The hottest Literature Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Bona Lavs

Mister Slang • 137 implied HN points • 04 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. Polari was a secret language used by various groups like tramps, sailors, show people, and homosexuals.
  2. Polari was not a proper language with grammar but rather a lexicon of around 100 words and phrases.
  3. Polari declined with the changes in gay speech and the emergence of Gay Liberation in the late 1960s.

Against Decolonisation

CIEO • 137 implied HN points • 14 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. Decolonisation movements may inadvertently promote the idea that Africans lack agency.
  2. Western philosophy should not be dismissed as alien to Africans; it is part of a shared global heritage.
  3. Rejecting modernity in the name of decolonisation may hinder progress and social justice in African societies.

TITAA #46: Golems, Tulpas, Egregores and AI

Things I Think Are Awesome • 137 implied HN points • 01 Sep 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Literature
  1. The post discusses folkloric entities like golems, tulpas, and egregores, which are created by humans and can have varied effects.
  2. Golems are creatures from Jewish folklore created from mud or clay with specific activation and deactivation methods.
  3. There are parallels between these entities and modern phenomena like AI behavior and strange chatbot interactions.
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100 things that made my year

Austin Kleon • 799 implied HN points • 31 Dec 21
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. Making a list of 100 things that made your year can help reflect on the good moments. It's a nice way to appreciate the little things in life.
  2. Sharing favorite quotes can be a fun way to connect with others and find more inspiration. It shows how words can impact us differently.
  3. Setting resolutions doesn't have to be stressful. You can choose simple challenges, or even opt to take a break and just be for a while.

Core dump

Thicket Forte • 1 HN point • 16 Sep 24
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. Language can feel increasingly insincere or artificial, making it hard to express true thoughts. Many conversations seem superficial or filled with 'bullshit' rather than genuine meaning.
  2. When interacting with language models (LLMs), it can be tricky to distinguish between human and machine-generated text. This can lead to a sense of confusion or 'linguistic vertigo.'
  3. There are different ways to generate language, like using your heart or gut instead of just your head. Words from deeper emotional or primal places can feel more authentic and meaningful.

Did Kurt Vonnegut Hate Technology?

Litverse • 299 implied HN points • 02 Sep 22
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. Some researchers fear the consequences of their work yet continue to push forward, showing an ambivalent attitude toward technology.
  2. Kurt Vonnegut had a deep fascination with the inner workings of technology but also harbored a strong luddite sentiment towards its potential impact on humanity.
  3. Vonnegut's work and beliefs highlight the delicate balance between the advancements of technology and the preservation of human values and purpose.

Spread cheer!

Austin Kleon • 799 implied HN points • 24 Dec 21
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. Reading good books is important. Some favorites this year included 'Matrix' by Lauren Groff and 'The Master and his Emissary' by Iain McGilchrist.
  2. Celebrating the lives and works of great writers is valuable. Remembering Eve Babitz and Joan Didion highlights the impact of their writing.
  3. Finding joy and comfort in art, like playing video games or listening to music, can really help us relax and feel better.

Stop and Hear the Stories!

Painful Signs, Or, Joel's Substack • 79 implied HN points • 11 Jan 24
🎙 Podcasts Literature
  1. The post discusses podcasts that delve into Homer, heroic patterns, and ancient literature, featuring engaging conversations and interpretations.
  2. There is a mention of various podcast appearances by the author, covering different aspects of Homer's works like the Iliad, Achilles, Paris, and their impact on modern culture.
  3. The author also references video content related to myths and explores the intersection of classic stories with contemporary media like movies.

7 Valentine’s Day Lessons from Proust about Getting Ghosted

Litverse • 159 implied HN points • 14 Feb 23
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. In the chaos of online dating, sudden silence can be suffocating, especially after a first date.
  2. Ghosting is a common experience, with around 82% of people having been ghosted by someone from a dating app.
  3. Ghosting causes anxiety, builds walls of silence, and leads to paranoia – all creating a ghostly prison of uncertainty and fantasy.

15 things I consumed this week

Maybe Baby • 464 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. The author shared 15 things they consumed in a week, including an article on anxiety by Lauren Oyler from The New Yorker.
  2. The post is for paid subscribers only, indicating exclusive content behind a paywall.
  3. The author had trouble sending the post due to technical issues with Substack, showcasing the challenges of online platforms.

The Banality of Jeffrey Epstein

Unpopular Front • 64 implied HN points • 13 Jul 25
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. Some people believe Jeffrey Epstein likely committed suicide due to the shame and guilt he faced while in prison. He had always lived a life of luxury and vice, and isolation may have driven him to despair.
  2. The philosopher Aristotle noted that bad people struggle with self-reflection and tend to feel regret. Epstein, having to confront his actions alone, may have found that state unbearable.
  3. Epstein's past behavior and his level of greed suggest he was deeply troubled. Feeling trapped and without support, he might have seen suicide as a way out of his situation.

Is Lysistrata going to save us?

Men Yell at Me • 228 implied HN points • 17 Nov 24
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. Running a marathon can be a fun and unexpected challenge. Sometimes, you might end up doing more than you planned.
  2. Support from friends can make a significant impact when trying new things, like running a marathon.
  3. Enjoying the environment and vibe during an event can lead to memorable experiences and accomplishments.

Here Was Tolkien, When Shall We Expect Another?

Trantor Publishing • 239 implied HN points • 29 Nov 22
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. The Right Wing faces challenges in producing art compared to the Left due to lack of cohesion and support.
  2. The cultural impact of media on shaping values and beliefs is significant, reflecting the importance of art with Right Wing values.
  3. Creating a unified brand and fostering artistic communities are crucial steps for the Right Wing to produce impactful literature and art.

Oaxaca

Cosmographia • 179 implied HN points • 06 Feb 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Literature
  1. The post is part of the Atlas’ Notes series on Cosmographia, focusing on art, poetry, literature, cartography, and photography related to a specific location.
  2. Access to the full content of the post is limited to paid subscribers of Cosmographia.
  3. The post offers a niche exploration of Oaxaca through a curated blend of creative works.

Pylons

The Commonplace • 809 implied HN points • 12 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. Pylons have left a significant mark on the modern world and landscape.
  2. The countryside before pylons represented a timelessness and deep continuity that has been altered by progress.
  3. There is a complexity in the impact of technological advancements, with every step forward carrying consequences.

TITAA #48: Magic Mirrors and Radios

Things I Think Are Awesome • 117 implied HN points • 31 Oct 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Literature
  1. Jean Cocteau's film Orpheus explores themes of inspiration and creativity through tech signals and mirror portals.
  2. Mirrors serve as symbols and characters in Cocteau's film, representing death and reflection.
  3. The post also includes recommendations for AI/art creativity, narrative research, and TV shows like Our Flag Means Death and The Terror.

Curator

Castalia • 179 implied HN points • 11 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. Writing can involve tough ethical choices, especially when it affects others. Authors must think deeply about how their work impacts the people they write about.
  2. The film industry is changing due to AI and popular franchises like Marvel. These changes may lead to less diversity in storytelling and more emphasis on simple, mass-appeal content.
  3. Trans issues are part of a larger conversation about acceptance and identity. It's important to recognize individual experiences without forcing them into narrow expectations of progress.

When You're Done with that Condom, Just Throw it Anywhere

Both Are True • 183 implied HN points • 30 Dec 24
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. Condoms are often discarded carelessly in places like parking lots. This shows a lack of respect for the environment and the community.
  2. Kids can have misunderstandings about adult behaviors and items, which can create confusion and fear. It's important to explain things clearly to children.
  3. Feeling isolated or rejected during childhood experiences can have a lasting impact on someone. These moments can shape how a person views themselves in social situations.

Living in a Lucid Dream

Wild Information • 98 implied HN points • 30 Nov 23
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. Lucid dreaming techniques like reality testing can help control your dreams
  2. Dreams can be as real to our brains as waking experiences
  3. Writing may inadvertently reveal truths, blurring the lines of reality and fiction

Sodom and Gomorrah

Global Inequality and More 3.0 • 498 implied HN points • 28 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. The last volume of Proust's book 'A la recherche' is like a theater piece with interwoven social and sexual elements.
  2. Pasolini's film 'Salò or 120 days of Sodom' did not focus on social context but rather indulged in gratuitous violence.
  3. Pasolini's film aimed to shock the audience, contrasting with the earlier approach of situating vices in a social context.

Links for July

By Reason Alone • 59 implied HN points • 31 Jul 25
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. Having a flip phone can help you focus more on life without constant phone distractions. It's a cool way to stay reachable in emergencies without being glued to your smartphone.
  2. Brick architecture has a rich history and interesting properties. Learning about it can change the way you appreciate the buildings around you.
  3. More people are staying married, while fewer are actually getting married nowadays. This shows changing social trends around relationships.

Hope this finds you well

Austin Kleon • 799 implied HN points • 19 Nov 21
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. Creating collages from magazine type can be a fun and creative activity. It's a great way to express yourself using found text.
  2. Reading is a wonderful escape, and a novel about medieval nuns can be a perfect choice for late-night adventures. It’s engaging and might resonate with anyone who’s ever struggled with sleepless nights.
  3. There’s always interesting news in music, from unexpected collaborations to quirky music platforms. Keeping up with music can be a fun way to discover new sounds and artists.

Kingdom of characters

The Global Jigsaw • 79 implied HN points • 25 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. China's core identity is maintained through its unique written language and food.
  2. The written Chinese language has remained largely unchanged for 2200 years.
  3. Challenges arise in making Chinese characters compatible with modern technology like keyboards.

Ahab's Leg Dilemma: Part 1

All Visible Objects • 59 implied HN points • 13 Feb 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Literature
  1. The specific leg that Captain Ahab is missing in Moby-Dick is not definitively stated, creating a longstanding mystery in literary analysis and artistic adaptations.
  2. Melville scholars and artists have debated whether Ahab had a left or right missing leg, with historical studies showing a tendency towards illustrating him with a left leg prosthesis.
  3. Artistic interpretations of Ahab's missing leg throughout different mediums, such as books, films, and illustrations, tend to split almost evenly between left and right legs, showing a balanced artistic representation despite the lack of explicit text in Melville's novel.

My Kids Will Fancy Generative AI, I Choose to Fight It

The Algorithmic Bridge • 445 implied HN points • 05 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. The advancements in AI will impact job opportunities - some will be lost while others will be created, resulting in a nuanced narrative of change over time.
  2. As technology evolves, historical professions such as writing have faced transformation and adaptation, oftentimes leading to loss, but also gain.
  3. Individuals hold power to influence the future direction of technology and writing, emphasizing the importance of human creativity and intent in a world dominated by AI.

Pace Yourself

Not Boring by Packy McCormick • 495 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. In a fast-paced world, embrace varying speeds and allow different layers to move at their own pace.
  2. Building a strong foundation of knowledge allows for better understanding of new ideas and innovations.
  3. Consider pace layering when analyzing businesses and technologies, focusing on long-term impacts and deeper context.

The Benefits of Walking Your Cynic

Outlandish Claims • 19 implied HN points • 31 May 24
🚌 Education Literature
  1. Standardized education can be damaging, labeling individuals based on narrow criteria and stifling unique strengths.
  2. Achieving financial independence can enable one to pursue personal passions and explore the world at one's own pace, like 'Walking Stewart'.
  3. The philosophy of interconnectedness, kindness, and self-love espoused by 'Walking Stewart' emphasizes the importance of empathy and positivity.

Perfectly Round Eggs On A Saturday Afternoon

Soaring Twenties • 146 implied HN points • 07 Feb 25
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. The writer enjoys a calm Saturday morning filled with small, loving moments. Waking up slowly and spending time together sets a positive tone for the day.
  2. Cooking is a shared activity that brings them joy, like making perfectly round eggs in the kitchen. This simple task highlights their connection.
  3. They cherish being present with each other, discussing plans for the day and expressing their love. It showcases the importance of quality time in relationships.

What is creativity?

Sunday Letters • 59 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. Creativity involves mixing different ideas and using randomness, which everyone can try doing in their own way. It's fun to combine things, even if the results are silly.
  2. Iteration, or making improvements over time, is a key part of creativity. Trying something out, checking if it's good, and tweaking it again helps develop better ideas.
  3. As technology like LLMs improves, creativity might be redefined. What we see as creative today could change as machines get better at combining and generating ideas.

The Cleavage and Technologization of Knowing

Banana Peel Pirouette • 118 implied HN points • 09 Aug 23
🚌 Education Literature
  1. Specialization of labor and the rise of a literate elite led to a cleavage of knowledge across societies, with information monopolies and limited access to learning.
  2. The printing press and now the internet have transformed how we handle information, shifting towards automated thinking but potentially limiting deep understanding and critical thinking.
  3. Progress in human intelligence and virtue through technology has been a long debate, as greater access to information doesn't necessarily equate to greater wisdom or reason.

The Umpire Strikes Back

The Better Letter • 117 implied HN points • 17 Feb 23
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. Umpires have a challenging job calling baseball games, with some achieving remarkable accuracy rates.
  2. Robots are being considered to call balls and strikes in baseball due to their precision and lack of biases.
  3. Human biases, including favoritism towards high-status individuals, can influence umpires' calls during games.

What are you all reading?

Men Yell at Me • 207 implied HN points • 11 Nov 24
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. Mainstream media like CNN and The New York Times are becoming echo chambers, making it harder to find diverse viewpoints. It's important to seek out different sources for a fuller understanding of the news.
  2. Despite challenges in the media industry, good journalism still exists. However, many stories that can positively impact the world are less likely to be published by traditional outlets.
  3. It's valuable to share and explore new media that excites you. Finding and supporting independent journalists and stories can help create a better media landscape.

Oh what a circus

London in Bits • 117 implied HN points • 26 Jun 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Literature
  1. The book 'Piccadilly: The Circus at the Heart of London' by Midge Gillies tells the story of Piccadilly Circus through the eyes of various individuals like flower girls, shop assistants, and celebrities.
  2. The author's interest in social history led to the book's clever structure with themes like entertainment, transport, and advertising interwoven throughout the chronological narrative.
  3. Piccadilly Circus is portrayed as a unique meeting place where people of diverse backgrounds gather, reflecting a history of social change and surprising stories like the Rainbow Corner and the Piccadilly Commandoes.

D is for...

Mister Slang • 117 implied HN points • 29 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. Some dirty words have origins in diseases like syphilis and gonorrhea.
  2. Venereal diseases were often associated with foreign countries in slang terms.
  3. There were various slang terms for venereal diseases and their symptoms, as well as treatments throughout history.

05.02023 Update

Thought-gifts from Jasmine 🌱☁️ • 117 implied HN points • 02 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Literature
  1. The author reflects on the passing of time and its arbitrary nature in a monthly email update.
  2. The author shares personal experiences including hosting a Mandarin dinner and making new friends in Toronto.
  3. The author discusses upcoming plans like moving to a new apartment, working out, and turning 25.