NOTE: This one went long again, so please click through to read the whole thing.
Welcome everybody! I know you’re all dying to hear more about my Hot Crone Summer™ but I’m going to the Catskills for a few days and will be gone all weekend. I decided to write something I could schedule.
I have wanted for a while to go through my various newsletter subs and recommend my favorites.
But I (perhaps embarrassingly)1 subscribe to a LOT of email newsletters. Some are on Substack. Some were on Substack but have now moved to another provider. Some of them haven’t seen new posts in many months or, indeed, years. If you’re counting, I probably have 400 free subs and at least 12 paid ones. What can I say? I was born to read.
Every so often I realize I haven’t been reading the work of a particular writer and I will check in to see if I still enjoy reading them or if it’s time to unsub. There are some I seldom read and yet I still subscribe because I think I will read them “someday, when I have time.” Every week I think “I am going to read all of these and write about them and direct my readers to the best of the best.” Well, this is that. Kind of. There is just so much reading and writing out there! It’s just a click away!
Also, there are a lot of Emily’s and Jessica’s out there who write on Substack and I tend to mix them up, so my reading frequency is spotty if you are one of those.
Onto the categories!
(Note: I already wrote about Fashion Substack within the past year so I didn’t include many of those).
Extended Scenes, Jenn Romolini. Found her through Kim France, though I gather they aren’t friends any more. Has been around the publishing block, never seems to lose energy (despite decrying her laziness). Lately has pivoted to increased fashion and beauty content and more frequent posts.
Godfrey’s Guide, Jean Godfrey June. The best beauty editor, from Lucky and elsewhere. Her recs are mostly too expensive for me but I love her writing and can dream.
Earl Earl, Laurel Pantin. I think I came across her ages ago in the early days of Into The Gloss. She is just so cute and so sincere, somehow, even though she would probably spend more on a pair of shoes than I would make in a year. Constantly have to remind myself her name is not Lauren.
Looks Good, Adrien.2 I followed her blog, Looks Good From the Back, for years and years (starting around 2010, I think). Mostly fashion and lifestyle content. The paid version of her substack is more personal. I love her voice so much, I don’t want to be without it.
Girls of a Certain Age, Kim France. Former editor of Lucky. Fashion and memoir, life in LA. I am a diehard fan.
Unpopular Front, John Ganz. Philosophy, history, politics. Gives me lots to think about.
Magasin/High Touch, Laura Reilly. Shopping (Magasin) and selfmaxxing (High Touch). I subscribed to see beyond the High Touch paywall, but I’m starting to think it’s not worth it. Time will tell.
The Flair Index, Jennifer Alfano. She’s a jewelry designer and former fashion editor. I think I know her because she used to co-write Keep It Chic with Preston Davis, but that might have been a different Jennifer. Anyway, she is refreshing, straightforward and generous with her content, though much of it is too rich for my blood.
Notebook, B.D. McClay. I love her voice. I don’t even know how I found her, but I’m glad I did.
Shangrilogs, Kelton Wright. A writer living high up in the Mountain West.
Garbage Day, Ryan Broderick (Beehiiv). All the craziness the internet can offer, carefully parsed.
Today in Tabs (Beehiiv). Literally, tabs and commentary thereof. The OG for me.
Men Yell At Me, Lyz Lenz (Patreon). I’m not sure I’m still subscribed since she moved to Patreon, but someday I’ll find out. Take-no-prisoners savagely funny and feminist political commentary. Home of The Dingus of the Week.
MacKinley Jade, Yeehawt. Is that her real name? Fun fashion writing, high percentage of vintage content.
Sarah, Just Some Lady. Recipes, chat, basically a blog but a likable one. Numbers all her posts and impressively, can remembers which comes next.
Who Broke It, Grace Weinstein. Political gossip.
Jack Goldsmith & Bob Bauer, Executive Functions. Can be lawyer-dry and I don’t always understand what they’re talking about. Useful for keeping track of Trump admin shenanigans, without the hysteria. Weekly essays are in-depth and interesting. Authors are lawyers with experience in the Obama and W. Bush administrations.
Hallie Bateman, Halmail. Illustrator, mom, writer, posts her autobiographical comics and musings about unlocking creativity.
Dr. Jen Gunter, The Vajenda. Research-based advice for people with uteruses.
The Habit Healers, Laurie Marbas, MD, MBA. How to deal with health problems before they get big. Her style is not for me, but the content is great.
Drezner’s World, Daniel W. Drezner. Foreign relations as seen by an international relations professor who likes to amuse.
Jessica Valenti, Abortion, Every Day. Literally, daily information on a very important topic. I may be past my reproductive years, but many people I care about are not.
Female Founder World (Beehiiv). News and advice for female business owners, some of which can be usefully repurposed for creative types. Otherwise, just be smug about not having to worry about any of it.
Strange at Ecbatan,4 Rich Horton. A reading life, for lovers of the classics.
Woman of Letters, Naomi Kanakia. A critical life. Loved her recent series on “little” magazines.
Maybe Baby, Haley Nahman. She’s so thoughtful! I’m always impressed by how she seems so assured in her writing. I mean, I’m not unsure, but I’m not that serious either, so I appreciate her vibe.
Jessica Curry. Singular BAFTA-winning game developer and composer of music for games. Very English, but I like that.
Amy Rigby, Diary of Amy Rigby. Songwriter, musician and performer of a certain age. Author of two memoirs. Lives in the UK now.
Growing Old and Owning the Real World, Jo Linney. “Eclectic, eccentric and sometimes curmudgeonly writing about growing older.”
I believe that’s 30 newsletter recommendations5 and I have only scratched the surface. There will need to be a Part 2 one of these days.
Not sure about this–should I be embarrassed?
She probably has a last name, I just don’t know it
The distinction between paid/unpaid is somewhat arbitrary, I don’t have all the money in the world.
Exhausting but not exhaustive.
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