If you haven’t noticed (and I don’t blame you if you haven’t) Substack is having a bit of a Renaissance. Given the complete implosion of Twitter,1 and how Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok continue to prioritize visual content over written, it’s only natural that the book people of the world got fed up. We want people to read our words, dammit!
In some ways, Substack is reminiscent of the blogging heyday of the early 2000s. Once again, everyone has a platform to share their ideas. Except this time, you can get paid for your work and not have to rank your Top 8 friends. What a time to be alive.
That being said, I know most people aren’t super familiar with what’s here, so I figured I’d give some insight into what you can, and how it can help your writing.
You can see what someone on Substack is reading by clicking on their profile, and if you look at mine, you’ll see I subscribe to over 40 newsletters. I’m a problem child, I know. Anyways, as I went to make this list, I realized that instead of just having one list, I have three:
A list of my favorite literary Substacks
A list of my favorite literary adjacent Substacks and
A list of my favorite business of writing Substacks
I won’t subject you to all of those today,2 so in the meantime, let’s jump into what I read on here that covers what I consider Literature.
Note: This is completely subjective and my own opinion, but it is what I find the most helpful and most enjoyable as a reader.
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Anne Helen Petersen’s article in Buzzfeed on Millennial Burnout was groundbreaking to me. I remember where I was when I read it.3 She later came out with a book on the same topic, and I enjoyed her reporting and research on . Most often the books reviewed aren’t literature, per se, many of them are non-fiction. But, it satisfies that analytical part of my brain that wants to learn social science and learn from the smart people who do it. It’s also deeply tied into the cultural and societal shifts of the moment, and has made me think hard about how my life is structured. Given that I have added no fewer than 8 books to my TBR from Culture Study’s interview series, I think it squarely counts as literature.
Culture Study is one of the few Substacks that I have a paid subscription for, though there is a free version. There are bi weekly posts, and bi weekly chats for subscribers, and much more. Recently, there was a big thread on the Best Soups of Fall which: obviously.
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Chris La Tray is an Métis poet who lives in Montana, and was recently designated as the Montana Poet Laureate for 2023-2025. He has written a few books, and his first book, One Sentence Journal, I believe is being reprinted.
His posts contain his own musings on his work as Poet Laureate, his monthly one sentence wrap-ups, and how his life as an Indigenous person intersects with our current reality. I particularly appreciate his posts on the Montana landscape around his house - I have never been out to Big Sky country, and his words contain a sense of place that I want to emulate.
I learned about his newsletter from Culture Study, and I haven’t regretted signing up. While there is a paid membership, everything is made available on the free tier, though you can still support Chris’s work monetarily if you choose to. Now to get my hands on one of those rare copies of One Sentence Journal.
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This is what I would consider THE OG literary Substack, basically a literature class online. I was introduced to George Saunders through his book A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, which is a fabulous book, especially if you’re interested in literary analysis. When I mentioned this book in class, a student commented that Saunders had a newsletter that did something similar. Well then, don’t mind if I do!
Like with most Substacks, there’s a paid and free version. I’m signed up for the free version for now, and there are some subscriber only posts and chats that I’m not privy to. But, Saunders answers questions weekly from readers, and has done a few ‘classes’ where he picks a story, analyzes it, and then engages with the Substack community in the comments. Honestly, it’s the closest you’ll get to getting a MFA without getting one. George Saunders also teaches at Syracuse, so he knows what he’s talking about.
Bonus
@Danielle’s Newsletter4 by
A bonus personal recommendation from one of my professors, Danielle Trussoni. Danielle has written multiple books across different genres (speculative, memoir, thriller) and has a new book out this year The Puzzle Master. I definitely fangirled over Danielle at my residency, because she was the only faculty there to have written SFF. Nothing wrong with literary fiction and all, but there is something wonderful about feeling like you can talk to a fellow writer about your genre with the understanding that they ‘get it.’
Danielle’s Newsletter has monthly updates on her writing process, often including beautiful photos of her home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. She also hosts giveaways, interviews her readers, and answers questions from fans. It’s a great look into what it looks like to be a writer on a day to day basis.
Speaking of words, if you like mine, why not share them with a friend? That’s the best thing you can do to help my work! And Subscribe if you haven’t already :)
Or whatever it’s called now.
But you will be subjected to them at some point.
MFA residency, January 2019, O’Hare Academic Building Lounge, Salve Regina University, Newport, RI.
For the LIFE OF ME I could not get Substack to do the fancy linking thing with Danielle’s Substack like with the others. I don’t love Danielle’s any less. #technology.