The best Memoir newsletters

Cheryl Strayed shares personal essays on grief, running, and writing, along with an occasional interview series in which authors answer questions about five things. Readers get intimate, candid first-person writing from the author of Wild and the Dear Sugar columns.

Joe Posnanski's personal newsletter mixes baseball commentary with updates on his book projects and reflections on memory and joy. Readers get sharp, warm game writing and inside news about his publishing work.

Tom Cox, an English author, writes personal essays, memoir and humorous notes on walking, cats, books and the British countryside. Issues mix anecdotal storytelling with updates on his books and his late father's cat paintings.

Oldster Magazine is a paid Substack of personal essays and interviews about ageing, memory, recovery and cultural life across the stages of adulthood. Readers get reflective first-person writing, a monthly sober-life interview series, and nostalgic pieces on everyday experiences from earlier decades.

A personal newsletter by a former evolutionary biology professor, mixing literary reflection, memoir and essays with a loose natural-world theme. Readers get reflective, first-person writing on books, loss, nature and living attentively, plus occasional guest pieces.

Open Secrets publishes first-person personal essays about topics people are usually taught to keep private, such as grief, mental health and difficult relationships. Issues include a mix of humorous and emotional essays, plus a recurring series on objects with personal meaning.

A personal diary-style newsletter from musician and memoirist Amy Rigby about touring, family life, moving house and the day-to-day realities of promoting a book and performing. Each issue mixes candid anecdotes with warm, self-aware reflections on music and motherhood.

Translator and author Hiroko Yoda shares personal essays on Japanese culture, drawing on family history, daily life with her husband, and her childhood memories of Japanese magazines. The newsletter promotes her books while offering warm, reflective reading about mountains, dining customs and popular media.

Patti Smith's personal newsletter shares short, informal notes and photos from her daily life, travels, and literary and art-historical interests, such as visits to libraries, museums, and cafes. Readers get a diary-like glimpse into her creative world, with reflections on art, Franciscan history, and French literature.

A personal essay newsletter exploring childhood wounds, grief, healing, and living as a deeply feeling person amid current events. Issues blend memoir with commentary on topics such as divorce, sexual assault, patriarchy, and mental health.

A writer-run food publication offering personal essays and cookbook reviews that blend family memoir with recipes and cultural traditions. Readers get warm, story-driven writing about home cooking, diaspora identity and food culture.

Personal essays and anecdotes from a Brooklyn-based writer, podcast host and record label executive, drawing on his decades in the music world. Readers get firsthand stories about 1990s Seattle music, record stores, author events and the writing of a new novel.

Scope of Work is a literary newsletter of personal essays and narrative vignettes, each issue a first-person story about everyday moments like dates, park workouts, and rideshares. The writing is observant and wry, using small concrete details to examine how ordinary encounters and objects feel to live with.

A personal newsletter by a former lawyer turned travel writer, now living with a spinal CSF leak, mixing memoir, reflections on chronic illness and curated reading. Readers get long-form, candid personal essays about loss, health, and life after a career built on travel.

A personal essay newsletter by Jeremy Gordon covering basketball nostalgia, illness and grief, and his years as a Pitchfork news writer watching Twitter. Readers get reflective, anecdotal writing that blends sports fandom with memoir and media-culture commentary.

Personal essays and cultural commentary by Australian musician Isabella Manfredi on music, food, memoir and Australiana. Issues mix opinionated music criticism, reflections on taste and AI, and small creative exercises like blackout poetry.

Personal essays and autofiction on sex, desire, family history and young adult relationships, written in a confessional first-person voice. Readers get raw, literary memoir-style writing about intimacy, shame and longing.

Neil Pasricha's countdown of small, everyday joys, written as personal essays and memoir-style stories. Issues in the sample cover the origin of the blog, his mother's life story, and reader-submitted stories tied to the launch of The Book of Awesome.

A personal essay newsletter where the writer reflects candidly on nostalgia, intimacy, privacy, and ambition in everyday life. It also features occasional guest essays from subscribers, offering reflective, introspective reading.

Narratively publishes true personal stories, memoirs and narrative features about people whose lives readers would rarely glimpse. Recent issues promote its annual Memoir Prize and writing programs and share a sponsored first-person essay.

Personal essays by author J. Kevin Tumlinson on writing, honesty, aging and living by one's philosophy. Readers get reflective, candid first-person observations on the writer's life and craft.

A creative writing professor and graphic memoirist shares short illustrated reflections on the habit of making art, writing and storytelling. Issues also include event announcements, workshop news and details of paid-subscriber Zoom hangouts.

A personal Substack of memoir-style essays, meditations and reflections on perseverance, grief, motherhood, illness survival and the writing life. It also promotes the author's 1:1 writing mentorship for aspiring writers.

Zibby's Highlights is a mix of podcast interviews with authors, personal essays from the community and Zibby Owens herself, bookshop event videos, and book news and gift guides. Readers get book-world conversations, behind-the-scenes stories from authors, and reflective writing about recovery and life transitions.

An Eastern Orthodox author shares short personal notes, anecdotes and book news alongside observations on Orthodox faith and observances. Readers get a warm, informal glimpse into a clergy wife's life and writing.

A personal travel memoir newsletter telling first-person stories of living and working abroad as a remote worker, across places like Portugal, Kenya, Mauritius and Tunisia. Readers get anecdotal, humorous accounts of expat life, culture shock and the origins of a nomadic lifestyle.

Narratively Academy is a writing community promoting its 2026 Memoir Prize and a new self-paced Personal Essay Sprint with live AMAs, expert fireside chats and peer feedback. The newsletter mainly delivers event reminders, enrollment calls to action and short motivational pitches for its courses.

A weekly-style companion to Maria Shriver's media brand, featuring excerpts of book interviews, conversations with authors and affiliate-style book recommendations with shop links. It mainly offers readers news of new releases and author interviews around personal growth, grief and family.