I’m not sure how I feel about the Spotify Wrapped type situation that Substack has foisted upon readers/writers. I think I was surprised at how many words I read here and definitely how many comments I left. Surely I did not leave 62 comments on posts! But maybe so. I try to heart and comment when possible. I often miss the interactive way blogs used to work though I’ve almost given up liking posts on Instagram. I scroll a few posts in and move on. Stories is where I generally end up. And lately I have a Reels addiction that I’m trying to kick. It’s a vicious cycle. Addicted to Reels for several months and then manage to kick myself off the habit for months or nearly a year at a time and then find myself unable to focus on reading or other projects and then zone away to Reels.
Here’s what Substack tells me I did this summer (with some notes)
Highlights
☕ I read the most in the morning (Yes, I tend to read a few posts in the mornings or on a brief break mid-morning during the work week.)
💌 I subscribed to 11 new Substacks (I really try to not subscribe to more than I can read but well, here I am. I did unsub from a couple, though!)
📽️ I watched 2 minutes of video (I really wish every platform would not pivot to video. Come on!)
❤️ I liked 233 posts (Hearts mean something to people!)
💬 I left 62 comments on posts (So do comments! I always hated when I blogged and people would comment to the FB post I’d linked to for the blog and not actually on the blog. Or they would tell me in person. Dude, I want the blog comments. Boost my ego!)
📜 I scrolled 203 meters in Notes (This sounds bad but I suspect it isn’t terrible compared to many others. I tend not to spend too much time on Notes.)
🕵️ I discovered 41 new posts via Notes (And here in is where Notes is good. I can read posts but not have to Subscribe!)
Top Read Substacks
Texas to the World by
Confounding Mysteries of Politics, Culture, and History, Under a Lone Star
Top post this summer: An Innocent Man?
Wild Letters by
A weekly newsletter about self-exploration and building a right-fit life
Top post this summer: Go where the heat is
southlands by
Searching for the human place in a more-than-human world -- written from (and sometimes focused on) the modern wildness of the U.S. South.
Top post this summer: Adrift on America's big, lost, still-wild river
Each one of these newsletters/Substacks are worth mentioning here, and of course there are many more to add. Jim Bob Moore is essential for Texas political writing and culture. I’ve learned so much from his writing and his decades of journalism covering Texas politics since finding his newsletter.
Nicole Antoinette’s Wild Letters is probably one of the few newsletters than if I see she has a new one out I will drop what I’m doing and read it. Years ago she had a podcast, Real Talk Radio, that I listened to from time to time. When my friend Maureen started sharing some of her writing with me in 2023 and gifted me a subscription to her newsletter I was hooked. I let the subscription lapse but she had a discounted subscription sale earlier this spring and so I took the leap and paid, because almost all of her content is behind a paywall. It’s worth it, though. This week she put out three episodes of a Money podcast she was going to produce, but after deciding against pursuing it for the long haul she posted some of the episodes she had already recorded. I highly recommend the Money Avoidance & Fear of Death episode with Carrot Quinn.
Southlands by Boyce Upholt is a delightful southern-based nature/environmental newsletter written with a journalism stance. Boyce brings to light these issues that are often overlooked in the south and highlights them in ways I don’t see many outdoor writers doing in this region. His new book, The Great River, is still on my TBR pile but I have no doubt it will be excellent when I finally get to it!
Of course there are many others who didn’t seem to make Substack’s top list here.
Other current and long-term favorites includes:
- by - adventures, backpacking, hiking, crafts, philosophical thoughts…all of it!
- by - adventures across the American west by foot or bike, and sometimes even Alaska. Jill is a prolific writer and manages to make you feel like you are on her adventures, too, tagging along to whatever tough situation she has found herself in, whether it is the remote backcountry of Alaska or high in the Swiss Alps. She has a detailed archive on her former blog and many books over on Amazon, too!
- by - Sarah is an Instagram acquaintance and nature enthusiast who recently started her own nature ‘stack. Lots of beautiful photos to gaze at and thoughtful nature narratives!
- by - If you like longform environmental narratives from the American West, this is the place to be. Patrick works for the Center for Biological Diversity and has deep insight into all sorts of mining, solar, and other operations that threaten public lands in the west.
- by - is another must-read for Texas politics. When the legislature heats or a politician does something idiotic, he’s there for the commentary we all need!
I’m working on two other essays, one of which will be out early next week. Thanks for staying with me on this the little detour to something frivolous this Friday afternoon. Hope everyone has a good weekend and Happy Autumnal Equinox!
Misti writes regularly at Oceanic Wilderness and In the Weeds. She hosts one podcast, Orange Blaze: A Florida Trail Podcast, and recently retired The Garden Path Podcast.
Thanks for the shout-out, Misti! I am grateful to have you as a subscriber.