What a nice surprise to see that you’re having the same thought as I was. About the newsletters in my inbox.
I send out a newsletter on the fifteenth of each month to subscribers who sign up on my website. It includes a link to an article or a podcast or a video that is relevant to our times, along with an excerpt of the book I’m currently working on.
While on a call with Shailaja V last week about this topic, she asked me a pertinent question – what are the newsletters that you like? I was stumped. Tens of newsletters that I have signed up for at various times depending on what was on the top of my interest list pour in uninvited on a regular basis. I am too lazy to unsubscribe. So I complain about this abundance.
Now that I stopped to think back to those newsletters that I do regularly read, I can see a pattern.
Here are 5 newsletters that I enjoy:
- Word-a-day: Not so much a newsletter as a daily trickle of words that enrich my vocabulary. I love the weekly themes, the little origin stories and the best part, the thought-provoking quotes that accompany the post. Their Instagram feed is beautiful. Wordsmith.orgsmith
2. The On Being Project: A weekly newsletter that succinctly captures the gentle but inspiring ethos of the On Being podcast that I have enjoyed for a long time. Krista Tippet has the enviable job of interviewing interesting people from various fields. Through her I have met physician Atul Gawande, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and physicist Carlo Rovelli.
3. What I read this month: A monthly newsletter by the well-known author of The Happiness Project lists all the books she reads in a month. Her list is huge – both in terms of the number of books she reads and the genres that she covers. I have often come across books that I have gone on to read and enjoy from Rubin’s list. Gretchen Rubin
4. Maria Popova’s Brain Pickings gives my brain a weekly anti-aging shot. Her carefully curated selections and insightful comments get my worn-out grey cells rejuvenated. Brain Pickings
5. The Curious Reader newsletter: While the rest of the list reflects a long-time habit, this newsletter came to my attention more than a year ago. Even before I began writing arclies for them, I loved their website and approach to revitalising the literary scene in India with their carefully selected lists that drew attention to all the noteworthy action in the area of books and publishing in India. I was sorry to see the last issue of the newsletter in Aug 2020. I am not sure when I will find a replacement that will fill that niche. The Curious Reader
# newsletter #writing #reading
What newsletters to do you subscribe to? What makes you sign up for a newsletter? Head over to my website and signup for my newsletter if you’re interested and help me craft mine for 2021.
