Substacks recommended by Mary Roblyn

Recommended by Mary Roblyn

Been there, done that, got the Substack. A fun and informative romp through the life of a writer.

Carolyn is so positive, upbeat and funny that she will clear away any dark clouds in your day. She's the friendship bracelet your spirit needs.

- Mary Roblyn

The Mindful Writer

By Amanda Saint

The Mindful Writer is where we live and write more mindfully and use our words to bring more peace, love and unity to the world.

Amazement Seeker by Rona Maynard

Celebrating discovery in art, writing and the moment as it flies

Rona Maynard brings us wise, compassionate, sometimes heartbreaking essays. Beautifully and tenderly written.

- Mary Roblyn

Absolute Pleasure

By Amy Gabrielle

Midlife, widowed mom to one tween boy. I write about some of the crazy sh*t grief made me do after my husband died from cancer in 2021.

Writing in the Dark with Jeannine Ouellette

By Jeannine

For people who do language. Writing saved my life—so I teach writing as if it can save yours.

Jeannine is an extraordinary writer and teacher. Her generosity is endless. She writes from the heart, sharing her wisdom and experience. I feel deeply connected to her, and I am not alone.

- Mary Roblyn

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.

Dispatch from Bewilderness

By Judith Hannah Weiss

Nominated for Best American Essay and Pushcart Prize. Proudly niche since 2006 in posts of 2 minutes or less. A Substack Bestseller in Literature. Subscribe FREE as long as Substack allows. No cost. No risk. No obligation.

Sarah Fay

Re-imagining mental health with bestselling author of 'Pathological: The True Story of Six Misdiagnoses,' Sarah Fay

Sarah Fay shares her deeply personal story of achieving great personal and career success after a twenty-five year struggle with mental illness and misdiagnoses. She’s a brilliant writer and a great teacher, dedicated to bringing out the best in us. Thank you, Sarah.

- Mary Roblyn

English Republic of Letters

By Jeffrey Streeter

A glimpse of distant horizons via "beautifully crafted essays and observations" covering literature, memoir, and faraway cities from a recovering cultural bureaucrat joining up the dots of an international life.

Thoughtful and incisive commentary, beautifully crafted essays and observations from a writer who is passionate about the importance of good writing.

- Mary Roblyn

The Literary Obsessive

By Eleanor Anstruther

A show case for my work, I stream fiction before it goes to print, publish essays & interviews, and champion indie lit fiction by increasing visibility, challenging stigma, and proving quality.

Oldster Magazine

By Sari Botton

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

Aging is God's way of telling us to keep growing and expanding our lives. Getting old is a gift. Oldster tells us why we need to rip open that wrapping paper and play with the magical thing inside.

- Mary Roblyn

The Future Widow

By Anne

A future widow writes about love and loss, ambiguous grief, getting through the day, and making it bearable/livable/joyous.

Anne speaks with kindness and honesty about what we go through now, knowing - and not knowing - what's ahead.

- Mary Roblyn

[B]OLD AGE with Debbie Weil

Sharing what it's really like to get old, from the blessings to the bullshit.

The Poetry Salon with Tresha Faye Haefner and Friends

By Tresha Faye Haefner

What does it mean to be a poet or even a person in the world today? Poet and creativity expert Tresha Faye Haefner interviews fellow poets about their writing, shares her take on their poems, and gives you honest stories about her journey towards poetry.

Poet Tresha Faye Haefner brings us podcast interviews, writing tips and memoir excerpts as she lives a wild and creative life in a modern world.

- Mary Roblyn

Brainstorm

By Pamela Bayard Foard

Creativity examined

A deep dive into creativity: what it is, how it manifests itself, and ways to approach and explore this complex and curious thing.

- Mary Roblyn

This Side of the Couch

By Colleen Burns Durda

Offering guidance optimizing the therapy experience and maintaining mental wellness as a seasoned fellow client.

Colleen shares honest and hopeful stories from her life as a suburban wife and mom with bipolar disorder. Join the conversation.

- Mary Roblyn

The Invisible Work.

By Jamal Robinson

Poems on the unseen effort of inner work.

Jamal cuts through the noise to find the stillness at the center of a work, telling us exactly what the writer meant to say. This is artistry.

- Mary Roblyn

Reality Check - Crip Edition

By Teri Adams

Opinions and information related to disability. Memoir pieces about disability's impact on life experiences. Angry rants at random.

Teri Adams will jolt you with the truth. Brilliantly written stories taken from decades of advocacy for the the disabled, from someone who lives with her own challenges and pulls no punches.

- Mary Roblyn

Maya C. Popa

Writing on the inner conditions of serious creative work

Maya C. Popa is radiant, kind, generous, and brilliant. If you believe you're not a poet, she will show you the truth: you ARE. Her job description says it all: "deepening the practice of poetry, writing and wonder." What more do we need in life?

- Mary Roblyn

Carer Mentor: Empathy & Inspiration

By Carer Mentor by Victoria Chin

Heartfelt empathy for Caregivers. A hub of practical tools, resources, and insights. A community support network—Human-ing hard. A portal of hope. ❤️

Letters from a Muslim Woman

By Noha Beshir

Dispatches from one woman's life as a Western Muslim told through the lens of mental health, faith, and the multi-generational immigrant experience.

Substack Writers at Work with Sarah Fay

Where real Substack growth happens—with leading Substack Strategist Sarah Fay and the Substack DNA Growth Framework™️

Mary Tabor "Only connect ..."

By <Mary L. Tabor>

The arts, books, movies, a course: Write it!, The Writing Life, (Re)Making Love: a memoir (fully up now), Who by Fire: a novel, Cooking With Mary, Watercolors and story in Letters to My Granddaughter.

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.

Let The Words Fall Out

By Mesa Fama

I believe that words can be bridges bringing us to one another. If you're like me and like to dig deeper into ourselves, go beyond the surface of things, and think about our place in all of this, then you'll find a home here.

Word Work

By Kim Nelson's Word Works

Poems, paintings, essays and asides about living with wonder in our increasingly complicated world.

The Next Write Thing

By Nan Tepper

Essays about my formerly dysfunctional life, the family I came from and how I recovered. It's funny, sometimes a bit dark, and very, very real.

Poetical

By Tara Connor

A newsletter about poetry, written by a poet, for people who like poems.

Tara Connor is a poet with a gift for the small, lovely details: "The first dent, the first ding,/the first stain, or pulled thread/ in the upholstery, they free us,/they unburden our hearts." Lovely.

- Mary Roblyn

A Renaissance Life

By Alecia Stevens

How to begin again. At any age. Notes from a long life. Now in Italy.

Jenna Repeats History

By Jenna Vandenberg

Books to read, places to explore, lessons to teach

Jenna is the teacher I wish I’d had; not just of history but of life. She’s smart about the right things.

- Mary Roblyn

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.

Accept•Adapt•Applaud

By Joan Stommen@substack

Bits and pieces of life as we grow along

Joan Stommen shares thoughtful and beautifully written essays on family, journeys, explorations, joys, and losses.

- Mary Roblyn

Cambridge Ladies' Dining Society

By Ann Kennedy Smith

Exploring books, literary lives and Cambridge women’s history

Fascinating stories of the lives of women writers from the deeply knowledgeable Ann Kennedy Smith. Brilliant.

- Mary Roblyn

We Heal

We Heal is a paywall free, donation based publication. I'm a widowed by suicide survivor, mother of 2 who is working an active program of recovery. I write about the disease of alcoholism, my journey with addiction and finding my way back to the light.

I subscribe to Samasta because Niki is a deeply generous and kind soul. I always look forward to reading her uplifting posts.

- Mary Roblyn

EVERYTHING IS SO EVERYTHING

By Jim Hall

Writer / Educator. Trying to keep it all from vanishing. Author of ELSEWHERE (2027).

Glass Bottle Stories

By Tiffany Chu

Fiction for readers looking for emotional devastation. Literary fantasy short stories and serials exploring the darker sides of human nature.

Subject to Change with Emily McDowell

Cautionary tales, unsolicited advice, and notes on living in liminal space, evolution, and returning to yourself.