Swiftology on breakups, Yorkshire peat bogs, and the history of Ghana’s bag for life
This week’s digest is guest edited by the creators of , a literary magazine and podcast about how books get written, from authors and . In Haste is a new kid on the block, but since launching, its most popular post is “Why don’t we have enough time? with Oliver Burkeman,” which changed everyone’s minds about productivity and writing.
Alice here. Charlotte and I send a lot of voice notes. In fact, In Haste, which completes its first full season on Tuesday, was born of a fortuitous WhatsApp chat and these tiny personalised podcasts sent to each other between South London and Wales. This week we’ve been sending a lot of voice notes about Substack. How to possibly choose from all of the publications here? We applied the same principles that help us choose authors to invite onto our podcast: Do we love their writing? Do they make us think differently? Is there something here that resonates, or illuminates, or that we’ll still be thinking about seasons down the line? I’m happy to report that everything below ticks at least one of those little-big boxes.
Perhaps you’re in the market for a loving refresher on Taylor Swift’s songwriting career ahead of the pop star’s release this weekend, or a poem about the sometimes-gruelling business of getting up and carrying on creating. We will never see those familiar hold-alls in the same light after this post from Avery Trufelman, and we found great relief in learning that Rihanna also has feels about her postpartum body. If you love reading about writing anywhere near as much as the In Haste community does, checking out Anna Wharton’s take on author salaries is a must.
We love it when we hear from our listeners that we’ve introduced them to a new author on the podcast, and we hope that happens for you here too.
MOTHERHOOD
A-list sweatpants and stretch marks
“We’re both pretty familiar with the notion of getting dressed around small children—both literally and figuratively. I actively go searching for new issues of fashion writer Frankie Graddon’s newsletter because she manages to make me feel better about having peanut butter encrusted onto everything I own while inspiring me to do something about it. This week’s, which offers an honest examination of celebrity and the postpartum body, is brilliant”
—Frankie Graddon in
I could write you an essay on how fine and flat my hair is. And that its flyaway texture is giving Jane Austen heroine yomping across a mizzly heath. And that I haven’t been able to grow it past my shoulders in years. And that so much fell out postpartum (both times), I cried in the shower (both times).
BUSINESS & SPORTS
How the Miami Grand Prix became Hard Rock Stadium’s most lucrative event
“In Haste was set up to expose how the sausage gets made in the book industry: how people write, and when. What happens when a novel dies on submission. What it really feels like ahead of becoming a best-selling debut. We like the stories behind stories, and this issue of Huddle Up brings that from the far more glamorous realm of Formula One. Joe Pompliano offers three posts a week that break down the murky, often-hidden interchange between sports and money; it’s the stuff you could lift a good novel from”
—
in
And if music and racing aren’t for you, there are hundreds of food vendors, live auctions, boats, pools, beach clubs, marketing activations, and more. The point is that there is an option for literally everyone, regardless of that person’s budget or interest.
ECOLOGY
Peat bog restoration in the Yorkshire uplands
“Trust us, this is a post that will transport you somewhere beautiful. Peat bogs are akin to the UK’s rainforests, and treated just as badly. But restoration is happening, as garden designer and nature writer Jack Wallington reports from a Yorkshire dale. With stunning photography, Jack introduces us to a potted history of one of the greatest ecological crimes the UK has seen—and how it’s now being turned around”
—
in
Entering one of the gullies to the call of a golden plover, we’re met by a heartbreaking scene as the scale of damage to this peat habitat is put into perspective. Walls of exposed dry peat two metres high or more enclose us. We’re standing where 4,000-6,000 years of peat and wildlife habitat should have been. It takes on average a year to form just 1 mm of peat.
LITERATURE
The Middle Finger Poem
“As jumbo podcast nerds who decided to host our podcast on Substack rather than the more traditional platforms, it’s always interesting to see how audio is unfolding here. Yrsa is a brilliant and multi-talented writer (her memoir, The Terrible, won the PEN Ackerley Prize in 2019), and it’s quietly thrilling to see the sheer playfulness she’s pouring into The Utter”
—
in
You say that I don’t seem myself.
These days are long and revealing,
so every time I see one through, I grin.
Every time I make it home, I dance.
Every time I’m up again after being down, down, down;
I’m beating the odds.
Every time I don’t give up,
it’s worthy of celebration. Every time I write a poem,
it’s a bloody miracle.
FASHION
Ghana must-go
“We are absolutely here for other podcast-newsletter multi-platform babies, and Articles of Interest was doing it long before we were. As a podcast, it has amassed a loyal listenership, but it’s exciting to see how its creator, Avery Trufelman, works it out on the page. Intertextual, eclectic, and eye-opening, these posts will change how you think about clothes”
—Avery Trufelman in
Oddly enough, this is the bag’s story in many countries, even outside of Nigeria. In Kenya they are known as Nigeria bags, and Zimbabweans call them Botswana bags. They seem to always be the bag of The Other: the carryall of the immigrant who is forced to pack up everything and leave.
MUSIC
Taylor Swift and the breakup narrative
“Sure, Char and I can chat a fair game about books, but we can also hold our own in a Taylor Swift pub quiz. We have strongly considered a subscriber-only bonus episode on The Tortured Poets Department. Swiftian Theory is our go-to source of Taylor intel, and this post serves as both a brilliant primer of her work and a good script for Swift skeptics”
—Natasha Lunn in
Let’s hear that again: I’ve never had an album where I’ve needed songwriting more than I needed it on Tortured Poets.” God knows what we’re in for, but I’m scared and excited by the emotional depths she’s going to take us to.
PUBLISHING
How much do writers actually earn?
“It’s our royalty time of year: always something of a roller coaster, which can either define how you spend the next six months or send you hunting for ice cream and writerly resolve. Anna is a fantastically well-connected and experienced part of the publishing industry, having ghostwritten best-selling books, received Orwell Prize nominations, and sold books online. She knows her stuff”
—
in , recommended by
But what I can never understand is how, in this whole chain of people involved in selling books, the creator of the material, the person who came up with the idea, who sat down and wrote it often through sweat and tears, is paid the least out of everyone.
FOOD
Barely-cooking cooking
“India Knight is a prolific author (five novels! seven nonfiction books!), but I grew up reading her no-nonsense beauty tips in the weekend colour supplement. HOME offers just as much practical wisdom. This week’s post is particularly pertinent for In Haste: Char and I frequently correspond during baby dinner time and stay up late working. Essentially, we’re knackered, and all of these sound delicious, please”
—
in
Toasted sourdough topped with ricotta, freshly podded young broad beans and your best olive oil. Although ‘your best olive oil’ is a piece in itself—sometimes very expensive olive oil just makes me want to cough.
Recently launched
Award-winning British-American journalist, author, and former MSNBC host
kicks off his new independent media company on Substack, : joins Substack: offers paid subscriptions:
More new launches this week:
Coming soon
Congratulations to the following writers celebrating publication.
Books and TV writer
shared this publisher announcement:
Today’s guest editor
’s bestselling book, Why Women Grow: Stories of Soil, Sisterhood and Survival, comes out in paperback this May 2, published by Canongate. Alice details her book tour dates and venues in this post:’s new book How to Baby: a No-Advice-Given guide to Motherhood comes out next week and she shares details of her book launch event in Brooklyn here:’s psychological horror came out this week:
As did
’s murder mystery:Notes from our guest editors
Noteworthy
Inspired by the writers featured in Substack Reads? Writing on your own Substack is just a few clicks away:
Substack Reads is a weekly roundup of writing, ideas, art, and audio from the world of Substack. Posts are recommended by staff and readers, and this week’s digest was guest edited by the hosts of on Substack, , and . You can follow Alice and Charlotte and In Haste on Notes, and also find Alice on Instagram and Twitter, and Charlotte on Instagram and Twitter. Substack Reads is edited from our U.K. outpost by Hannah Ray.
Got a Substack post to recommend? Tell us about it in the comments.
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This is such a good roundup! The first one I’ve actually read in months. Thanks, curators, and snaps to you
So delighted to have been featured! Thank you so much 🙏🏼❤️