I won't lie -- I found your report from the Substack Writers at Work Forum depressing! I would have guessed a higher number of people would be interested in nature topics. Like, at least 10x that many. Wow, bummer. I appreciate that you went through it and reported what you found, though.
Like you, I find it super helpful and satisfying to spend time in nature, and it definitely helps get me outside of myself and to focus on more than human-centric concerns. I believe we must collectively become less self-obsessed if we are going to have a respectful relationship with all the other creatures on the planet again.
I was quite pleasantly surprised that you included one of my pieces in your recommendations. I wasn't expecting that, and was just reading it to find some good articles. Thanks!
Yet another nature writer on Substack. And, yes, I agree, it is hard to get others to read about dragonflies and squirrels when the world is in a panic that everyone is trying to wrap their heads around. But the naturalist has an anchor that humans in their hurry cannot provide. A fascination for those soaring hawks and networked mycelium teach of connections and interdependence that humans seem eager to sever with each other in these times. Truly, I can think of no greater way to spend a life. Thanks for pointing out this little corner of Substack!
Thanks for your insights and all the introductions to other nature-themed Substacks, Rebecca! I especially enjoyed hearing the forest sounds from across the world!
🙋🏻♀️ obsessed with whale song, here! And…astonished there weren’t more other-than-human prompts in that list! How depressing…and how wonderful to discover so many neat folks via your roundup here- thank you. 🐋
Ok, I’m human, and I choose nature, all the time. You have my gratitude for taking the time, doing the research , and sharing your special nature writers list. It is extremely disappointing but not at all surprising that nature had a minimal showing.
I can’t imagine what life would be like without having awareness of all the beauty that surrounds us and in return , the overwhelming need to protect .
May I add David E. Perry; In the garden of his Imagination. And Ken Lamberton; The Big yard.
Thanks so much for this round-up of nature writers - it’s really useful. I write about gardens, gardening and the magic of nature and it’s always just so wonderful to find others
I am mostly interested in more than human writing, but your post tells me certain terms I am innthe minority. Granted I love the relational intersection with humans too.
Sorry I hit the blue arrow before I meant to there. It's only through writing my last book that I've been reminded that while nature writing to me feels like a huge genre (because we're all super passionate perhaps, and engrossed) it is still relatively small. It is well invested in by publishers but when I visited a few bookshops last month and took note of the size of the Nature Writing shelves relative to other genres I was amazed at how small they still are out there in the real world. I found it very depressing. Meanwhile, how to make money one way or another and succeed is still such a crowdpleaser in the online space. Thank you for this wonderful line up of people to dig in to! Your substack is such a gift to me (us all) xx
Loved this. 🙏 I’m a big believer in the intelligence of stories and their desire to be told well. Our first job is to tell them beautifully. Give it that and the story will find its audience.
Of course I may be a damned fool and prove to be completely wrong. It’s happened before.
Thank you for your observations and for all the great recommendations! I’ve been parsing through Substack for fellow outdoor enthusiasts and it’s nice to finally come across an article that makes me feel like I belong here.
I am SO interested in the beyond human world and would love to read more about it (very shyly attempting to learn to write about it too) I am so glad I’ve found you and so happy to now have all these links to beautiful, life filled articles to read and follow along with! Thank you!
I subscribe to over 50 Substack's, including yours, and not a single one is political. 90 percent are pure science, environmental or nature. I subscribe to a substack that only talks of trees, ones that only talk of lakes and oceans, ones that talk of deserts, of birds. I have been called a misanthrope but that's not quite accurate. I just am no longer interested in human affairs. When I pass away from this world, it won't be in the company of people and it won't be the human world I miss. Tthough I daily pray everyone and everything be well, I know in my ancient bones that a world without humans wouldn't be such a bad thing. Life, great Life would go on.
Great resources here, thanks! And really nice article. I tried that forum too and had a similar experience — not so much about content, but, as you say, tone. I’m interested in books, not nature, as the main thing, but among the substacks that have resonated the most have been by artists or poets who are closely focused on the natural world.
I won't lie -- I found your report from the Substack Writers at Work Forum depressing! I would have guessed a higher number of people would be interested in nature topics. Like, at least 10x that many. Wow, bummer. I appreciate that you went through it and reported what you found, though.
Like you, I find it super helpful and satisfying to spend time in nature, and it definitely helps get me outside of myself and to focus on more than human-centric concerns. I believe we must collectively become less self-obsessed if we are going to have a respectful relationship with all the other creatures on the planet again.
I was quite pleasantly surprised that you included one of my pieces in your recommendations. I wasn't expecting that, and was just reading it to find some good articles. Thanks!
I am here! I am here! (Horton Hears a Who style)
Yet another nature writer on Substack. And, yes, I agree, it is hard to get others to read about dragonflies and squirrels when the world is in a panic that everyone is trying to wrap their heads around. But the naturalist has an anchor that humans in their hurry cannot provide. A fascination for those soaring hawks and networked mycelium teach of connections and interdependence that humans seem eager to sever with each other in these times. Truly, I can think of no greater way to spend a life. Thanks for pointing out this little corner of Substack!
I haven’t been on substack very long but I have found many great nature writers here. Unfortunately not many have found me.
I'm a nature writer and photographer!
Thanks for your insights and all the introductions to other nature-themed Substacks, Rebecca! I especially enjoyed hearing the forest sounds from across the world!
🙋🏻♀️ obsessed with whale song, here! And…astonished there weren’t more other-than-human prompts in that list! How depressing…and how wonderful to discover so many neat folks via your roundup here- thank you. 🐋
Ok, I’m human, and I choose nature, all the time. You have my gratitude for taking the time, doing the research , and sharing your special nature writers list. It is extremely disappointing but not at all surprising that nature had a minimal showing.
I can’t imagine what life would be like without having awareness of all the beauty that surrounds us and in return , the overwhelming need to protect .
May I add David E. Perry; In the garden of his Imagination. And Ken Lamberton; The Big yard.
Thanks so much for this round-up of nature writers - it’s really useful. I write about gardens, gardening and the magic of nature and it’s always just so wonderful to find others
I am mostly interested in more than human writing, but your post tells me certain terms I am innthe minority. Granted I love the relational intersection with humans too.
Sorry I hit the blue arrow before I meant to there. It's only through writing my last book that I've been reminded that while nature writing to me feels like a huge genre (because we're all super passionate perhaps, and engrossed) it is still relatively small. It is well invested in by publishers but when I visited a few bookshops last month and took note of the size of the Nature Writing shelves relative to other genres I was amazed at how small they still are out there in the real world. I found it very depressing. Meanwhile, how to make money one way or another and succeed is still such a crowdpleaser in the online space. Thank you for this wonderful line up of people to dig in to! Your substack is such a gift to me (us all) xx
Loved this. 🙏 I’m a big believer in the intelligence of stories and their desire to be told well. Our first job is to tell them beautifully. Give it that and the story will find its audience.
Of course I may be a damned fool and prove to be completely wrong. It’s happened before.
Thank you for your observations and for all the great recommendations! I’ve been parsing through Substack for fellow outdoor enthusiasts and it’s nice to finally come across an article that makes me feel like I belong here.
I am SO interested in the beyond human world and would love to read more about it (very shyly attempting to learn to write about it too) I am so glad I’ve found you and so happy to now have all these links to beautiful, life filled articles to read and follow along with! Thank you!
I subscribe to over 50 Substack's, including yours, and not a single one is political. 90 percent are pure science, environmental or nature. I subscribe to a substack that only talks of trees, ones that only talk of lakes and oceans, ones that talk of deserts, of birds. I have been called a misanthrope but that's not quite accurate. I just am no longer interested in human affairs. When I pass away from this world, it won't be in the company of people and it won't be the human world I miss. Tthough I daily pray everyone and everything be well, I know in my ancient bones that a world without humans wouldn't be such a bad thing. Life, great Life would go on.
Thanks for this - just followed Chloe Hope.
Great resources here, thanks! And really nice article. I tried that forum too and had a similar experience — not so much about content, but, as you say, tone. I’m interested in books, not nature, as the main thing, but among the substacks that have resonated the most have been by artists or poets who are closely focused on the natural world.