Substacks recommended by Ramona Grigg

Recommended by Ramona Grigg

Travel in antique lands

Sublime, entertaining, and always full of discoveries I might never have known about otherwise. I highly recommend Cosmographia!

- Ramona Grigg

Oldster Magazine

By Sari Botton

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

RaphaelWrites

By Lev Raphael

Free weekly reports--with occasional extras--on the writing life, publishing, and books from a widely-published, award-winning veteran of publishing who's also been a print, radio, & online book reviewer as well as a professor of creative writing.

Lev has been there and done that and now generously gives back. He's my inspiration.

- Ramona Grigg

America, America

By Steven Beschloss

Essays of alarm and hope, on politics and society, democracy and justice. With passion and urgency.

Constant Commoner

By Ramona

Essays from the cultural hinterlands. I'm in the boonies but I have Internet and a working BS meter. My country is on the skids right now and I'm trying to get it back on track. Other things are on my mind, but not often.

Self-Styled Siren

The musings of an old-movie lover

Farran knows Hollywood! I've been a faithful Facebook follower for years and now she's here on Substack, and I couldn't be happier. Yes, you must pay, but it's so worth it!

- Ramona Grigg

Robert Reich

Daily newsletter exposing where power lies — and how it's used and abused

[B]OLD AGE with Debbie Weil

In my best-selling newsletter, I share the bittersweetness of old age, from the blessings to the bullshit. I write about the strange contradiction of growing old: it’s wonderful… and it also sucks.

An uplifting look at aging. Always provocative, always different.

- Ramona Grigg

Holly Starley's Rolling Desk

My living room is the world. Pull up a chair.

SoNovelicious, Books & Reading & More Books

By Gayla Gray

All things books, reading, and Hurrah! I'm finally retired and it's everything and more.

When I'm not a writer I'm a reader, and I always find something fascinating on Gayla's pages.

- Ramona Grigg

The Good in Us by Mary L. Trump

By Mary L Trump

In which we come together to save American democracy, or at least have fun while trying.

SHE WHO STIRS THE STORM

By Gloria Horton-Young

This is my playground: rules rewritten daily.

Both Are True

By Alex Dobrenko

Funny, deep, relatable stories from a dad to two, husband to one, friend to all (free for all) + BATCAVE (workshops, cowriting, "community") for paid subscribers.

Soaring Twenties

By Thomas J Bevan

A triweekly newsletter and monthly magazine run by a collective of creatives, collaborating to make the internet human again.

Situation Normal

By Michael Estrin

Stories for people who enjoy humor with a side of humanity and a dash of insight

Funny, clever, always interesting.

- Ramona Grigg

Public Notice

By Aaron Rupar

Sherrilyn’s Newsletter

By Sherrilyn Ifill

Civil Rights & American Democracy

A Considerable Age

By Alice Goldbloom

Always searching for a bit of light. Widely authentic stories delivered to your inbox every Sunday morning are my small contribution.

Life can be beautiful, even when it shouldn't be. Stories can be lovely, even when life isn't always. I look forward to these Sunday stories..

- Ramona Grigg

Letters from an American

By Heather Cox Richardson

A newsletter about the history behind today's politics.

Poe Can Save Your Life

By Catherine Baab-Muguira

Gothic self-help for writers and other creators.

Hello, Writer!

By Linda Caroll

A place for beautiful words, gentle humanity and people who love the art of writing

Baba Was A Witch

By History of Women (Linda Caroll)

You can't have a Baba who got called a witch and not write about women's issues

Written Tales Magazine

Written Tales Magazine, bringing literature back to the forefront through poetry, short story, and prose. We're a magazine that helps writers become better writers and a place for readers to enjoy creative writing at its finest.

In the Writing Burrow

By Margaret Atwood

Whatever comes into my addled, shrinking brain.

Margaret Atwood at her personal best. Always witty, always enlightening.

- Ramona Grigg

Chicken Scratch by Elizabeth Beggins

Exploring what it means to be alive. Rooted in reality. Inspired by curiosity.

Elizabeth is an observer and a storyteller who makes even the mundane magical. I love her work!

- Ramona Grigg

Knots in the String

By prue batten

the observations of an introvert...

Prue's writing is sublime and wonderful. She inspires me in more ways than I can even count.

- Ramona Grigg

Too Old For This Sh*t

By JULIA HUBBEL

You're Way Too Old to Say You're Too Old for your last third. This is your time, the best time, and let's discover why. Above all, let's share the best ideas for how to enjoy and thrive. The best adventure is to age well. Let's play!

David Roberts || Sparks From Culture

Weekly personal essays on wealth, status, and family from someone with generational wealth, writing with transparency.

Wisdom and vulnerability. I always learn so much here.

- Ramona Grigg

Let's Address This with Qasim Rashid

As a human rights lawyer I bring the receipts to debunk disinformation and advance the fight for absolute justice.

BordoLines

By Susan Bordo

Deep dives into politics, gender, history, popular culture and mass media from award-winning, influential feminist philosopher.

Amazement Seeker by Rona Maynard

Celebrating discovery in art, writing and the moment as it flies

I love Rona's look on life. The name of her blog says it all: Amazement Seeker.

- Ramona Grigg

Know Better.

My world, in pixels.

Resources, stories, and news for the writers, podcasters, musicians, video creators, and culture makers publishing on Substack.

The insider's dope on Substack. Always interesting, always enlightening.

- Ramona Grigg

CAFÉ ANNE

By Anne Kadet

It's a wonderful world—meet the inhabitants!

Just read it. You'll see why.

- Ramona Grigg

Brent and Michael Are Going Places

By Michael Jensen

The adventures, insights, and travel tips of a gay nomad couple exploring the world. A "Substack Featured" Newsletter. Also featured on CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, and CNN.

The Pugilist with Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

Investigative journalism that hits back. Original reporting on power, corruption, and the stories institutions don't want told — from New Mexico and beyond.

Tim Lott's Writing Boot Camp & Philosophy Jam

A novelist's guide to writing fiction and memoir. Essays about current affairs and life in general. Comment, debate, and occasional philosophy posts.

Everything Tim says resonates with me. I may have known it once, but if I've forgotten it Tim is there to remind me.

- Ramona Grigg

The Publishing Spectrum

By Amanda N. Bray

For Substack writers ready to stop treating their newsletter like a place to post and start tending it as a living publication — with editorial perspective, reader-aware frameworks, data tools and a craft-forward community for building work that lasts.

Amanda is such a kind, intuitive editor. I love reading her remedies for stale or stalled writing.

- Ramona Grigg

Breaking the News

By James Fallows

Dispatches from a veteran reporter

Stop Hiding Under the Desk

By Helen Redfern

helping writers and creatives to stop hiding under their desks and make meaningful work

Counter-Narcissist Intelligence

By Sam Ray

CNI’s mission is to provide intelligence & strategy to good people looking to better understand narcissists, sociopaths & psychopaths, because as all current targets, victims, survivors & observers of predatory narcissists know, it's a hidden epidemic.

Inside Reader

By Martha Nichols

A deep dive into books, media, and writing — and the impact of AI — by the author of FIRST-PERSON JOURNALISM

Martha gets to the crux of personal writing in such a way I feel a need to go back and check to see if I'm living up to it. I want to be that writer she describes. She gets it. I want to get it, too.

- Ramona Grigg

The Overshare

By Kate Raphael

Essays on identity and recovery, mined from my life, crystallized for your inbox.

Wisdom and humor from Kate Raphael

- Ramona Grigg

The Banter

By Ben Cohen

Beating back political tribalism with sharp British wit, straight out of DC.

Hopefully Yours

By Connie Schultz

An ongoing conversation about the daily mess of life: Family, politics, books, teaching, writing, journalism - and dogs, always dogs. In my world, hope is a fact.

Why am I recommending this Substack? Because it's Connie, of course!

- Ramona Grigg

Non-Boring History

By Annette Laing

Join renegade historian and Brit in the US Dr. Annette Laing on her witty history mystery tour. Substack Featured Newsletter.

Annette Laing makes history fun!

- Ramona Grigg

Memoir Land

By Memoir Monday

Four verticals edited by Sari Botton: MEMOIR MONDAY, collab w/ Granta, Narratively, The Rumpus, Orion, The Walrus, Electric Lit, LitHub, Oldster; FIRST PERSON SINGULAR original essays; THE LIT LAB interviews + craft; GOODBYE TO ALL THAT, NYC stories.

Talebones ✨

By S.E. Reid

Home of the Ferris Island Tales! Short and serialized fiction from S.E. Reid: speculative stories with a spiritual, supernatural, or uncanny twist.

Letters of Note

By Shaun Usher

Nothing but history's most interesting letters.