Substacks recommended by Fran Mason

Recommended by Fran Mason

If you find yourself at the crossroads, this is a place where I explore ideas for traveling through life not just on your own power, but on your own terms.

Justyna's newsletters originated from her Chicago bike-shop business and evolved into thoughtful posts on adding fun, adventure, and relaxation into your week. I love her thoughts on running a small business and a life.

- Fran Mason

Clover Stroud: On The Way Life Feels

By Clover Stroud on The Way Life Feels

I write about the moments that make up our extraordinary lives, especially related to creativity, relationships, sobriety, motherhood, grief and joy. I like hearing other's experiences too, so we can connect through a sense of our shared humanity

As I Was Saying with Poorna Bell

Social commentary and essays from career to mental wellbeing, capturing the general WTF of life and topical news, by award-winning author, former HuffPost Exec editor and lifter of heavy weights, Poorna Bell.

The Elif Life

By Elif Batuman

Dispatches from the author of The Idiot

Sub Club

Submission opportunities for creative and professional writers delivered to your inbox weekly.

Stars After Stars After Stars

By James Barber

Pertaining to music, technology, and the label industry

Narratively

Discover extraordinary true stories celebrating the diversity of humanity.

Jagged Time Lapse

By Dan Epstein

Writing about Music and Pop Culture that spans the decades

No Elegy Needed

By Appodlachia

Loudmouth opinions on labor, unions, corporate greed, stereotypes, and the like about the 13-state region that people like to throw stones at. Don't think Appalachia is relevant to you? You're wrong.

Before and After the Book Deal

By Courtney Maum

Real talk about the writing + publishing industry from an author who doesn’t want you to feel confused, bewildered, or alone. Plus: craft tips, reading recommendations, writing support + solidarity (unless you are a jerk to people in the comments).

Fandom Exile

By Monia Ali

Investigating fan culture and contextualizing the rise of stans in our cultural ecosystem. With extra focus on corporate interference and the (d)evolution of fandom communities.

A Writer's Notebook

By Summer Brennan

essays, art, and inspiration from an American writer in Paris

Still looking for the Joke

By Merrill Markoe

I probably started writing the piece you are about to read because I thought it contained something funny. Fingers crossed I was correct in this assumption.

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.

Memoir Land offers a generous buffet of personal essays. I can always find something to intrigue or inspire me. Nice interaction in the comments section too. I hope to be published/re-published in one of Memoir Land's three verticals at some point!

- Fran Mason

Adventures In "Journalism" by Sari Botton

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

73 Notebooks

Recommended by Fran Mason