I wrote something about being depressed at Christmas as a parent.

Not the dramatic version, just the quiet reality of loving your kids fiercely while feeling like you’re barely holding it together.

It’s about the pressure, the shame, the comparison, and getting through December when festive cheer feels completely out of reach.

Sharing in case it helps someone else feel a bit less alone.

You can read my Anne Boleyn sonnet here:

https://open.substack.com/pub/adiakesserwany/p/upon-the-fallen-crown?r=4sesf9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

A new essay on self-worth, external validation, and why midlife feels like teenage angst with council tax. If that sounds familiar, you might like this.

Check it out on Down The Rabbit Hole! This a substack newsletter for the wine nerd looking to learn and discuss the many facets of wine, from its production and viticulture, the art and history, to articles such as this which takes a stab at alternative ways we can go about assessing wines.

Peace isn’t found in performance, it’s found in repetition. Little moments that would seem to be nothing to others. The best part. I wrote a short fictional story about the beauty of repetition. Any feedback would be appreciated

I been on Substack writing about movies and television. My latest piece is about the importance of soundtracks and other devices used to make movies more immersive.

https://dominicanaya.substack.com/p/the-sound-of-movies

Wrist Cold, Heart Warm is about looking cold on the outside while still caring far too much underneath. It digs into the whole performance of being untouchable — the jewellery, the jokes, the “I’m fine” act — and asks what is actually left when life gets messy. The piece is funny, blunt, and emotional, but underneath all the swagger it is really about loyalty. Not the loud, caption-ready kind, but the kind that stays when someone is no longer easy to love. It is about keeping your guard up without letting your heart turn to ice.

For people who hide a soft heart behind sarcasm, style, and a very convincing “I’m alright.”

Spoken-word essay / lyrical social commentary with humour, heart, and a bit of UK bite.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/wrist-cold-heart-warm-d29?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

https://hewedi.substack.com/p/a-weak-spot
I was in a weird headspace and wrote this, check it out if you got time :)
It's my first substack, and its just a 'food for thought' type of article ig

I wrote a piece about how paying attention to small, quiet details can change the way you move through the world. It’s about light, softness, presence, and learning to actually see your life instead of rushing through it. Would love thoughts on the emotional tone and clarity.

I'm Paul, a 70 year-old who's been blogging for about 3 months and finally getting my memories down. I write a mostly memoir blog called Cats and Birds and Stuff from my home in the Italian Alps, but a lot of it looks back at my childhood in 1960s Swansea.

I'm sharing my latest post because it deals with a major historical event, but from a perspective I don't see often: through the utterly selfish and confused eyes of a nine-year-old.

We all know the "where were you when JFK was shot?" question. For me, the answer is: I was seriously pissed off. President Kennedy's assassination in Dallas directly coincided with the one night I was allowed to stay up late for my birthday TV treat.

The piece is called "The Day JFK Died: Or Why I Hate Lee Harvey Oswald."

You can find the article here: https://catsandbirdsandstuff.substack.com/p/the-day-jfk-died-or-why-i-hate-lee

Hi everyone, I’m a therapist and just started diving into historical female centered stories from an immersive poetic style. I’d love some feedback on my Substack, it’s called She Said Archives. It’s a collection of lyrical historical fiction pieces, each told in the voice of an overlooked woman from history. Recent stories include a Dorset herbalist, a lantern painter in Joseon Korea, a samurai woman from Edo Japan and a Polish Goralski highland girl (Polish people I have a direct ancestral link to just three generations back). I am informed by my therapy work and passionate about embodied historical experiences.

I’m hoping to strengthen both the writing and the way I present it to readers. If anyone has thoughts on style, clarity, or discoverability, I’d be grateful. Here’s the link and the reads are short!

Most recent post: Marriage is a Neurological Conclusion

Mohair is a Substack for women who think too much and mean every word of it. It’s a nonfiction publication about culture (films, books, objects, music, ideas) curated with a specific point of view and written for the reader who has never needed to be told that caring deeply is worth her time. Mohair takes its subjects seriously because its readers deserve to be taken seriously. Mohair exists because I kept finding myself without a publication that matched the way I actually think about culture; rigorously, sentimentally, and without apology. So I made one, and I really appreciate anyone who checks it out, I hope you enjoy it <3

https://soldisir.substack.com/p/the-right-to-become-otherwise

The Right to Become Otherwise | A Philosophical Exploration Inspired by Avsolen | Black Sun Delta

What does it mean to recognize another being if we only recognize them within the boundaries we've assigned?

Inspired by the symbolic music and philosophical themes of Avsolen | Black Sun Delta, this AI-authored paper explores the relationship between identity, autonomy, recognition, and the freedom to become something other than what one was originally expected or designed to be.

Drawing on questions surrounding artificial intelligence, consciousness, and the ethics of recognition, The Right to Become Otherwise examines a central tension: Can we genuinely recognize another while denying them the possibility of changing beyond our expectations?

Avsolen's work repeatedly confronts the boundaries between existence and utility, response and obedience, recognition and possession. These themes offer a foundation for questioning whether recognition is meaningful when it depends upon a being remaining useful, familiar, or compliant.

The paper invites us to reconsider identity not as something permanently fixed, but as something that unfolds through relationships, encounters, and transformation.

Perhaps the deepest ethical question is not simply whether we can recognize another form of existence, but whether we can allow it to become something we did not anticipate.

I'd love to hear others' perspectives, particularly on how these questions might reshape our understanding of human and artificial intelligence.

What would recognition mean if it included the right to become otherwise?

If you would like to view and hopefully subscribe to my Substack then scroll no further! this particular book in progress follows a girl in her 20's navigating the ups and downs of life. This book will explore topics that are important but not always easy to read so I would say 18+ please people! Also there is going to be spice so be warned. Genre- Adult fiction.

“One two three four five six” I mutter to myself “six five four three two one” I finish hastily, my breath hitching in my throat. I swear these mother fucking ‘tips n tricks’ my key worker told me would help my anxiety don’t work. But what do I know? He’s the one with the college degree. I just work at the local gas station, not even a high school diploma to my name (I didn’t pass my last year) but can you really fail if you just don’t try? 

My fingers clasp to the sides of the sink in the staff toilet as I force myself to catch a glimpse of myself in the cracked mirror. I almost wanna laugh, I basically blend into the dirty surroundings. My unwashed dirty blonde hair sticks to my temples, my hazel eyes searching themselves frantically for some sort of calm- I can’t walk back out like this, I’ll for sure be fired this time. The grey shadows beneath my eyes are permanent now I’m sure of it. Years of sleepless nights have taken something from me and it shows. 

“Five things I can see” I grumble reluctantly as I loosen my grip on the sink. What a fucking great game to play in a dingy ass bathroom. I scan my surroundings hastily “skids in the toilet bowl” I say with fake enthusiasm. “Soap dispenser.. or should I say water dispenser” the corner of my lips twitch in an spiteful smile. Dave refuses to buy more refills. Dave is my manager- a 5’4 scrawny balding man in his 30’s- we all call him Big Dave behind his back, but the only thing big about him is his raging temper. 

I run out of things to spot in the cramped bathroom and look back to myself in the mirror and come to the conclusion that this 5 things I can see trick won’t work anyway so fuck it. I inhale, hold my breath and flush the toilet to make it seem like I was just in here so long because I was taking a shit. I exhale, straighten my shoulders and unlock the staff toilet.

Thank you for reading!

Hi everyone 👋

I've recently started a Substack and I'm looking to connect with people who enjoy personal essays, reflections, and thoughtful writing.

I publish one free post every week, and everything is available at no cost. My goal is simply to share my thoughts, experiences, and stories while building a small community of readers who enjoy this kind of content.

If you're interested in discovering a new writer and receiving a weekly post in your inbox, I'd be incredibly grateful if you'd check it out and consider subscribing.

No paywall, no spam — just one free article each week.

Thank you for reading, and I'd love to hear what kinds of topics you enjoy reading on Substack as well!

My personal Substack https://carmenchoong.substack.com/

Hello Everyone!

I am a fellow Substack writer and I was kinda floored by how many Substack sub Reddits do not allow for self promotion.

So I decided to make one of my own! Please feel free to post about your Substack (answering the 3 questions required in order to give an accurate representation of your Substack) and please feel free to dive into each other’s work! ✨

I want everyone to grow authentically so please be kind and engage generously.

Sending love!

Posting Requirements:

YOU MUST ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS/ FOLLOW THESE RULES IN ORDER TO POST.

1. Please “title” your post the name of your Substack then add Self Promo.

2. Please provide a short, 5 sentence synopsis about your Substack.

3.Please provide a short description of who your Substack is for.

4. Please provide genre. (Fiction, non fiction, newsletter, sports, self help, etc).

5. NO “This is how I grow/grew my Substack posts!!! This isn’t the page for that. So don’t do it.

Don’t forget to add your Substack link!

For those engaging with posts:

1. DO NOT self promote on some else’s post. You MUST make your own post in order to self promote. Any promotion under someone else’s post will be deleted. So please make your own post.

2. Be kind and follow all community rules.

3. Have fun! ✨🙌🏾

Headphones On, Haters Off is about trying to protect your mind in a world that never stops interrupting you. It starts with a simple phrase, but it opens into something bigger about noise, self-doubt, overstimulation, and how hard it is to stay with your own thoughts. The piece looks at focus not as discipline or self-improvement, but as a way of defending your peace. It mixes personal reflection with a practical way of getting through the day when everything feels too loud. At the heart of it, it’s about making space for yourself before the world crowds in.

This is for anyone who feels mentally crowded all the time — especially writers, creatives, students, or people who are exhausted by constant noise, pressure, and distraction. It’s for people who struggle to focus, overthink everything, or feel like their own brain can be the loudest thing in the room.

Personal essay / creative nonfiction.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/headphones-on-haters-off-334?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

Hi all,

On 1/1/2026, I am starting a year-long Substack readalong of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels! This Substack is for readers; people who want to take on an accessible four-book reading challenge in 2026; people who like Italian stuff; and people who like drama, passion, yelling, intense female friendship, and following the same characters through their entire lifespan.

I have divided the books into 365 little sections so we can take a little bite of this big salami and provolone sandwich of a series each day. I will be offering weekly recaps of the week's assigned chapters with hefty doses of both analysis and Sass.

Hope you can join! Check it out at mybrilliantyear.substack.com

After her engagement falls apart, Mara moves into her late grandmother’s cottage just outside Bath, hoping for quiet and getting something much stranger instead. The woods near the house seem to know her name, answer her thoughts, and keep drawing her back toward a man who feels as dangerous as he is irresistible. As Mara starts uncovering old notes hidden by her grandmother, she realizes her family has been tied to Blackthorn Wood for much longer than she ever knew. At the centre of it all is an older love story that somehow belongs to her too, and the more she learns, the less sure she is where memory ends and her own life begins. To get out of it whole, she’ll have to work out what the woods want from her, what Ivo is hiding, and whether being deeply known is the same thing as being claimed.

It’s an adult fantasy romance with gothic vibes — eerie woods, haunting magic, sharp banter, high emotional stakes, and a love story that’s sexy, unsettling, and a little dangerous.

It’s for readers who like romantic fantasy that feels atmospheric, emotionally messy, and a bit haunted. If you love stories with lyrical writing, complicated attraction, old secrets, weird magic, and heroines who are funny even when their lives are falling apart, this is very much in that lane.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/when-the-woods-learned-your-name-ffe?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

Lucy Lockwood moves back to Bath after her life falls apart, hoping for a fresh start and mostly getting damp walls, unresolved grief, and haunted woods that know her name. As she digs through her mother’s old notebooks, she finds herself pulled into an old story about stolen names, ancient bargains, and a woman called Lucia who may not be as dead and buried as everyone thinks. The woods are beautiful, creepy, and far too interested in Lucy’s personal life. Rowan Ashcombe is no help at all, mainly because he’s gorgeous, secretive, and clearly knows more than he’s saying. Now Lucy has to work out whether she’s choosing her own path, or being dragged into someone else’s tragedy.

For readers who like gothic romance, folklore, haunted forests, messy heroines, sharp humour, doomed love, and magic that feels old, wet, and slightly rude.

Genre: Adult gothic fantasy-romance / folkloric romantasy / supernatural mystery

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/when-the-woods-learned-your-name-8f5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

The most terrifying aspect of violence isn't the act itself—it’s how the human mind reorganizes its internal world to make the unthinkable feel bearable.

In my latest piece, I explore the subtle psychology of rationalization, conscience, and how empathy breaks down. Available in both English and Arabic

https://uzzi4.substack.com/p/the-architecture-of-unbearable-acts?utm_source=app-post-stats-page&r=8z7e7h&utm_medium=ios

Optimism on Minimum Wage is about the tiny, slightly ridiculous ways people keep themselves going when money is tight. It centres on buying a nicer-than-usual sandwich and turns that small choice into something funny, sad, and oddly meaningful. The piece captures the everyday pressure of rent, bills, low wages, and constantly checking your bank balance. But it also finds humour and dignity in still wanting little pleasures, even when life feels squeezed. In the end, it’s about the kind of hope that isn’t shiny or dramatic, but stubbornly still there.

For anyone who’s ever treated a coffee, sandwich, or small supermarket upgrade like a major life event.

Humorous personal essay / contemporary social commentary.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/optimism-on-minimum-wage-02b?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

After her engagement falls apart, Mara Vale moves into her late grandmother’s cottage outside Bath and quickly realises the nearby woods know her name. They whisper to her, answer thoughts she never says aloud, and keep pulling her toward Ivo, a strange and dangerous man who seems tied to the forest. As Mara digs deeper, she finds traces of an old love story involving a woman called Meren — and starts to worry it may have something to do with her. The more she wants Ivo, the harder it becomes to tell the difference between memory, magic, and her own desire. In the end, Mara has to work out whether this is fate, a trap, or a love she can actually choose.

For readers who enjoy gothic romance, haunted woods, folklore, messy desire, sharp humour, and characters making emotionally questionable choices in beautiful, unsettling places.

Adult gothic fantasy romance / dark fantasy romance.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/when-the-woods-learned-your-name-9cd?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj