The hottest Essays Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Literature Topics

Subscriber Writing, December 2025

Freddie deBoer • 1392 implied HN points • 12 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Essays
  1. A bimonthly roundup highlights a wide variety of subscriber writing across politics, culture, personal essays, fiction, science, and technology.
  2. It works as a discovery platform that helps readers find new work and helps writers grow their audiences, with an emphasis on leaving kind, supportive comments.
  3. The feature is an ongoing, open opportunity for contributors, and non-subscribers can join to be considered and reach more readers.

#250: My best and my worst

Maybe Baby • 845 implied HN points • 27 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Essays
  1. A new archive organizes nearly 700 newsletters into 16 clear categories and formats so older pieces are easier for readers to find.
  2. Ten episodes of the Dear Danny advice podcast have been unlocked for free, making that content easy to share and listen to without a paid subscription.
  3. The year-end roundup includes a limited-time 25% off annual subscription sale, lists of the most and least popular essays and comment records, and a big, categorized compilation of reader recommendation threads across media, shopping, food, seasonal tips, and more.

15 things I consumed this week

Maybe Baby • 715 implied HN points • 02 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Essays
  1. A weekly "15 things I consumed" roundup features a favorite neck covering as the recommendation of the week.
  2. A New Year’s anecdote mentions fireworks waking a child and a grouchy start to the year.
  3. One item links to Maggie Millner’s essay "Is Mary Oliver Embarrassing?" in The Yale Review, and the full post is behind a paywall for paid subscribers.

Things Worth Remembering: The Dirty Little Secret of Ambition

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 922 implied HN points • 21 Dec 25
📚 Literature Essays
  1. Ambition is often a private, shameful secret people hide, and many feel embarrassed to talk about their success or lack of it.
  2. A frank, candid portrayal of naked ambition can strongly resonate with readers and make them recognize their own desires and drives.
  3. For many, ambition replaces other powerful urges as the main motivating force, quietly shaping choices and behavior.

Writing Today: The Essay, 2010s v 2020

Freddie deBoer • 6064 implied HN points • 30 Jun 25
📚 Literature Essays
  1. The style of writing essays has shifted from being very personal and confessional in the 2010s to more detached and ironic in the 2020s. Writers now tend to observe rather than engage deeply with their own experiences.
  2. There is a noticeable change in subject matter, with 2010s essays focusing heavily on identity and personal trauma, while 2020s essays are leaning towards broader themes of crisis and societal issues, often presenting them in a more abstract way.
  3. The structure of essays is evolving too. Today, essays are often more fragmented and modular, reflecting a sense of uncertainty, as writers explore ideas without the need for traditional narratives or conclusions.
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The Collected Commonplace Newsletters

The Commonplace • 575 implied HN points • 31 Dec 25
📚 Literature Essays
  1. A free ebook collects 119 essays (over 200,000 words) on a wide range of everyday and cultural topics and is available for offline download.
  2. The essays helped sustain mental wellbeing during difficult years and attracted enough paying subscribers to support full-time writing for a while, but there is now a planned shift from nonfiction to fiction despite the likely loss of audience and income.
  3. All published pieces remain free with thanks to readers, and there is an optional donation link for anyone who wants to support the work.

The Digression Edition

Why is this interesting? • 965 implied HN points • 04 Dec 25
📚 Literature Essays
  1. Digression can be a valuable part of writing, leading to new ideas and exploration. It's okay to stray from the main topic and allow your thoughts to wander.
  2. Montaigne's style of writing, which uses digressions, encourages writers to share their unique perspectives without sticking to strict formats. It's all about trying out different ideas and seeing where they go.
  3. Virginia Woolf showed how digression can empower creativity, especially for women writers. Embracing all kinds of thoughts can lead to richer and more interesting writing.

Vigil

The Intrinsic Perspective • 18132 implied HN points • 14 Oct 24
📚 Literature Essays
  1. The author finds a wounded rabbit and reflects on the nature of life and death. He is torn between wanting to help the rabbit and recognizing the harsh realities of nature.
  2. Through caring for the rabbit, he grapples with his own moral beliefs about animal life and the contradictions in being a meat-eater.
  3. As he takes the rabbit to a wildlife rehabilitation center, he contemplates the bigger questions of existence, connecting his feelings about the rabbit to deeper ideas about life and its fragility.

Enjoy the Honey Heavy Dew of Slumber

The Fry Corner • 2997 implied HN points • 29 Mar 24
📚 Literature Essays
  1. Sleep is important for our well-being and should not be overlooked. It helps us recharge and feel our best.
  2. Shakespeare's works often capture the essence of human experiences, like sleep, in a way that's relatable and profound.
  3. Everyone has different views on Shakespeare and his relevance, but sleep is a universal need that connects us all.

Borges's world of words

Trevor Klee’s Newsletter • 746 implied HN points • 21 Dec 25
📚 Literature Essays
  1. Words shape power and make people act; the authority of a statement can enable real-world actions and even harm when others believe and follow it.
  2. Words are powerful but fragile: they can encapsulate whole worlds or be forgotten and misunderstood, so meaning is both created and endangered by language.
  3. Arranging words and numbers can produce complex, real effects, showing that much of meaning comes from context and patterns of language rather than some hidden inner thought.

The Monthly Salon: January

The Abbey of Misrule • 270 implied HN points • 21 Jan 26
📚 Literature Essays
  1. All articles are now free to read, with voluntary paid subscriptions encouraged so those who can afford it can support readers who cannot; occasional donations are also accepted via a simple payment page.
  2. The book Against The Machine has seen strong sales and multiple reprints internationally, and it has sparked creative reader engagement such as musical readings and family gift exchanges.
  3. Recent talks and a highlighted Wendell Berry lecture are available online, a writers' workshop is accepting applications, and the monthly salon invites readers to set the agenda and start conversations.

Read Something Wonderful (about Biology)

Asimov Press • 1250 implied HN points • 20 Nov 25
🔬 Science Essays
  1. Curation of essays is valuable because it leads readers to new ideas they might not discover on their own. It's like finding hidden gems on the internet.
  2. The curated list of biology essays is meant for leisurely reading and focuses on timeless insights instead of quick news, helping readers take their time to enjoy and understand the content.
  3. Exploring essays by different authors can expand your knowledge and perspective on biology, making it a rewarding experience to find writers whose work you love.

My Mormon Obsession

Castalia • 499 implied HN points • 24 Jul 24
📚 Literature Essays
  1. The author has written two novels about Mormonism, despite having no personal connection to the religion. They find the history and stories surrounding Mormonism fascinating.
  2. Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, had a unique background that influenced his development as a leader. His early life was marked by treasure hunting and a strong sense of individualism.
  3. Mormonism grew in a time of religious enthusiasm and many followers were drawn to its intellectual appeal. Smith's charisma and the communal experiences helped shape the church's early success.

The Innocent And The Beautiful Have No Enemy But Time

Astral Codex Ten • 12526 implied HN points • 12 Dec 24
📚 Literature Essays
  1. Time is the only true enemy of those who are innocent and beautiful. It can take away love and youth.
  2. Embracing simplicity and purity brings happiness, even if it seems fragile. Pure intentions often face challenges.
  3. Beauty and innocence should be cherished, as they stand out in a complex world. They may be vulnerable, but they are worth protecting.

Who Else Is Feeling This In Their Body

Culture Study • 9438 implied HN points • 12 Feb 25
🎭️ Culture Essays
  1. It's important to take your own feelings seriously, as well as the feelings of others. We often avoid acknowledging our true emotions.
  2. Resilience can mean carrying a lot of emotional and physical weight without realizing it. We need to recognize how it affects our bodies.
  3. Sometimes we create excuses for our struggles instead of facing them. Understanding what we feel can help us cope better.

How I passed the time in 2025

Passing Time • 502 implied HN points • 28 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Essays
  1. Short-form video and satisfying algorithms are eroding attention and making intentional focus much harder. Use AI for tasks you want done, but avoid relying on it for skills you want to get better at.
  2. Reading history and classics can radically reshape how you understand modern morality, showing that many of our current norms are recent and that ancient societies lived by very different values.
  3. It's okay to slow down creative output and prioritize curation, quality, and community over chasing virality. How you choose to spend your time—through books, music, and thoughtful writing—matters more than growth metrics.

Beyond Interpassivity

Justin E. H. Smith's Hinternet • 656 implied HN points • 07 Dec 25
📚 Literature Essays
  1. Using AI for writing is becoming more common, and it can be just as valuable as human writing. It's important to focus on how the text impacts readers, regardless of who or what wrote it.
  2. The idea of blending human and machine writing is gaining acceptance, and it might change how we judge quality in writing. This change could lead to new standards that respect all forms of creative expression.
  3. Overall, the goal is to create texts that challenge and inspire readers, no matter the source. This approach emphasizes results and reader experience over origins.

The Hinternet’s Best of 2025!

Justin E. H. Smith's Hinternet • 483 implied HN points • 18 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Essays
  1. The Hinternet had a standout year, growing into a more established, collaborative publication with expanding projects and staff.
  2. They released a wide “Best of 2025” roundup across genres—fiction, music writing, essays, translations, poetry, film, and experimental work—showing the variety and ambition of their output.
  3. They’re running a strong year-end push to convert readers to paid subscribers, offering a 75% off sale and pitching the editor’s book as a holiday gift before more content goes behind a paywall.

Hidden Open Thread 414.5

Astral Codex Ten • 412 implied HN points • 02 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Essays
  1. The post is behind a paywall and accessible only to paid subscribers.
  2. You can either subscribe or sign in to gain access to the content.
  3. It's dated Jan 02, 2026 and labeled Hidden Open Thread 414.5, showing it's part of a numbered series for subscribers.

15 things I consumed this week

Maybe Baby • 581 implied HN points • 05 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Essays
  1. A short, curated list of things you consumed can surface useful recommendations and fun discoveries to try.
  2. Tiny, playful messages like “Wanna hear something crazy lolol” show how small texts can bring unexpected joy and connection.
  3. An essay about dictionaries can shift how you think about words and spark curiosity about older reference works like the 1913 Webster’s.

My favorite articles of 2025

Maybe Baby • 524 implied HN points • 10 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Essays
  1. A yearly roundup highlights fifteen favorite articles of the year. The selections come from reading many pieces and applying a picky, rigorous standard.
  2. The recurring "15 Things" format usually showcases exactly five articles, and it sometimes drops to four when the choices don’t meet the standard.
  3. The full post is behind a paywall and requires a paid subscription or sign‑in to read.

Words of love

Austin Kleon • 2537 implied HN points • 13 Feb 24
📚 Literature Essays
  1. Love can be seen as an ongoing action, like making bread. It's something we need to keep nurturing and renewing over time.
  2. Our connections with others transform us. The people we love shape who we are and who we become.
  3. Each person's experience of love is unique. No two loves are the same, so comparing them doesn't really make sense.

Deleted scenes from Leave Society

Tao Lin • 539 implied HN points • 25 Jun 24
📚 Literature Essays
  1. There are many scenes and sentences that didn't make it into the final version of 'Leave Society.'
  2. The author is considering using some of this deleted content in upcoming essays.
  3. They are thinking about naming the essay collection either 'Reasons to Live' or 'Life in Wartime.'

Shorter Writing is Not Better Writing: An Argumentative Treatise

Freddie deBoer • 8694 implied HN points • 01 Nov 24
📚 Literature Essays
  1. Short writing isn't always better writing. Sometimes, longer pieces can explain complex ideas better than short ones.
  2. The push for brevity in writing often leads to dull and similar-sounding work. Good writing should capture unique voices and ideas without fear of being too lengthy.
  3. Many writers feel pressured to write short because of trends, not because it's the best way to express their thoughts. Confidence in one's own style is important.

Literary Philosophy and Philosophical Literature

Counter Craft • 590 implied HN points • 25 Nov 25
📚 Literature Essays
  1. Fiction and philosophy often overlap, with many philosophers writing novels and literary writers borrowing philosophical ideas; stories can make complex ideas vivid and accessible to general readers.
  2. The analytic/continental split is an oversimplification, but broadly speaking some philosophical traditions prize rigorous, technical argument while others emphasize literary style and aesthetic expression.
  3. Pairing novels with philosophical texts and reading widely across both fields can deepen understanding and spark new insights, since literature and philosophy can mutually enrich each other.

Roxane Gay Presents...

The Audacity. • 2594 implied HN points • 25 Jan 24
📚 Literature Essays
  1. Roxane Gay is launching a new project called 'Roxane Gay Presents' in partnership with Everand.
  2. The series features long essays by different writers, starting with Julia Turshen's essay on powerlifting.
  3. Upcoming essays will cover topics like single motherhood, psychedelics, and American gun culture.

Regrets

Random Minds by Katherine Brodsky • 60 implied HN points • 22 Feb 26
📚 Literature Essays
  1. Once something is published on someone else’s platform you usually can’t push updates or erase mistakes, so past pieces often remain as they are.
  2. Own what you once believed and wrote, because those views came from the information you had and the person you were at the time.
  3. Being informed helps but doesn’t prevent error; people change opinions both from new facts and from personal growth and experience.

Virginia Woolf's other centenary

The Common Reader • 3012 implied HN points • 21 May 25
📚 Literature Essays
  1. Virginia Woolf's book _The Common Reader_ is a significant work of critical essays that deserves more recognition. It's often overshadowed by her novel _Mrs. Dalloway_ and should be celebrated too.
  2. Woolf was influenced by Samuel Johnson, a major critic from the past. She adopted his style of mixing biography and criticism, and her essays reflect his impact.
  3. Today’s literary essays often focus too much on personal opinions rather than solid criticism. Woolf’s approach can inspire critics to return to more insightful and meaningful analysis.

The Weekend Press: Meeting My Birth Family

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 357 implied HN points • 20 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Essays
  1. Discovering a birth family can be emotionally complicated and messy; reunions don’t always end in clear joy or heartbreak, even when records become accessible.
  2. The newsletter mixes sharp cultural commentary and personal advice, from roasting big movies and profiling public figures to debating whether someone is too young to marry.
  3. It also offers practical weekend ideas and warm tributes, with book and music picks, recipes, hosting tips, and memorial pieces.

Posts from Underground IV-V

The Lifeboat • 355 implied HN points • 12 Dec 25
📚 Literature Essays
  1. Some people get a weird pleasure from performative suffering, turning pain or misery into sarcastic moans that feel gratifying because they show their own degeneration.
  2. Heightened consciousness and overthinking tend to paralyze people, making them bored and prone to invent drama, guilt, or forced feelings just to feel alive.
  3. Modern tools like smartphones and the internet create an underground space where isolated, hyper-conscious personalities multiply and turn their inner life into conscious shitposting and performative personas.

This Is Hardcore

Justin E. H. Smith's Hinternet • 552 implied HN points • 16 Nov 25
📚 Literature Essays
  1. The French word for 'fox' is incorrectly thought to be 'renard'; the real word is 'goupil'.
  2. The character Renart from the medieval epic is a classic trickster who harms others for his own gain.
  3. Renart represents pure malice as he focuses entirely on his selfish desires, contrasting with other character types that may pursue different interests.

Things Worth Remembering: ‘Life Is Real! Life Is Earnest!’

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 2100 implied HN points • 13 Jul 25
📚 Literature Essays
  1. Poetry used to be a common part of everyday life, offering advice on how to be a good person. It reminded people to take life seriously and find meaning in their experiences.
  2. Many classic poems provide timeless lessons about character, kindness, and resilience. They still resonate today, encouraging us to be our best selves.
  3. While some past poems may reflect troubling themes from their time, the overall message of earnestness and self-improvement remains valuable and relevant.

Arnold Bennett's ten step plan for learning to appreciate poetry

The Common Reader • 2055 implied HN points • 29 Jun 25
📚 Literature Essays
  1. Clear your mind and forget any ideas you have about poetry before you start. This helps you be open to new interpretations.
  2. Read and re-read key texts like Hazlitt’s essays and poems by Wordsworth to get better at understanding and feeling poetry.
  3. Take your time with different styles and forms of poetry. Explore what resonates with you, and don’t be afraid to follow your own interests.

AMA on *You Have No Right to Your Culture*

Bet On It • 115 implied HN points • 27 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Essays
  1. A text-based Ask Me Anything is open about the book "You Have No Right to Your Culture", inviting questions, challenges, or puzzles; the host will try to respond within the next 24 hours.
  2. There’s a meet-up tomorrow at Carmine’s Times Square at 3:15 PM, and attendees should RSVP in the comments so the host has a head count.
  3. All are welcome to join the meet-up, and the host confirmed they are arriving on time.

How I Write Culture Study

Culture Study • 3885 implied HN points • 26 Jan 25
🎭️ Culture Essays
  1. Organizing your week can help you manage different types of work like essays and Q&As. It’s about finding a balance and creating a routine.
  2. Creating interesting content often involves a bit of mystery or curiosity. This can lead people to appreciate and pay for the material you offer.
  3. Collaboration with others can enhance your work. Finding 'coworkers' or partners can support your creative process and make things more enjoyable.

sunday dreampool

bad cattitude • 81 implied HN points • 25 Jan 26
📚 Literature Essays
  1. The post is a short, poetic reflection that suggests inspiration and wisdom can appear unexpectedly.
  2. It’s a paid, subscriber-only piece, so you requires subscribing or signing in to read the full content.
  3. The title and the dedication (“for the penguin”) give it a playful, personal weekend-vibe tone.

Links for January

By Reason Alone • 84 implied HN points • 01 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Essays
  1. A wide-ranging roundup recommends books, music, films, podcasts, and events, and points readers toward youth programs and speaking opportunities. It’s a mix of cultural picks and practical links for careers and learning.
  2. Public debate and policy often rest on sloppy language or bad reasoning — for example, ‘speculation’ in housing debates conflates opposite practices, and counting regulation-driven hiring as a net benefit confuses costs with benefits. Clearer terms and economic thinking are needed when discussing land, rents, and public investment.
  3. On AI and machine learning the emphasis is on technical clarity and history: be careful about what people mean by ‘reinforcement learning’, learn by implementing ideas, and pay attention to recent research on issues like capability forgetting and early AI milestones.

The Monday Media Diet with Lillian Wang Selonick

Why is this interesting? • 1508 implied HN points • 23 Jun 25
📚 Literature Essays
  1. Reading is important for personal growth, and physical books are preferred by many. Buying books from thrift stores and estate sales can help accumulate a diverse collection.
  2. Listening to podcasts and audiobooks can enrich our lives. It's a good idea to balance both to avoid distractions while multitasking.
  3. Discovering new voices in literature through platforms like Substack can be rewarding. Many writers share unique insights and deep dives into topics that resonate with readers.

life is a crying baby

Both Are True • 180 implied HN points • 27 Dec 25
📚 Literature Essays
  1. A time-limited project that delivers 58 short entries by email over the course of a month, capturing small ideas, drafts, and daily thoughts.
  2. The main purpose is to clear a cluttered personal database and give past creative impulses a finite, honored form with an explicit end date.
  3. There’s a lot of vulnerability and self-doubt about sharing, but the act of releasing it is framed as an exhale and a way to listen to and respect past creative selves.

#232: A reading list for summer cope

Maybe Baby • 993 implied HN points • 10 Aug 25
📚 Literature Essays
  1. Many people feel anxious about time, especially as summer comes to an end. Recognizing this feeling can help manage it better.
  2. There's a tendency to judge summers based on expectations, which can lead to feelings of regret or envy. It's important to appreciate moments for what they are.
  3. Setting small, attainable goals can often lead to a more satisfying life. Don't get too caught up in big dreams, as they can distract from enjoying the simple things.