How this site is made
This site is built with Quartz, a static site generator created by Jacky Zhao for publishing digital gardens and interconnected notes.
Content is written in Obsidian as markdown files, then transformed by Quartz into the website you see. The source files are version-controlled with Git and hosted on GitHub Pages.
Design
The site uses Quartz’s default layout with custom modifications:
- Typography — Inter for headings and body text, IBM Plex Mono for code
- Colours — Custom palette with steel blue (
#3b6ea5) for links in light mode, brighter blue (#6b9fd4) in dark mode - Components — Custom navigation, share buttons, course layouts, and contextual sidebar
The design prioritises readability and connection-making. The graph view and backlinks surface relationships between ideas. The table of contents aids navigation in longer pieces.
Philosophy
This site embodies several principles:
Work in public — Ideas develop through iteration. Notes, essays, and courses exist at different stages of development rather than only appearing when “finished.”
Connection over collection — The value is in how ideas link together, not in accumulating isolated pages. The graph view and backlinks make this visible.
Plain text, open formats — Everything is markdown. No proprietary formats, no lock-in. The entire site can be rebuilt from plain text files.
Own your platform — Self-hosted on GitHub Pages rather than a platform that could disappear or change terms. The source is public.
AI-assisted development
This site was developed in collaboration with AI (primarily Claude). This includes:
- Technical implementation and custom components
- Content structure and navigation design
- Debugging and problem-solving
- Some initial drafting, always revised and verified
AI assists the work but doesn’t replace judgement. Every piece of content reflects my thinking, verified against sources, and edited for voice.
Accessibility
The site aims to be accessible:
- Semantic HTML structure
- Keyboard navigable
- Respects system dark mode preference
- Readable typography and sufficient contrast
If you encounter accessibility issues, please let me know.
Licence
Content on this site is shared openly for non-commercial use with attribution. Academic citation format:
Rowe, M. (2026). [Title]. Emergent Scholarship. https://michael-rowe.github.io/emergent-scholarship/
For other uses, get in touch.
Last updated: February 2026