#45: 2021 Best Newsletter Forecast
An incomplete but honest list of subscriptions to covet, plus a playlist.
Hark! A brief aperitif of food-related and not-food-related newsletters I am always eager to open, plus an end of year playlist for eating herbed nuts and sipping coffee out of your favorite mug all day.
Amateur Bibliotherapy for “What to Read When Time Feels Fake” and other such recommendations:
While this profile of Lyonne in The Cut is particularly memorable because of its accompanying photoshoot full of cats, the overall press circuit for Russian Doll was more philosophical than usual—likely because it is a show about dying, over and over again, and trying to end a Groundhog Day-esque time loop by getting your real death right. As a result, profiles of the show’s creators tend toward the existential (which is pretty unique for Hollywood promo). I thoroughly recommend reading this piece and then (re)watching Russian Doll.
Creamline for the best in “pleasurable things that are often dismissed as frivolous” from soft cheese to skincare.
Deez Links by Delia Cai for a pitch-perfect media run down, like this piece on the myth of the “Trump Country Diner Story”
Digestivo by Jake & Salonee who could be my (your) friends writing about the “misadventures of cooking, eating, and connection during the pandemic.” Subscribe for tahini-caramel condiment inspiration and “extra crispy thoughts and prayers”
Hung Up by Hunter Harris. Her piece on folklore and Hillbilly Elegy had me laughing so hard I had to reread it three times.
And then it happens: for the second verse, Swift has something to get off her chest. “And I’ve been meaning to tell you, I think your house is haunted,” she observes pointedly. “Your dad is always mad, that must be why.” It’s a sad line, obviously, but it’s also a little twisted; it replicates that experience of adolescence when you’re basically inarticulate about serious, heavy things. You don’t have the vocabulary to talk about things subtly or delicately, and haven’t grown the awareness to wonder if there’s a less-blunt way to say this. (When was the last time a child didn’t tell you something extremely rude without realizing it?) My first reaction was that it’s such vivid, visual songwriting; my second reaction was “Hold on — sweetheart, if my house is haunted, you better tell me. None of this ‘been meaning to tell you.’”
Unsnackable by Folu on “international snacks, beverages & fast food that I want but cannot have.” I smashed the subscribe button on this so hard I may have broken my enter key. Folu is a fellow Wholigan in the broad, wonderful, weird Who-niverse of the podcast Who Weekly (if you know you know). I’ve adored her gorgeous cakes for some time, and I’m so glad she started a newsletter! Follow @notfolu for other such inspiration.
Rob Brezsny’s Astrology Newsletter which is always weird and good, with some sort of neat fact. A favorite of mine from this year:
Libran author Ursula K. Le Guin said that we don't just naturally know how to create our destinies. It takes research and hard work. "All of us have to learn how to invent our lives, make them up, imagine them," she wrote. "We need to be taught these skills; we need guides to show us how. If we don't, our lives get made up for us by other people." I bring this to your attention, Libra, because the coming weeks will be an excellent time to upgrade and refine your mastery of these essential powers. What can you do to enhance your capacity to invent your life? Which teachers and information sources might be helpful?
I’m taking the next week off, but I’ll see you in the new year! Cheers to invention, imagination, the unsnackable snacks, teachers, amateur inclinations, building light, and telling someone that thing you’ve been meaning to tell them about their house being haunted.