Keeping up with the elections and the mess that is midterms season has me eating my weight in knock-off Maltesers chocolate balls. In the midst of this mess, I deeply understand the overwhelming desire to dwell on literally anything else for a hot second. Don’t worry, I come bearing the gifts of seven blog subscriptions to keep up with, to change your life for the better!
Spanning from guides to dressing like a stick of butter to salty caramel peanut butter cake recipes, there’s a cathartic space for every version of yourself: philosophical, hungry, seeking guidance on adulting, dressing up to feel better, and more.
- “Culture Study”
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Anne Helen Petersen’s Culture Study is a clear go-to for midweek catharsis. I never fail to be impressed week after week while digesting her writing. She effortlessly crystallizes unnamed thoughts and feelings that I have about modernity, current affairs, community and more. In her November 1st issue for instance, she borrows the voice of her partner to discuss the pressure that email etiquette has come to place on us, by creating that capacity for relentlessly responding. With every weekend Culture Study issue, she also lists several articles that captured her attention that week. I love checking them out to get out of my own head, in the hopes of finding another blog or platform worth exploring!
- “Every Chick Deserves a Mother”
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Every Chick Deserves a Mother blogs about life somewhere further away from the hustle of the city. Somewhere deep in the Pacific Northwest, he details his passing observations of the changing seasons, the sprawling growth of his agricultural adventures, and the comforting predictability of cultivating a homestead. If you love browsing cottagecore content, take it a step further and hit subscribe on this one! I personally adore his various DIY tofu recipes, amidst a smattering of journalling about his grapes-loving adolescent chickens.
- “Literary Hub”
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With fall, we’re getting more rainy weather. This means more opportunities to curl up in woolly sweaters and disappear into a book next to your rain-speckled windows. Literary Hub is an excellent find for anyone that is interested in books and writing: from dissecting the fantasy of a writer’s life, to cracking open the billion-dollar industry of romance novels, to breaking down the process behind selecting a cover, there’s something for anyone that enjoys books and their creators. Of course, there are best-reviewed book lists for every genre too!
- “Brain Pickings”
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Brain Pickings captured my heart in 2015 and never gave it back. I have surmised that the purpose of the writer was to distill the most meaningful truths about the way we reminisce, love, grieve, die and feel our way through life. They do so with gusto and compassion, surfacing multi-cultural texts, multi-era literary works and such that hit you like a punch to the gut — the good kind! You will be suddenly called upon to evaluate the way your presence touches the world and it, you. Subscribing is not for the faint-hearted. But, committing to doing so brings you one step closer to keeping your heart open to growth and mindfulness.
- “(Man)Repeller”
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The era of Repeller (formerly Manrepeller) has come to an end, for better or for worse, so it’s no longer possible to subscribe to their newsletter. Nevertheless, over the years, I’ve been a witness to some incredibly persuasive and thoughtful writing on how we invest our energy in our relationships! If you have an interest in fashion or beauty, there are also a ton of recent articles on getting the glassy skin look, crafting vibrant bedazzling spring eye looks, and trying out quirky trends like the ‘arm party’. I find Haley Nahman’s articles to be particularly enthralling.
- “Cup of Jo”
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Enrolling in college for me was like being thrust into the shallow end of a strange pool that is young adulthood. We’re on the cusp of getting our own health insurance, many of us have moved far away from home, and yet we’re still immersed in semi-structured institutions where our primary duties as students are to soak up knowledge quickly. Cup of Jo quickly became a go-to for its gentle introduction into the multiple facets of adulthood. From the ‘My Beauty Uniform‘ series to a fairly detailed guide on the textural and taste composition of the perfect banh mi, she eases you into a community of thoughtful individuals. I particularly enjoy her periodic articles that capture the comments of her readers, like this one on rituals!
- “Eater”
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Are you hungry for the tea on the food and beverage industry, or just hungry? Either way, you’ll find a breathtaking range on articles on Eater outlining the intersections between food with culture, politics, economics and other seemingly disparate disciplines. Perhaps you wanted an in-depth expose on Alison Roman and the backlash to her appropriation of “ethnic” cuisines. Maybe you wanted a passing (and in my view, accurate) review on Milk Bar’s iconic Birthday Cake. Or, you were craving Magnolia Bakery’s Classic Banana Pudding. Regardless, happy sampling!
I believe that the collection of email subscriptions that one curates for their inbox grows with you. Gradually, I’ve personally opted out of corporation drivel from brands hoping that you’ll consume more and more goods from them via sneaky “subscriber-exclusive” promotional codes. I don’t know if these subscriptions will stay timeless, or if at some point in the future I find myself with a ton of unread emails from any of these sites.
In any case, I hope that at the end of this article, you find yourself a little less alone in seeking meaning outside of college life.