Open Water

Higher education demystified. Come for an insider's look at admissions and financial aid, stay for some (occasionally snarky) analysis about how higher education actually works.

A Pop Culture Cocktail Served by the Fug Girls

Rebecca Makkai's Substack: mostly writing and books! but also Zillow, true crime, etymology, food, general inanity

Nutrition and racial equity. I'm not here to talk about eating the rainbow.

Preserving heart and sanity in a world gone mad

Unpacking my obsession with momfluencer culture to destroy the myth of the perfect mama.

Words from an ex-influencer who walked away from 387K IG followers to find herself (she's still looking). Sharing my learnings along the way.

why writing is hard & how to do it anyway

Obsessively-curated recommendations and reflections, best served with coffee.

Chipping away at the inscrutability of modern life, popular culture, and how we feel about both.

Dismantling diet culture and anti-fat bias, especially in health, fashion, and parenting. (But non-parents like it too!)

We are people who happen to be mothers.

The coldest of cold takes (the very opposite of hot takes), pop culture analysis, writing about writing, personal essays, and essays about the world right now. Come read and think along with me.

Written from a journalist in a red state, this newsletter is personal, political, sometimes funny and always raises hell.

Think more about the culture that surrounds you

The FAQ on how to find an agent and how to write books, all in one place.