Substacks recommended by River Selby (they/them)

Recommended by River Selby (they/them)

Dispatches from the intersection of queer sports and pop culture.

I focus on the place where urgency meets resistance—what gets in the way of the writing the big, scary things you want to. Also, home of THE BOOK I HAD TO WRITE podcast. Currently publishes 2x a month.

Amplify Respect

By Rey Katz

You are welcome here if you're LGBTQ+, an ally, or just curious about a nonbinary writer's experience. I share relatable weekly true stories about what it's like to be trans and nonbinary, hiking, travel, martial arts, and building community!

Rey's newsletter is a like having a lovely friend pop into your inbox. I love it.

- River Selby (they/them)

Rethinking Wellness

By Christy Harrison

Critical thinking and compassionate skepticism about wellness and diet culture, and reflections on how to find true well-being.

Christy Harrison's podcast, Food Psych, helped reshape my ideas about so many diet culture concepts. I'm thrilled to see her on Substack and she has a lot of essential offerings in her newsletter.

- River Selby (they/them)

Pushing My Wheel of Love

By Cari Luna

Your occasional Cari Luna

Mystery Cult with Amanda Yates Garcia

Witchcraft, tarot, mythology, ecology, embodiment, belonging, animism, and enchantment for art witches with ADHD.

Amanda's Substack is chock-full of treasures. Whether you have practiced witchcraft before or are simply interested in learning more, I highly recommend subscribing, especially at the paid level.

- River Selby (they/them)

Body Grief With Jayne Mattingly

By Jayne Mattingly

Body Grief, Body Image, Chronic illness, Eating Disorder recovery, Disability

Glitter Joyride

By Pavini Moray

A newsletter where you find unconventional support for your sparkle: weaving somatics, liberation, magick & snark.

The Editing Spectrum

By Amanda B. Hinton

Where guesswork ends and confident, data-informed iteration begins. Come learn newsletter skills one core theme at a time.

Amanda's newsletter is a wellspring of resources for any writer, written with an open heart.

- River Selby (they/them)

The Land Desk

By Jonathan P. Thompson

Western lands and communities--in context.

The Review of Beauty by Jessica DeFino

The world's first Beauty publication! (Everything else is just about appearance.)

The Unpublishable is written by Jessica Defino, a beauty writer with a deeply critical eye, and I mean that is a very good way. This newsletter's focus is on deconstructing beauty culture in a way that can help others see the structures of oppression we live inside. Essential reading.

- River Selby (they/them)

WILDERNESS

By River Selby (they/them)

Historical and current perspectives on conceptions of wilderness, ecology, and fire-suppression, written by a former hotshot and current PhD candidate.

An Irritable Métis

By Chris La Tray

Email newsletter from Chris La Tray, member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians, author of "Becoming Little Shell" from Milkweed Editions (8/20/2024), and 2023–2025 Montana Poet Laureate.

From the Desk of Alicia Kennedy

Essays, criticism, and interviews on food, culture, and media sent out on Monday morning. Paid subscribers receive additional posts on Fridays and have access to commenting, the recipe archive, and more.

The Practicing Writer 2.0: A Newsletter from Erika Dreifus

By Erika Dreifus/The Practicing Writer Newsletter

Curating fee-free (AND paying) calls and competitions—plus other resources—for writers of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.

Burnt Toast by Virginia Sole-Smith

Dismantling diet culture and anti-fat bias, especially in health, fashion, and parenting. (But non-parents like it too!)

astrology for writers

By Jeanna Kadlec

practical magic for writers & artists who know that creative living and the business of *making* a creative living don't cancel each other out.

Men Yell at Me

By lyz

Written from a journalist in a red state, this newsletter is personal, political, sometimes funny and always raises hell.