Substacks recommended by Peter Johnson | Old Man Still Howling at the Moon

Recommended by Peter Johnson

Rat Says

The silliest webcomic east of Eden

Just an intelligent minimalistic comic in three panels.

- Peter Johnson

The Art of Flash Fiction

By Kathy Fish

Free monthly Flash Fiction Craft Articles & Prompts / Weekly Posts & Community Writing Events for paid subscribers from Writer & Teacher, Kathy Fish

Kathy Fish seems to have what I have come to see as a rarity in the literary world: and authentic voice. A go-to site for those of you interested in flash fiction.

- Peter Johnson

THE NEIGHBORLY FLORIDA

By The Neighborly

The Neighborly Florida is a photojournalism and storytelling newsletter with an emphasis on human interest, arts and culture, nature, community interviews, and historical relevance. The Newsletter is FREE!

Home of Truth

Exploring what it means to travel through time in a human body, at every phase of life.

A terrific mix of all things young and old.

- Peter Johnson

Sherman Alexie

poems, short fiction, essays, opinion, audio, video

Always inventive and sometimes very funny. An authentic voice.

- Peter Johnson

The Onion: 20 Years Later

By James daSilva

Reviewing The Onion from exactly 20 years ago to laugh, see what holds up and revisit cultural references we forgot about.

Jansplaining

By Jan Harayda

A newsletter and community about books, the media, and more for smart readers

Reading this site, you can always count on and intelligent and entertaining discussion of all things literary.

- Peter Johnson

Michael Mohr's Sincere American Writing

I write about almost everything, from personal essay and memoir to fiction to travel essays to politics to book reviews to thoughts on literature to novels and stories and much more.

Witty, authentic voice in these often inauthentic times.

- Peter Johnson

Shy Guy Meets the Buddha

By Don Boivin

Reflections on Work, Love, and Nature.

Short Story

By Palisatrium

Author Payout = $100 + 50% of subscription revenue. No Fee to Apply. Readers get one quality story a month and support artists with their contributions.

Great monthly contemporary short stories.

- Peter Johnson

The Feral Stack

By Summer Koester

Rewriting the cultural scripts that no longer serve us—from Alaska

Simply put, one of the best sites I've come across. Intelligent, funny, and, more important, the woman can write.

- Peter Johnson

Poor James's Almanack

By Poor James Almanack by James Kerr

An old soul in a modern world seeking the terra firma of knowable truth in a sea of disinformation. All truths shared here come from minds much greater than mine.

Poetic Outlaws

A place for the outlaws of poetry and the written word.

Good Humor

Humor essays, interviews with Funny AF Women and comedy videos from an empty nester mom still waiting for her kids to text her back.

The Hallelujah Book & Hope Letter

By Tara Penry

Bookish enchantment for grown-ups: a literature professor’s notes on hope.

Intelligent and entertaining essays, which is hard to pull off.

- Peter Johnson

The Bulwark

The Bulwark is home to Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller, Bill Kristol, JVL, Sam Stein, and more. We are the largest pro-democracy bundle on Substack for news and analysis on politics and culture—supported by a community built on good-faith.

Sydney’s Newsletter

By Sydney Lea

short story re class consciousness

Just great poetry and common sense essay on literature and culture.

- Peter Johnson

Chuck Palahniuk's Plot Spoiler

Exclusive fiction too out-there for prime time, by the author of Fight Club. Writing lessons. Lurid back story.

Enfant Terrible

By Remy Bazerque

Spleens, sins, and dad-related exhaustings from an award-winning writer/director, currently avoiding work on a screenplay.

Intelligent comedy with just the right touch humility,

- Peter Johnson

Story Arks

By Thalia Toha

On which places are best for our story arcs

Intelligent and quirky in a good way.

- Peter Johnson

cosi’s odyssey

dusting off classics, mythology and archaeology in the age of memes and doomscrolling

I've had nine years of Latin and five of classical Greek, but you don't have to have this background to enjoy this very readable, fascinating site on mythology and much more.

- Peter Johnson

notes on bewilderment

By nick flynn

a chance to work through some ideas about the creative process.

Flynn is comfortable in every genre ever invented, and has the timing of standup comic. Also for those interested in the writing process.

- Peter Johnson

Alphabet Soup

By Etgar Keret

Stories, poems, thoughts & more stories: the Alphabet Soup in my mind just keeps simmering.

He's a brilliant fiction and nonfiction writer. Always interesting and usually funny.

- Peter Johnson

Beyond the Bookshelf

By Matthew Long

After navigating oceans for 24 years in the Navy, I now chart courses through literature and life. Here we explore beyond the bookshelf to discover how the written word shapes who we are and who we're becoming.

Philosoph-ease

By William Routhier

Big questions clearly discussed.

MYRIATID

By Myriatid

Essays about my research, what I'm currently writing and reading, and free weekly chapters.

Extremely interesting, both learned and hip, especially for an aging postmodern classicist.

- Peter Johnson

Pulp, Pipe, & Poetry

By Frank Theodat

The variety magazine to elevate your leisure hours. Fiction, verse, curation, opinion. Never the same, always quality.

Antifictions by Greg Boyd

Greg Boyd is a writer, literary translator, and artist. His most recent book is Brotherton's Travels: Memoirs, publsihed by Coyote Arts.

Greg is smart, funny--a real master of absurd humor--and, most important, entertaining.

- Peter Johnson

Patti Smith

The reader is my notebook

What can I say?

- Peter Johnson

Microfiction Workshops & More with Meg Pokrass

Meg's upcoming workshops posted here. Paid subscribers can participate in a private "submissions support group" on a bi-monthly basis, hosted by me. Subscribers receive $10 off of Meg's solo-taught workshops and editing requests per project.

Great site for new and experienced writers who'd like some prompts. She's also a fine writer herself.

- Peter Johnson

Story Club with George Saunders

A place to explore the way the short story works.

Just about everything he writes is worth reading.

- Peter Johnson

One Word

By Taegan MacLean

Every word is a universe. Let's explore them together.

Brilliant idea and well executed.

- Peter Johnson