Recommended by Amy Brown
Need more fun in your life? Subscribe to Just For Fun! Part poet, part mischief-maker, fully fluent in whimsy, Francesca Bossert moves between Switzerland and Spain. Her poetry book, Illicit Croissants At Dawn, has been described as playful and emotional, and her romcom, Just Like A Movie, as quirky and fantastic!
Laura is a writer and passionate storyteller who wholeheartedly believes that sharing stories is the biggest gift we can give each other to remove stigma, shame and judgement.
I love Emma's prolific writing, her smart and fresh takes on all kinds of topics but especially on wellbeing, creativity and the nature of modern-day work and why being a "hypenate," that is, being lots of different things at once, is so much fun.
One of the best creative writing teachers on Substack. Her own writing shimmers on the page. She is also incredibly generous and interactive with readers in the comments. It's a warm and welcoming community.
I love Kristi's honest and compassionate space for growth-minded women who are done with diets and defining their success by their appearance.
Nan is one of the most honest, bravest writers I know. She gets real and she's funny and she's a natural storyteller with a huge heart. There's no one like her. Treat yourself to The Next Write Thing.
If you're looking for a good read and writing advice, I highly recommend subscribing to the Auraist for their picks of the best-written books from US & UK prize shortlists & major reviews, along with masterclasses by their (sometimes world-famous) authors on prose style.
I am so glad to be exploring a new chapter in my life in my 60s alongside Anne Boyd, whose beautiful and wise writing details a journey I am keen to follow: how she left academia and life as an empty-nester to pursue her dream of travel and being an actual, real, full-time writer and writing coach—finally, at the age of 52! She writes with honesty and empathy about our lifelong journey to know ourselves ever more deeply.
David Whyte's poetry is profound, beautiful and universal in its simplicity. In every poem, I recognize myself, our shared humanity, our connection to the earth, to the past, present and future, and to possibility. When I want to connect to destiny--to my dharma--I always turn to David's poetry.
Clare Egan is a beautiful writer with a big, generous heart who writes through the lens of trauma in a compassionate, sensitive way and builds communities of engagement and trust. She recently facilitated a 12-week collective experience for her community of working through Jane Cameron's The Artist's Way which was so rich and rewarding. A favorite newsletter!
Amanda Hinton is that rare bird: a heart-led, compassionate and whip-smart editor with in-depth understanding of the Substack platform, devoted to helping us find and trust our authentic voice as writers. She offers encouragement and practical steps to grow as writers while protecting our soft, supple, creative center. If you're a writer, you want her in your inbox.
Jane is such a source of inspiration to me, giving a platform to writers with deep and fresh insights on their craft (and life) and a wonderful Q&A in the Beyond Questionnaire.
My teacher, my guide, my inspiration for how to love ourselves and this life better, Love Story captures everything about what makes Laura McKowen a beacon of continuous growth for me. And her Dig List is not be missed!
For generous, incisive creative writing teaching and inspiration from a NY Times best-selling author and memoirist, check out Jennifer's Flight School, which has a lively, interactive writing community. Plus, she is serializing her latest memoir, Summer of '72!
You don’t want to miss Erin’s sharp, funny, compassionate, honest take (both here and on her podcast) on how women over 40 are reclaiming their hotness in every way, looking honestly at the next half of their lives with a new set of dreams. If you want to feel good in the world and in your own skin and you're ready to change, even if it means blowing up some or all of the lives you so painstakingly built, Erin's your woman. Great insights and great thought provoking guests and content.
Jennifer Bridgeman is one of the most talented writers I know and I am so excited to see her join Substack with her essays on the magic and messiness of being human.
The Midst is a media and lifestyle platform for women in their 40s and into their 50s. We are transforming the conversation about these decades in women’s lives: no one is "over the hill" — they're in the prime of their lives. I like their thoughtful content that empowers women in their 40s, 50s and beyond to reimagine this period as a time of growth, exploration, and possibility.
This is one of my all-time favorite newsletters, young father Marc Typo's letters to his newborn and now toddler son. Marc writes with grace, wisdom, humor and while he writes from his perspective as a young Black father, he speaks universal truths about love, life and parenting that speak to me deeply as well. If you want to be moved each week by a father's love and his honest searching for answers to guide his son in this complicated world, you'll want to read Marc's work.
Sarah is not only a terrific novelist but also thoughtful on all aspects of midlife, writing, and living in a reflective and honest way, all attributes I admire and try to convey here on Living in 3D. Sarah's novel, The Wrong Kind of Woman, is about a woman who I think is exactly the right kind of woman, as is Sarah. And don't miss her great reading recommendations!
From one of the most talented writers I know, a seeker like me, you'll want to subscribe to Tracey's Stack as she describes it here: Writing as discovery, revelation, healing, hope, and love. Personal essays about discovering my secret identity, mothers, fathers, daughters, the cascading effects of childhood trauma, and the cost of keeping secrets from ourselves and our loved ones.
Fran Gardner's writing is a delight, as she observes the world around her with deep attention, capturing the everyday and the more profound in the small moments of her day, in which we come to find so much common ground in the constant act of becoming who we are.
Written by Victoria Chin, who has been on a rollercoaster journey caring for both her parents, this newsletter offers a wealth of insights, tools and learnings to help carers on their journey, with great empathy in her writing.
![[B]OLD AGE with Debbie Weil](https://waps.l3s.uni-hannover.de/live/https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_2qg!,w_144,h_144,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6493b50c-3be4-412b-8440-a01e44af10a5_1000x1000.png)
Julia Hubbell week after week reminds me how to age with a sense of humor, adventure (physical, emotional and spiritual) and a firm grip on who we are and what we won't put up with anymore at a certain age. Always bracing, always funny and always thought provoking.
Matt Lilywhite offers not only gives smart advice on being a successful newsletter writer and make it profitable, but he also inspires us to take a step back often and remember the reason we are doing this: for the stories we have to share, and the connections we seek to make.