A Writer's Notebook | Summer Brennan

Recommended by Summer Brennan

Wearable Art

By Raquel Laneri

The stories behind what we wear.

Becoming Human

By Anagha Smrithi

Writing about writing. Poetry. Personal Essays. The fray-ends of thoughts.

The Unexpected Shape with Esmé Weijun Wang

By Esmé Weijun Wang : The Unexpected Shape

A newsletter & community for ambitious writers living with limitations, hosted by award-winning, NYT-bestselling author of The Collected Schizophrenias, Esmé Weijun Wang.

Mommy's El Camino

By Wendy C. Ortiz

An offering and an experiment. A love letter to other writers in the form of essays about the writing life and regular life, shiny fragments, wild ephemera, and more. A project by Wendy C. Ortiz, author of Excavation: A Memoir. Get in, enjoy the ride.

Shaved Meats, Piled High

By Laura Lippman

Blatant self-promotion for my novels because I never want to have a real job again. But, hey, it's only monthly and it's free.

Laura's writing is a delight.

- Summer Brennan

Still Space with Sian Clifford

I'm an actor who secretly loves to write about all of the things I love the most: creativity, culture & the arts, sure, but also conscious living, spirituality, the human experience & the mysteries of the universe.

Sian Clifford's Still Space is an oasis of thoughtfulness, joy, humor, and humanity. Don't miss it.

- Summer Brennan

To a Green Thought

By Garth Greenwell

Books, art, music, movies

Pushing My Wheel of Love

By Cari Luna

Your occasional Cari Luna

Cari Luna is a remarkable writer and exceptional teacher.

- Summer Brennan

Amazons of Paris

By Susanna Forrest

Viral photographs of an enigmatic Belle Epoque horsewoman set me hunting through archives and circuses from St Petersburg to Paris to uncover the lives of women who were artistes, survivors, and scapegoats of the nineteenth century.

For Dear Life with Maggie Smith

A newsletter about writing & other things that make this life dear—from the poet, not the dame

Small Stories with Laura Pashby

Searching for magic & meaning—notes from my writing desk and beyond. A newsletter for seekers of everyday beauty. 💫

Lickedspoon with Debora Robertson

By Debora Robertson 🦀

Welcome to my newsletter. This is where I share stories from my seaside village in the South West of France, my trips to the market, weekly recipes, and updates on our house renovation. Most of it’s free, and will always be free.

I love to read Debora's missives and get inspiration from her recipes.

- Summer Brennan

Stunning Sentences

By Nina Schuyler

Admiring, mooning over, loving, and learning to write stunning sentences

AstroMommy’s Newsletter

Weekly horoscope newsletter that often incorporates motherhood, dreams, tarot cards, inspirational quotes, movies, and sometimes a story or two. Updates and news about AstroMommy and Metaphysical Flamingo, her family art studio on Etsy, as well. Enjoy!

If you are into Astrology, this is the astrologer to follow. Filled with talent and integrity. xo

- Summer Brennan

Poor Man's Feast

By Elissa Altman

The James Beard Award-winning narrative journal about the intersection of sustenance, nature, and the creative spirit (and sometimes, a recipe).

Paris by Mouth - Where to Eat in Paris

By Meg Zimbeck

The inside track from Paris by Mouth. Everything you need to know about where to eat in Paris.

Oldster Magazine

By Sari Botton

Exploring what it means to travel through time in a human body, at every phase of life.

Largehearted Ledger

By David Gutowski

The Largehearted Boy weekly newsletter: books, music, & more

Sherman Alexie

poems, short fiction, essays, opinion, audio, video

One of those Substacks I always look forward to, Alexie's prose and poems are striking, tender, and evocative.

- Summer Brennan

The Department of Salad: Official Bulletin

By Emily Nunn

Step into our salad laboratory. We got your leafy greens, your grains, your veg, and protein. Plus: salady guests, salady books & recipes, recipes, recipes 🥗

One of the newsletters I always open. Delightful.

- Summer Brennan

The SneakyArt Post

By Nishant Jain

Secretly drawn art of the world, delivered to your inbox.

Entertainment, Weakly

By Patrick Nathan

Soon-to-be-weekly letters against feeling absolutely hopeless about entertainment, culture, and politics, and the way art touches all of them. A little cringe, a little spice, a lot of books.

Patrick Nathan is a writer and thinker to watch.

- Summer Brennan

Letters from an American

By Heather Cox Richardson

A newsletter about the history behind today's politics.

Adventures In "Journalism" by Sari Botton

Highlights and lowlights* (*mostly lowlights) from one Gen X lady writer's rather circuitous career path.

On Substack

By Substack Writers

Resources, news, and stories for and about writers. Written by the Substack team.

On Substack is a great way to connect with the best writers and most interesting newsletters on the platform.

- Summer Brennan