This is such a lovely reflection! I have to say though that your curiosity and guidance (plus comment moderation) sets the tone for the way readers interact with your work so thank you for leading by example.
Congratulations! Yours was my first paid substack sub. Whilst I would love to support many more writers, it's just not fundable personally. I do like the group sub idea.
I feel like the group model could also help with something I worry about with individual Substack creators: burnout. Personally, I'd be fine with the creators I support taking a week or two off, but it seems like the expectation is to keep the content flowing even when people are on vacation. (I just clicked on the link to the Burnt Toast post, and it looks like she is taking a month off, so good for her!)
I am a paid subscriber to five Substacks, and there are a bunch of others I'd like to subscribe to; for me, it's a matter of time as well as money. I also subscribe to Defector, which is an amazing worker-owned collective publication. I suspect a growing number of Defector readers are like me, not that interest in sports (it's ostensibly a "sports blog"), but the arts, culture and political coverage is so good that it's worth the price ($79/year). I realize there's a lot more involved in building and maintaining a business like Defector (health insurance, tech stuff, making decisions collectively, etc.) than in writing an individual Substack, but I would love to see more writers band together in the future. When Defector posted a job opening for a new writer earlier this year, they got something like 700 resumes. (They ultimately hired Slate's Rachelle Hampton.)
Thank *you* for curating a corner of the internet that I know will always nourish me, instead of tear me and the people I love down. Thank you for all the avenues of learning you've nudged me down, the books you've shared, the noodling on thorny questions, the deep pleasure of things that bring us joy. Thank you for telling me about the 'other side of the island' in relation to tsunamis, for the most recent podcast on Ballerina Farm (et al), and for prodding me to reconsider my relationship to work. Thank you for the whole kit and kaboodle!
Congrats and thank you! I look forward to all your newsletters, and though you may not realize it, you're a mentor for many of us Substack writers. I echo what you wrote about the comment thread and community; readers' support, feedback, and thoughtfulness motivates me weekly to write mine. You asked for favorites—I read all your deep-dives on topics, but honestly what traps me the most in terms of time and scrolling are the "what are you reading" and "what are you watching" threads. They're so useful for recommendations!
Congratulations and thank you for sharing your work and making this community! Yours was the first newsletter I subscribed to, then paid for, and now I see newsletters as my positive alternative to the rat poison to my brain that is social media. I love your work and this space and am thrilled to support it!
Still so thrilled you continue to write: the other day (as a preamble to sending on your Ballerina Farm article) I had to explain how long I’ve been reading your work, happily following you around publications - so pleased you’ve found a tool that works for you and pays off! Huge huge congrats on the anniversary - hope you are celebrating in the real world as well as in this space 🥂
I am confessing; when I am not over saturated by world events, I read your essays…for FREE! But no more, I have subscribed. Thank you for your insightful, elegant, and eloquent words.
Congratulations on this milestone! I have so enjoyed this space, the links and recs, all of it. I look forward to reading your Chris La Tray interview. I love his One Sentence Journal.
I wish I made more time to keep up with all the wonderful work out there (including this which I’m always hopelessly behind on reading!) but I’m glad to see you still finding the joy in the work and happy to still be supporting it
Your Substack is the one I always read, and your pod is the one I always listen to. I'm thrilled I can financially support both efforts. Thank you for sharing your work with the world and generally being awesome!
Congratulations! What an auspicious anniversary. The way you cultivate curiosity and community on the internet is such a gift to us here; I love what you write about, but I am more invested and moved by HOW you do it, inviting conversation and nurturing real, kind and inquisitive dialogue. My big life change happened over this last year, and moving my online writing (which I had also been doing for twenty years on the internet FOR FREE) to this platform has been a major factor in being able to pivot to something new, both financially and energetically. Even for those of us with tiny niches and audiences, it's a really helpful tool. Thanks for modeling how to use it so generously.
I am SO delighted to be a subscriber - when AHP shows up in my inbox I get excited and know that I'm going to have some lovely contemplative time ahead. I love your curiosity, the minds you engage with, and the community here. Thank you for making this space!!!!
Your substack is tops in my non-negotiable list of substacks. I subscribe to a lot, and I have about 5 that I will always keep no matter what and that's where I put your's. Thanks for all you do.
Thank you for making it work, and for trusting your instincts and taste (odd word, but I think it's the right one?) to both enrich and inspire your audience. So many times, I've come here to find you and others discussing something I've been obsessed with or fretting about. Thank you for sharing it with us.
This is such a lovely reflection! I have to say though that your curiosity and guidance (plus comment moderation) sets the tone for the way readers interact with your work so thank you for leading by example.
Congratulations! Yours was my first paid substack sub. Whilst I would love to support many more writers, it's just not fundable personally. I do like the group sub idea.
I feel like the group model could also help with something I worry about with individual Substack creators: burnout. Personally, I'd be fine with the creators I support taking a week or two off, but it seems like the expectation is to keep the content flowing even when people are on vacation. (I just clicked on the link to the Burnt Toast post, and it looks like she is taking a month off, so good for her!)
I am a paid subscriber to five Substacks, and there are a bunch of others I'd like to subscribe to; for me, it's a matter of time as well as money. I also subscribe to Defector, which is an amazing worker-owned collective publication. I suspect a growing number of Defector readers are like me, not that interest in sports (it's ostensibly a "sports blog"), but the arts, culture and political coverage is so good that it's worth the price ($79/year). I realize there's a lot more involved in building and maintaining a business like Defector (health insurance, tech stuff, making decisions collectively, etc.) than in writing an individual Substack, but I would love to see more writers band together in the future. When Defector posted a job opening for a new writer earlier this year, they got something like 700 resumes. (They ultimately hired Slate's Rachelle Hampton.)
Yeah I agree, the pressure to write weekly is probably not sustainable and EVERYONE needs time off.
Mine too!! And I love it so much. I never skip a week. I've learned so so much from the newsletter and the comments. Such a gift in my life.
Me too! My first!
Thank *you* for curating a corner of the internet that I know will always nourish me, instead of tear me and the people I love down. Thank you for all the avenues of learning you've nudged me down, the books you've shared, the noodling on thorny questions, the deep pleasure of things that bring us joy. Thank you for telling me about the 'other side of the island' in relation to tsunamis, for the most recent podcast on Ballerina Farm (et al), and for prodding me to reconsider my relationship to work. Thank you for the whole kit and kaboodle!
Yes I love the curated corner of the internet here and on Go Fug Yourself/Drinks with Broads. My people
Congrats and thank you! I look forward to all your newsletters, and though you may not realize it, you're a mentor for many of us Substack writers. I echo what you wrote about the comment thread and community; readers' support, feedback, and thoughtfulness motivates me weekly to write mine. You asked for favorites—I read all your deep-dives on topics, but honestly what traps me the most in terms of time and scrolling are the "what are you reading" and "what are you watching" threads. They're so useful for recommendations!
Congratulations and thank you for sharing your work and making this community! Yours was the first newsletter I subscribed to, then paid for, and now I see newsletters as my positive alternative to the rat poison to my brain that is social media. I love your work and this space and am thrilled to support it!
Still so thrilled you continue to write: the other day (as a preamble to sending on your Ballerina Farm article) I had to explain how long I’ve been reading your work, happily following you around publications - so pleased you’ve found a tool that works for you and pays off! Huge huge congrats on the anniversary - hope you are celebrating in the real world as well as in this space 🥂
I am confessing; when I am not over saturated by world events, I read your essays…for FREE! But no more, I have subscribed. Thank you for your insightful, elegant, and eloquent words.
This is my favorite place on the internet. Thank you for creating such a great community ❤️
Congratulations on this milestone! I have so enjoyed this space, the links and recs, all of it. I look forward to reading your Chris La Tray interview. I love his One Sentence Journal.
I wish I made more time to keep up with all the wonderful work out there (including this which I’m always hopelessly behind on reading!) but I’m glad to see you still finding the joy in the work and happy to still be supporting it
Your Substack is the one I always read, and your pod is the one I always listen to. I'm thrilled I can financially support both efforts. Thank you for sharing your work with the world and generally being awesome!
Surprise! I cried reading this.
Thanks and congratulations. My thinking, leadership, life and friendship are better because of you and this newsletter.
Congratulations! What an auspicious anniversary. The way you cultivate curiosity and community on the internet is such a gift to us here; I love what you write about, but I am more invested and moved by HOW you do it, inviting conversation and nurturing real, kind and inquisitive dialogue. My big life change happened over this last year, and moving my online writing (which I had also been doing for twenty years on the internet FOR FREE) to this platform has been a major factor in being able to pivot to something new, both financially and energetically. Even for those of us with tiny niches and audiences, it's a really helpful tool. Thanks for modeling how to use it so generously.
I am SO delighted to be a subscriber - when AHP shows up in my inbox I get excited and know that I'm going to have some lovely contemplative time ahead. I love your curiosity, the minds you engage with, and the community here. Thank you for making this space!!!!
Your substack is tops in my non-negotiable list of substacks. I subscribe to a lot, and I have about 5 that I will always keep no matter what and that's where I put your's. Thanks for all you do.
Thank you for making it work, and for trusting your instincts and taste (odd word, but I think it's the right one?) to both enrich and inspire your audience. So many times, I've come here to find you and others discussing something I've been obsessed with or fretting about. Thank you for sharing it with us.