A Love Letter to The Newsletter

As many of us sit at home, suspended between our Longed-for Past (…?) and New Normal (!?!), fervently hurling our frustrations, observations and quips onto the twitter dot com timeline, I’ve developed an enhanced admiration for the people who have taken the matters of creation into their own hands. Watching them kick down barriers to artistic expression by self-producing and distributing their own art and comedy in spite of our current circumstances has really got me dreaming about the freedom of self-publication. I’ve grown, in particular, the softest of soft spots for the art of the email-Newsletter.

Though it is not a new platform for self-publication, the ability the medium gives both the writer and reader to subvert traditional publishing, discover one's own corner of the internet, and deliver it right to my damn inbox makes email-Newsletters irresistible to me. There are newsletters about anything! And, If you happen to be good at them, they can also be a tidy source of income. I subscribe to a wide-array of newsletters featuring current events, think-pieces and style advice, but my particular favourites are the newsletters published by comedians and humour writers (duh).

Hankering for something to do in these Weird and Wild Times™? If you haven’t yet blinked your bleary, isolated eyes at a humorous and GIF-filled newsletter like Sarah Kurchak’s A. B. and C, now is your moment. The best newsletters feel like having a heart-to-heart with a funny and insightful pal, like Canadian Treasure, Anne T Donohue’s newsletter, That's What She Said, whose recent piece, “A Small-Ass Life” is both a beacon and a soothing balm in these upside-down times. Smash that subscribe button and feel instantly validated.

Just like getting up on a stage to try out jokes in front of an audience, a weekly newsletter can be an effective way to hone the art of self-expression. Writing jokes at home alone? Throw ‘em into a newsletter and ask your friends and family to subscribe. Newsletters are also a fantastic way to continue to follow the work of people you admire. Personally, I’m always ready to read Catherine Cohen’s My Sexy Little Email, and the hilarious re-cap of “who’s on judge mathis today?” from Samantha Irby’s Bitches Gotta Eat is absolutely at the top of my “to-open” list in the mornings.

At a time when many of us are looking for ways to bridge the pandemic-sized-gap for both creators and audiences, connecting via regular newsletter is definitely one way to go! By the way, if you’re looking for a round-up of some of the week’s funniest internet writing, subscribe to A Newsletter of Humorous Writing.

Newsletters can also be a great source of comfort and advice, especially for those of us who may be feeling rudderless in our artistic careers at the moment. For tips and tricks from someone who gets it on how to start your next artistic project, subscribe to newsletters like Hayley McGee’s.

Whether you’re a writer who’s just starting to find your voice, a seasoned comedy veteran wondering desperately how to connect with others given the precarious future of live performance, or just a person who has some Thoughts To Share, newsletters are a wonderful way to connect with an audience of people who are tuning in specifically for you and your thoughts. And if you’re a person tuning in to them and their thoughts, newsletter platforms like Substack and Tinyletter provide an endless supply of writing for you to subscribe to. I’m so excited for you! Enjoy!

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