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So many great reads to explore! If you are new and looking for inspiration for how to use Substack or writers that you might collaborate with, responding to other writes in the thread is a great place to start.

Also checkout:

- The Substack app - https://substack.com/app

- The discover page - https://substack.com/discover?utm_source=%2Finbox&utm_medium=reader2-nav

- Other writers profiles, you can see what they are reading! - https://on.substack.com/i/43125842/writer-and-reader-profiles

The Substack team is signing off but we will be back next week for Office Hours to help answer your questions about substack.

Happy reading,

Katie, Bailey, Sergey, Michelle and The Substack Team

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I'd like to bend the rules a bit and give a shoutout to the people who keep this place running.

It's no secret that Substack had a rough week last week - so this feels like a good time to celebrate something really amazing that Substack does for us writers (one of many things, but this in particular).

Look around this thread, and all the other Office Hours threads, and you see that everyone is different. I don't mean that in the way that gets emptily plastered over inspirational posters - I mean, *really different*. Different topics, ideas, politics, all of it. And yet we're not at each other's throats. (I mean, I don't *think* we are?) By & large, we're not yelling at each other, like everyone is doing on pretty much every other online platform these days. Generally speaking, the tone of threads like this is respectful, interested and helpful, and when there's disagreement, it's the kind that sticks to the point of disagreement instead of collapsing into "you suck" and point-scoring and performative idiot-shaming and all that stuff that makes so much of the internet so utterly exhausting. (Bleargh.)

And I think this is because Katie, Bailey, Jasmine, Helen, Lulu, Dan, Tian, Becca, Ari, Lisa, Christina, all the other folk behind the scenes - and also the folk that are no longer at Substack - have done a truly remarkable job at making this place so welcoming, tolerant, open and, on the whole, fantastically kind. It's one of the things that Substack does best - and it's because these folk are so damn good at their jobs. So I'm raising a glass to 'em. I hope you will too.

(ps. - on the subject of building community, I'm listening to the Audible version of the book Bailey co-authored on the subject: https://gettogether.world/ Already picking up some real gems from it.)

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Shout out to all those writers who are sharing their passion on the platform.

I joined for the political commentators, but stayed for the authentic storytellers on this platform.

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Good morning everyone! I'll make my own personal shout-outs in a moment, but first I want to shout out ALL of you for regularly making the replies to my encouragement comments so amazing every week!! The way you all show up for each other and for yourselves, asking great questions and urging each other forward, is what encourages ME in my own creative journey. I appreciate you all more than words can express! Keep writing, keep showing up, don't stop! 🌿

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I love Substack and want to join the chorus of people singing the praises of the staff that shows up for the writers day after day. This platform and community owe you so much - thank you!

For my shoutouts, I'd like to mention two newer Substacks that are great for writers:

Stop Writing Alone, https://stopwritingalone.substack.com, which provides lots of great resources and community to writers, including write-ins, writing prompt parties, and discussion about different types of stories and what we can learn from them

Sprinkled Inspiration, https://sprinkledinspiration.substack.com, which offers daily writing prompts to spark new ideas for fiction, memoir, and poetry writers.

Finally, I want to offer a little encouragement to those who aren't seeing their newsletter subscribers grow as fast as they'd like. Keep at it! When I started last year, my first Substack grew very slowly. When people talked about their numbers, I often felt discouraged. But now that first Substack, Story Cauldron, is almost at 500 subscribers and is growing much faster now than I ever could have expected. So to others: keep showing up for your writing, network with other writers, and don't give up!

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Substacks that I recommend and enjoy:

Campfire Notebook: brynphd.substack.com (a blend of curiosity and creativity, of science and the sharing of science.)

Subject Headings: alisonburnis.substack.com (the life of a medical librarian, expertly written, who talks about her vision challenges and other intriguing topics)

The Bus: thebus.substack.com (combination of science/historical info plus other good stuff)

The Fyve Spot: markfyve.substack.com (good slice of life stuff)

Infinite Loops: infiniteloops.substack.com (two inspiring quotes, daily)

Personal Brag:

I’m now in Month 3 of publishing How About This. All I can say about Month 2 is: very satisfying growth!

Here’s what you can expect during a typical week at How About This (howaboutthis.substack.com):

Mondays: Atlantic Canada Monday: interviews with interesting Atlantic Canadians that I’ve been able to connect with on social media (mainly Twitter). This month I also did a fun group interview with two other Substackers who are based in Atlantic Canada, we traded questions with each other.

Wednesdays: writing about some other topic of interest: creativity, learning, cognition, writing… the “brainy day” - this week featured the start of a series about paper based knowledge management tools, starting with the venerable commonplace book

Fridays: me sharing links to other great articles, newsletters or websites that I’ve enjoyed, things I think you’d also enjoy, the “linky day”

Weekends (optional): whatever comes to mind that I think is important or interesting to share. I might publish fiction at some point, too.

And, as you are seeing today (Thursday) I might publish extra stuff outside of the normal rhythm.

I’m happy with the growth in Month 2:

Traffic (hits) - the number of times people read part of the newsletter

Month 1: 474 visits

Month 2: 2000+ visits - 400%+ increase

Subscribers (e-mail subscribers only):

Month 1 to Month 2: 300% increase in subscribers from 20 to 60 (I’ve added 7 more in the past week so at 67 now)

These are not huge numbers compared to a lot of other newsletters out there but things are heading in the right direction! My goal is to hit 300 subscribers by end of 2022!

Check the newsletter if you haven’t already! Always happy to chat and connect with other Substackers.

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Been reading a lot of sobriety related newsletters recently. For those curious, I would definitely recommend “Thanks For Letting Me Share.”

https://thanksforlettingmeshare.substack.com/

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I'd like to shout out the Fictionistas Substack. It's a wonderful, growing community of fiction writers here on Substack. Big thanks to Jackie Dana and Geoffrey Golden for organizing Fictionistas! If you write fiction, check it out! You'll meet some awesome writers and pick up lots of useful information about writing fiction on Substack.

https://fictionistas.substack.com/

Also, I have a question about polls. Wondering if polls are supported in email, or if they're just available to readers inside the app and on the Web? Anyone have any insight into that? Reason I ask is that one of the Substacks I read had a poll that didn't appear in the email, but it was there in the app.

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Jul 7, 2022·edited Jul 7, 2022

I have been enjoying reading A grain of salt by Kate Raphael https://kateraphael.substack.com & Joy Soldier by Sarah Wood https://joysoldier.substack.com

I can resonate with a lot of their writing as a female 20 something navigating professional life, relationships and honing my outlook on life :)

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Hey everyone! I have a Substack called The Freelance Parent. I launched it in the pandemic when work went quiet and I felt quite isolated. I wanted to find a way to reach other freelance parents or just parents and create a space to share stories, advice and feature other experts. I'm now two years in and have met so many people through it. I am keen to grow though and want to start to think out of the box on new ways to collaborate. I'm planning a series on rejection and how negative things shape our careers so if anyone has anything interesting to add to that topic, please get in touch!

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I subscribe to over 20 Substacks. Here are my favorites:

1. The Intrinsic Perspective by Erik Hoel - insightful essays that bridge the cultures of the sciences and humanities - https://erikhoel.substack.com/

2. Story Club with George Saunders - feels like being in a creative writing masterclass - https://georgesaunders.substack.com/

3. Fintech Blueprint by Lex Sokolin - my #1 resource for all things crypto, defi and Web3 - https://lex.substack.com/

4. Eric Newcomer - great insights on Silicon Valley and tech startups - https://www.newcomer.co/

5. Not Boring by Packy McCormick - fun read about business trends and insights - https://www.notboring.co/

6. Frontier Psychiatrists - written by psychiatry leaders shaping the future of mental health - https://thefrontierpsychiatrists.substack.com/

7. Recommentunde - activist, comedian and TV host Baratunde Thurston shares his thoughts on race, culture, politics, and technology - https://newsletter.baratunde.com/

8. Wellness Wisdom by Patricia Mou - features some beautiful writing on wellness start-ups, personal development, and philosophy - https://wellnesswisdom.substack.com/

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This month I’m shouting out two talented fiction writers and one total hack.

First, Shoutout to FRESH MEAT by Maegan Heil! She’s an emerging fiction writer with an edgy, distinctive voice. Her newsletter shares in-progress pieces “ready for the chopping block.” Leans dark and deranged. Key post: https://maeganheil.substack.com/p/dont-tell-mom

Second, Shoutout to Fiction Deficit Disorder by Kris Mole! A keen, “cheeky” observer, his serialized memoir is written in an elegant, efficient voice. Key post: https://krismole.substack.com/p/rose

Finally, Shoutout to my dark humor newsletter, Field Research by Amran Gowani, which just wrapped up month two! I’m very excited about the progress so far and I’ve got loads of ideas for future posts. Most popular in June: https://agowani.substack.com/p/a-fatalists-guide-to-fathers-day If this piece strikes your fancy, please check out the rest of my archive and consider a free subscription. Fair warning: my sense of humor is an “acquired taste.” 😊

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Let's get right to the shoutouts!

shannanmartin.substack.com - I joined Substack for Shannan Martin's The Soup (witty, authentic, and full of heart--can't wait for her book Start with Hello to be released this Fall), but I've also discovered other newsletters I am digging.

dinneralovestory.substack.com - If Andy's Fried Potatoes and an MVP Potato Salad don't reel you in, then maybe the Batched Cocktail will!

theisolationjournals.substack.com - My brother has leukemia, and I'll be donating my stem cells to him in a couple of weeks. Suleika helps me see the world from a patient's point of view. I've already gotten some great ideas of how I can help my brother in even better ways.

brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.substack.com - I discovered this one a week or so ago. So far I've read two well-written, fabulously-researched articles: one on medical tourism and one on Sarajevo's abandoned Olympic bobsleigh run. I've enjoyed them so much that I'm considering becoming a paid subscriber.

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I’d like to shout out Rebecca Davey’s Observables. https://observables.substack.com/ Not only is she offering thoughtful and humorous life observations, she is constantly elevating other writers and their work!

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As an Asian woman/POC, I'd like to shout out to my own substack --> minhdang.substack.com <-- I write about adulting and perspective of a 23 year old Vietnamese living in America.

I am VERY OPEN to any recommendations of substacks written by Asian writers (I am following some POC writers already but found it a bit harder to find Asian writers on here) I read about culture, story telling but also business, tech and cooking.

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Shout out of congratulations to Elle Griffin at https://ellegriffin.substack.com/ on the publication of her new book, Obscurity. I love that the book was serialized on her Substack and can now be purchased as a Kindle or hardcover book. No matter if everyone read the serialized version, readers will often want the "souvenir" of the published copy as well. I put my order in!

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It will be great if SubStack can hang in there through these times and continue to offer the diverse, common sense forum for all the opinions and multiple theorizing and thinking/writing you have already achieved. Keep up the great work. It is and will remain worth it. It’s about interdependence - hopefully we can continue to prove this.

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I love that Tegan & Sara's Substack isn't some lame low-effort cash grab. They've clearly invested a ton in it, and I find it delightful.

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Hi all. I’ve just passed my one year anniversary posting serialized fiction on The Water Is So Wide. It’s been a slog gaining subscribers, but I try to return periodically to this thought: my first novel and half of my second are now extant: up on Substack for anyone to view, written the way I want, written as well as I can, and looking the way I want to present them. If I get hit by a bus tomorrow, an important part of me, my work, will remain. And that is something. As this is Shout Out Week, I will mention Fictionistas (https://fictionistas.substack.com/?utm_source=%2Finbox&utm_medium=reader2-nav) as a great resource for all fiction writers. A new substack that I just came across is also worth taking a look at: A Special Place in Hell (https://aspecialplace.substack.com/?utm_source=%2Finbox&utm_medium=reader2-nav): Witty, cordial, free thinking conversations.

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Substack Grow has been keeping me busy!

I've been cracking up at Alex Debrenko during Substack Grow: https://botharetrue.substack.com/

Looking forward to taking pop culture seriously with The Metropolitan https://www.themetropolitan.uk/

And I'm quickly becoming a superfan of Nita Jain's tips for thriving: https://nitajain.substack.com/

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I'll give a shoutout to a recent subscription, and that's for Caribunkle by Tom Pendergast over at https://tompendergast.substack.com/. He is writing a serial right now, but also includes short stories and essays. His top post A Car Went Into Lost Lake (https://tompendergast.substack.com/p/a-car-went-into-lost-lake-) is such a fun read. Good luck Tom! I hope you get lots of new subscribers.

As far as myself, you can find me over at Future Thief (https://brianreindel.substack.com). I'm only 2 subscribers away from 100, and I would love a few more speculative fiction short story lovers to join. It's free to read and I've built up a nice archive so far over the last 4+ months.

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Shoutout to Dia Becker of Broke but Moisturized for her most recent newsletter on indulgence and the pampered life. It was a vision. 🤌🏾🤌🏾 Her writing stands in its vulnerability with grace.

https://brokebutmoisturized.substack.com/

Shoutout to Ravi Rajan of Hidden History who always illuminatessome fascinating corner of the history books.

https://thehiddenhistory.substack.com/

Also, I’d be nowhere without the people who continue showing up for me and support me.

T Van Santana of Adventures in Secrecy with T Van Santana

Geoffrey Golden of Adventure Snack and Fictionistas

Jackie Dana of Story Cauldron, Unseen St. Louis, and Fictionistas

Kevin Alexander of On Repeat

Adetokunbo Abiola of Adetokunbo Sees

Fog Chaser of Fog Chaser

Kate Raphael of A Grain of Salt

…So many more!

You all make this community better. Thanks for your encouragement, support, engagement, retweets… you’re the best!!

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I LOVE having Frank + Feel in my inbox, with her brilliant newsletter: https://frankandfeel.substack.com/?r=2cn9a&utm_medium=ios

And am also thrilled to see Bess Kalb launch The Grudge Report, because I devoured Nobody Will Tell You This But Me earlier this year! 🔥

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My shoutout today is to the Substack team. I needed a platform like this to pivot my writing and feel empowered. There’s no other site like it, and I’ve only just scratched the surface. Thank you for all you do to hear us and encourage our growth as partners. P.S. And here’s to hoping for more opportunities for new and eager Substackers like me to find mentors and accountability partners!

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Jul 7, 2022·edited Jul 7, 2022

A huge shout out to Carrie Newcomer and her Substack page A Gathering of Spirits! If you enjoy folk music, poetry, and readings her page is amazing! carrienewcomer.substack.com

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I enjoy reading smart and funny TV criticism, so I was happy to recently discover a newsletter called "tv i say w/ ashley ray." Ashley tells us what she's watching and why, in addition to longer critiques on specific shows. Very entertaining read!

https://ashleyray.substack.com/

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I'd like to shout out Julie at Run to Write - https://juliebhughes.substack.com/ - for setting up a space to write together online. I didn't make it, but I love this idea.

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I have two great shout-outs:

"How About This" https://howaboutthis.substack.com/ Mark Dykeman always has something interesting to share about both the digital and physical world.

"Fictionistas" https://fictionistas.substack.com/ If you're a fiction writer looking for a place to hang your hat, this community might just be what you're looking for. Lots of great information on writing as well as monthly meetings to discuss all the ins and out.

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https://joycelinehan.substack.com consistently offers obscure and underappreciated songs ( and some background info) you will invariably share with a friend. It's like having a Substack dj

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I want to shout out the legend himself Edwin Dorsey! He runs the Bear Cave and Idea Brunch.

For this I will focus just on the Bear Cave. The Bear Cave looks in corporate misconduct. The free version is very interesting and the paid is even better. I have recommended the newsletter to multiple of my non-financial interested friends and now they are big fans of the publication.

Edwin breaks down what companies are doing wrong from all angles and reminds me constantly what to steer clear from. Please check it out and let me know what you think!

https://thebearcave.substack.com/

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A newer science-oriented site I'm following is https://drerinmac.substack.com/ -- what I like is the perspective of someone with feet firmly in both the science and entertainment fields. And a Star Trek insider, which I love reading about.

And then for astronomy news and explanations I've been checking in with Phil Plait's https://badastronomy.substack.com/ and previous blogs for years.

I'm always up for supporting good popular science writing!

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Hi all!

I write Humbly Bumbling. The topics vary, but I try to write everything through the lens of a Christian, father and husband.

I like Coffee & Covid (coffeeandcovid.com) Jeff does a wonderful job of rounding up the latest news from the perspective of a lawyer, Christian, and conservative.

Also, you cant go wrong with the Bad Cat

https://boriquagato.substack.com/

And finally, I have also enjoyed "Life in the Schratz Lane" by Paul Schratz who writes about the declining state of journalism and the impact it has on the erosion of our fundamental freedoms of conscience, religion, and expression.

https://paulschratz.substack.com/

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Hi everyone, I'd like to give a shoutout to all the Guest Writers who have shared a meaningful movie on "moviewise: Life Lessons From Movies":

Luiza Beirão Campos

Arjun Agarwal

William Collen

Will Dowd

Andrew Heard

Art A.

Mike Baron

Rufat Rassulov

Aman Arora

You can read their posts and find links to their newsletters here:

https://moviewise.substack.com/s/-guest-posts

Also, if you'd like to be a Guest Writer, please see:

https://moviewise.substack.com/p/be-our-guest

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I've really been loving Kelton's Substack, Shangrilogs. https://shangrilogs.substack.com/

Beautiful photos, thoughtful writing, a great perspective, and just an all-around pleasure to read!

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One of my absolute favorites is Hunter Harris and her newsletter Hung Up! Not only does she constantly make me laugh with her unstoppable sense of humor, keeping up on her newsletter also helps me keep up on the world!

I work in marketing for a body care company by day and often partner with my social manager for content ideas. The problem for me is I quite frequently take personal social media breaks, which means I miss out on the day-to-day banter, new meme formats, and things going on in the celebrity world. Hunter's newsletter is the perfect amount of quip and resources for me to stay up to date even when Twitter is deleted off of my phone – a super specific reason to love it but valid nonetheless!

Hunter's commentary is such a bonus, she is quippy and smart - never rude or unrelatable in her approach. I don't even know what her voice sounds like but in my head I read her content like we are besties; she genuinely connects with her audience in such a seamless way!

Forever a subscriber, forever better for it! ♡

Hung Up: https://hunterharris.substack.com/

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What a cool idea to do the shoutouts!

I’m new to substack and enjoying the journey so far. Been enjoying Simon Jones shares about writing fiction on substack e.g. https://simonkjones.substack.com/p/structuring-serial-fiction-on-substack

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I've been appreciating "Gilby's Pop Culture Roundup" lately https://gilby.substack.com/ mainly for his carefully curated songlists.

Recently, he answered one of Kevin Alexander's "What're You Listening to Lately" questions on Kevin's "On Repeat" https://thekevinalexander.substack.com/ by including a song on his Spotify playlist that I enjoyed so much, I did a deep dive into the song ("Heartbeat") and artist (The Midnight), publishing it yesterday (Wed)!

Such is the value of open eyes, open ears, and the willingness to let fellow 'Stackers influence you! Of course, I gladly planted links to both Kevin's and Gilby's 'Stacks in my post, inviting readers to subscribe!😁🎵🎸🎶

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Highly recommend checking out Geoffrey Golden's Adventure Snack. Always fun, always poking at the edges of interactivity in the context of a newsletter. Innovative and bite-sized. https://adventuresnack.substack.com/

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Hello everyone, I write Desk Notes, which focuses on writing, literature, and travel. Here is one of the most popular recent issues:

https://charlesschifano.substack.com/p/a-difficult-time-writing

And here are two other newsletters that I would definitely recommend:

The Intrinsic Perspective: https://erikhoel.substack.com/

The Commonplace: https://thomasjbevan.substack.com/

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Hi Everyone,

My newsletter is Aging Well News (https://agingwell.news/). I offer tips and helpful hints for older adults, care providers, and concerned loved ones who wish to live their best life after retirement age.

Like many other readers: four of my favorites are

YouTopian Journey - https://youtopianjourney.substack.com/

Constant Commoner - https://ramonagrigg.substack.com/?utm_source=%2Finbox&utm_medium=reader2-nav

Writer Everlasting -https://writereverlasting.substack.com/?utm_source=%2Finbox&utm_medium=reader2-nav

Leaves - https://sharronbassano.substack.com/

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Evening all!

I have a fairly newly created Substack called Thea Chops Books: I just published my 2nd post today. I'm an author of children's rhyming story books that have messages of equality, inclusivity and acceptance in them. As a result of writing the books I've become an activist for equality. Not what I set out to do but certainly something I enjoy and completely believe in!

I'd like to give a shout out to The Flock with Jennifer Crichton https://jennifercrichton.substack.com who writes beautifully about daily news from a feminist and intersectional perspective.

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Hi Everyone…I am actively looking for interesting writers supporting healthy vegan lifestyles, all things food and cooking and anything creative or entrepreneurial. Some interesting current finds are:

Dianne Jacob – she sets the bar high when it comes to learning how to write about food. https://diannejacob.substack.com/

Veronique Gautier-Simmons – she supports yoga and breathwork and new to substack https://yogaforms.substack.com/

Fiona Beckett – over 30 years as food/wine journalist https://fionabeckett.substack.com/

I write VeganWeekly. My aim is to inspire people to cook healthy vegan food each week. I share weekly recipes with detailed instruction. I am a professional chef and food educator…I am also experienced in making a healthy lifestyle change as a result of serious health issue. https://myfreshattitude.substack.com/

I am actively looking for other writers who may be interested in working on collaborative projects. I’m open to pursuing anything that is mutually beneficial.

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I've been enjoying Lit Mag News Roundup, which provides information and insight about submitting to literary journals and all things publishing. https://litmagnews.substack.com/?utm_source=%2Fsettings&utm_medium=reader2-nav

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I would like to offer a heartfelt thanks to the Substack team. Since I started my newsletter in May, the entire process has worked flawlessly. That is obviously due to the professionalism of the Substack staff.

My newsletter, Talking Seriously, focuses on politics and legal issues. Therefore, I would like to recommend Bari Weiss' Common Sense and The Dispatch. Both are thought-provoking, well-written, and fair-minded.

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There are SO MANY cool people writing fascinating Substacks about so many things, but I have really been loving Hidden History lately. I love learning about forgotten or erased histories--that's part of why I write Unruly Figures, which looks at historical rule-breakers--and that's exactly what Hidden History focuses on. Check out "The Tragic Lives of Concubines in Ancient China" https://thehiddenhistory.substack.com/p/the-secret-lives-of-concubines-in

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Hi everyone! I'm Mike and I write Books on GIF, where I use animated GIFs to review books.

I'd like to shout out a brand new book newsletter: Space Wizards Book Club https://spacewizardbooks.substack.com/

It's a newsletter about Star Wars books. I am a crazy big Star Wars fan so I was really excited to find it and I have never subscribed to something so quickly, lol! If you're a fan of a galaxy far, far away check it out!

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Shoutout to all the newsletters about growing your newsletter!

https://pau1.substack.com/ is a favorite

https://newslettertosocials.substack.com/

https://newslettertosocials.com/

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Lots of great shout-outs! Hope I can share more than one from my writing group:

Leftovers: https://lachrista.substack.com

Found Poems: https://foundpoems.substack.com/

Goodwin Reads: https://goodwinreads.com/

Animal Eats: https://theanimaleats.substack.com/

Hello Universe: https://hellouniverse.substack.com/

Eighty Four: https://eightyfour.substack.com

Private Market: https://peggyvandeplassche.substack.com/

All of these writers inspire me!

~Graham

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I have been following the Bittman Project (https://www.bittmanproject.com/) not so much because I love the topic but in order to see how other Substack authors who offer discussion threads only for paying subscribers manage the details of the dynamics. If anyone has other suggestions for Substacks to follow that are well-written and generate discussions that only paying subscribers get access to, I'd appreciate it. This is what I'm up to with my own Substack, Introvert UpThink (https://www.introvertupthink.com).

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