL ABOUT relationships—how you find and grow them, how you maintain them … and how you might lose them.
I was particularly glad to kick off this Season 12 about Daytalking with a new friend—a new life!—and an open letter to my middle nephew’s first child, Sophie, born on Monday, May 4, which you can read here in case you missed it:
There’s a second long-form essay in the works this season, particularly on living spaces and the other humans that inhabit them with or without you.
Look for that in early June.
Lastly for this season, two collaborations with working artists. I’d been wanting to do this for awhile, ever since Jennifer Stix and I talked a couple summers ago. I love her work and I’m cheered to see she’s still on it.
Which leads me to new friend Glenn Cook who has turned out eye-popping photos from concert venues to his COVID-19 book Keep Your Distance.
Glenn and I talked for about a half hour on a lot of things, and you can find a recording of our Zoom chat below.
We also talked about sharing three pieces of work, and I’ll kick it off with two photos, one taken at night, the other during the day—both of which I may have included in previous Substack Notes or essays…
The old payphone in the neighborhood was surprising—I was riding with two friends from a Halloween party I think, and we had to stop and check this out. Apparently it had a dial tone and everything. You could make a call!
What, I imagined, if you picked up the receiver and heard a low-murmuring voice and said, “Hello?” and got a response: “Who is this?”
“Where are you calling from?”
“I’m right below your feet.” Followed by maniacal laughter and a dial tone. Creepy.
The “Nightwalking in Broad Daylight” was a different brand of strange: What if you walked inside the empty shop and the world outside melted into … 1952?
I like photos that evoke stories, as you can see.
Lastly, here’s a photo from 1980 that I particularly like because: 1) Black and white, 2) the subjects were a friend, my mother and father, and 3) no one is looking directly at the camera or “posing”—it almost feels like a still from an old indie film…
Glenn shared this: “I love the shot of your parents and friend. The era and the expressions have a John Cassavetes feel to them. The phone booth is cool. I’m constantly looking for these analog anomalies. The former gas station (one that’s well preserved, which doesn’t happen often where I come from) is a nice shot too. I like all of the electrical wires that seem to be protecting it from the elements.”
For Glenn’s three photos, he sent over these…
Glenn: “Sharing favorites can be difficult when you have tens of thousands of photos in your archive, so I decided to play off yours with two and add a third that I just like because it shows how weird life has been in the recent past.”
Glenn: “The first one (the couple above) was taken on the coastline of Maine. I felt like I was in a scene from a Bergman film — overcast, pensive, and based on their body language, not too happy. Ironically, I initially thought this would work well in black and white, but it doesn’t. You lose too much of the sky.”
Glenn: “The second is a phone booth in rural Virginia. I liked that somehow it was still there despite the overgrowth. Strange enough, you could still make a call, although it looked like the building surrounding it had been abandoned for years.”
Glenn: “The last one was taken in Central Park in the first summer of COVID. As strange as it sounds, the photos I got during that time are some of my favorites that I’ve taken because it was just such a strange time. When, for example, will you see an almost empty Central Park on a warm summer weekend day?”
Mike: “I loved this photo catch-up with you, Glenn. It was fun to see what you’re up to and to share your work. Thanks for stopping by StoryShed HQ!”
Notes and extra texture
Our Zoom chat from Friday, May 15, 2026:
Highlights!
“Writing is about processing,” Glenn said. [8 minutes in.]
Process and workflows… “Digital was the game-changer…” Glenn [at 9 mins.]
“My grandmother was a paper hoarder…” [We talk about dealing with old photos and papers at 14 mins in.] and the Department of Personal Archaeology (DOPA).
“So what?” and “What’s next?” Best advice to keep in mind.
Fun chat with Glenn!
You can find more on Glenn Cook’s Substack “Our Reality Show”:
Detroit 2015…
The Music Diaries…
Oregon Coast…
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Love these. The rural VA phone booth is giving off serious The Last of Us vibes.
Really enjoyed the photos and the webchat.