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The best Personal Essay newsletters

18 newsletters, ranked by editorial quality and how recently they published. Looking for something more specific? Search instead.

amyrigby.substack.com· irregular· Published 2 days ago

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.

amy rigbydiarymusic tourbook tourgirl to countryhouse move
lauramarling.substack.com· irregular· Published 5 days ago

A personal songwriting newsletter by a working musician who reflects on the creative process, memories of studio life, and the emotional forces behind songs. Each issue pairs personal essays with cover versions and discussion of artists like Townes Van Zandt.

songwritingsongwriter newslettermusic productioncover songstownes van zandtlondon studios
scarycoolsadgoodbye.substack.com· irregular· Published 7 days ago

A personal, irreverent vibes-based newsletter by Meaghan Garvey that mixes travelogue, pop culture riffs and Midwestern observations, often self-deprecating. Readers get witty essays about road trips, Rust Belt and Midwest places, and cultural commentary.

midwest traveldoor countyclevelanddriftless regionrust belttaylor swift
scopeofwork.net· irregular· Published 25 days ago

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.

personal essaysliterary newsletterfirst person narrativedating storiesnew york lifeeveryday observations
tracingwoodgrains.com· irregular· Published 1 months ago

A personal and essayistic newsletter by a former Mormon writer who blends historical archive digging with reflections on AI, forecasting and the uncertain future. Issues range from cultural commentary on 'good enough' AI output to memoir-style pieces on faith, family and growing up gay.

ai predictionschabuduoformer mormonlgbtq memoirmormonismhu shih
ienjoymusic.net· irregular· Published yesterday

Molly Mary O'Brien's personal music blog mixes first-person accounts of live shows, driving and everyday life with song appreciation. The excerpts cover an all-ages punk show, a soft rock night and behind-the-scenes trivia about a music video, giving readers a warm, idiosyncratic take on music.

all ages showskim theoryliminalglue gun videotame impalasoft rock
hodgman.substack.com· irregular· Published 3 days ago

A personal newsletter from a writer based in Maine, mixing dispatches from daily life with an ongoing chapter-by-chapter reading of Moby-Dick delivered in a comic Maine accent. It also promotes upcoming comedy and live shows and teases members-only secret content.

moby-dicksecret society newslettermainecomedy showsbook readingsnew york comedy festival
indiahicks.substack.com· irregular· Published 4 days ago

India Hicks, a British designer, shares diary-style accounts of her life, from aid trips to Ukraine and travel mishaps to memories of family homes and famous friends. Expect personal anecdotes with light humour, the occasional bit of history and royal-adjacent reflections.

india hicksukraine aidgem humanitarianharbour island travelwendover artbritwell house
williamfleitch.substack.com· weekly· Published 4 days ago

Will Leitch's weekly newsletter pairs a personal essay with links to his other writing. The sample issues cover a movie scene, turning 51, and a 1996 college newspaper anecdote, written in a warm, chatty voice.

will leitchweekly essaypersonal essaysmoviescollege journalismmidlife
nightswimmingblog.substack.com· weekly· Published 6 days ago

A personal music blog offering weekly picks of new albums and songs, written with a casual, self-deprecating voice aimed at listeners who lack time to keep up with releases. It also mixes in diary-style posts about the writer's unemployment and substitute teaching.

new musicalbum reviewsweekly picksnew albumsindie musicplaylists
wellkeptsecret.substack.com· irregular· Published 9 days ago

A personal newsletter from a New Orleans-based music industry professional who writes about life, travel, and his work in the record business, alongside event announcements like a Brooklyn Alan Lomax archive benefit. Entries are chatty, anecdotal, and built around everyday observations rather than deep reporting.

reed watsonwell kept secretsnew orleans lifemusic businessalan lomaxfolk music archive
brilliantcrank.com· irregular· Published 15 days ago

Greg Storey's personal essays reflect on travel, relocation and life transitions, drawing on his own road trips and a friend's year abroad. Each issue blends anecdote with gentle observation about change, identity and generational attitudes.

personal essaystravel reflectionsroad triprelocationlife transitionsgenerational attitudes
thisweekinflorida.org· weekly· Published yesterday

A personal weekly newsletter from a South Florida resident mixing local news commentary, Florida politics and environment, and the author's own experiences, framed around hope and King's quote. It offers opinionated takes on international politics, regional issues like elections, tech investment and dengue outbreaks, and personal anecdotes from the Everglades.

south floridaflorida newsmiamievergladesflorida electionsdengue fever
midlifeerotica.com· irregular· Published 2 days ago

A personal, conversational newsletter from a midlife writer who mixes candid anecdotes about travel, dating and desire with reflections on AI, social media and philosophy. Readers get frank, opinionated essays that mix humour, self-disclosure and loose references to ideas like yin and yang.

midlife womensexuality after 40dating advicewomen's travelhostel experiencesai authenticity
brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com· weekly· Published 4 days ago

A gay couple's travel newsletter that mixes personal trip accounts, such as their months in Japan, with research-backed observations about travel and time perception. Issues also promote cruising advice and a podcast-style chat, and one essay shifts to food bank volunteering and social commentary.

gay travelnomad coupletravel tipsjapan travelcruise travelslow travel
substack.jurgenappelo.com· irregular· Published 7 days ago

A Substack by Jurgen Appelo offering survival kits and decision maps for solo workers and one-person businesses navigating AI. These issues are personal updates on his career pivot to an IT transition role at a Rotterdam hospital and a party-cooking anecdote, so the sample says little about the core solo-work guidance the newsletter promises.

solo entrepreneurone-person businesssolo workerai careerstransition manageragile transformation
ruthdaniel.substack.com· irregular· Inactive for over a year

A personal Substack by Ruth Daniel that uses everyday food debates, such as how to cook pasta, as a launching point for playful, opinionated writing. The writing is chatty and self-deprecating, though the sample is short and includes a near-empty placeholder issue.

pasta cookingcooking mythsal dentesalt pasta waterpersonal newsletterfood opinions
narrativelyacademy.com· irregular· Published today

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.

personal essaymemoir prizenarrativelywriting courseessay sprintwriting community