I love Substack.
Which is… surprising.
I am not on social media. My good friends know to call or text me, like you would your grandmother, because I will never ever see that announcement on Instagram.
That’s because only real human connection sustains me. Girls’ nights, book clubs, Mahjongg, art classes, cooking lessons, Sisterhood socials, etc. Groups that gather and ask you to bring a salad or cookies to share.
I crave the kind of community that isn’t widely available on the internet, but rather can be found in quiet conversations, over lunch, and in private Zoom rooms.
And yet, here I am. Not just here, but actually enjoying it!
Why? How? What makes Substack different?
My theory is that it’s the people who make the platform. Much like SheReaders Book Club members, Substackers are open, honest, and welcoming of others. This creates a space that feels conducive to engaging ideas and deep thought. A place we can expand our own capacities and grow together.
A few writers in particular were my gateway to Substack. I needed a personal invitation and loving words that said “Come on over, it’s safe here.” I believed these people because I know them. We’ve spent many hours between the pages, me reading their books. We’re more than just acquainted.
Here are the authors I love who led me to Substack:
Elizabeth Gilbert with Letters from Love
Since Eat, Pray, Love, our Lizzy has metamorphosed into a fountain of self-knowing practices. Every Sunday, she writes and reads out loud to us her own letters from Love, the entity that Lovelets call SOUL (the Spirit of Unconditional Love) It’s intimate in a way that invites us to get a little vulnerable in order to become the comforting voice who will say to yourself exactly the things you need to hear. It is pure magic and a it’s become a weekly ritual which I enjoy very much.
Suleika Jaouad with The Isolation Journals
Susu has been my friend in literature since she stole our hearts with Between Two Kingdoms. She’s a teacher and mentor who leads by living. She shows us what she’s exploring and finding helpful, then generously gives us all of that information without ever telling us what to do. She just leads us to the water then let’s us drink. It’s refreshing. Her writing style is poetic and her just-so phrasing can be watershed moment producing. Recently, she reminded us of the importance of rest. Permission granted.
Susan Cain with The Quiet Life
In both Bittersweet and Quiet, Susan articulates perfectly why darker feelings and emotions are necessary and some of us need melancholy and longing more than others. Her work draws from psychology and the social sciences while combining research with lived experience to help us better understand ourselves and each other. Her articles linger in my mind long after I’ve finished reading.
Your Turn
I still don’t know if I’m doing Substack right but I do know that I’m having fun and I’m enjoying the process of learning. Maybe that’s the point. There’s no wrong way to nourish your creative self, after all.
What a joy that we’ve collectively made a place where we can express ourselves, follow our curiosities, and be a part of an information exchange that actually feels like it’s good for us. Well done!
I’d love to know who brought you here?
Which Substacks make your heart flutter when you see a new post land in your inbox?
Who challenges you, comforts you, keeps you coming back?
Please share your favorites and let’s keep this exchange going.
Coming Up
Our next SheReaders Book Club virtual discussion is on Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon. I cannot wait to talk about this unique and enthralling story set on the Oregon Trail in the year 1853. (Computer game nostalgia, anyone?)
Later, we’ll also be discussing Writing Creativity and Soul by the one-and-only, Sue Monk Kidd. It’s the perfect selection for anyone who believes that writing is a key to unlock the soul’s creative potential. I’m ready to be swept away with this one!
All SheReaders discussions are free, virtual, and open to all women, everywhere. Grab a seat on MeetUp and join us. You’ll be glad you did.
If you feel passionately about this mission like we do, I hope you’ll consider becoming a paid subscriber here on Substack, where I plan to keep hanging out with you.