You’ve Got Mail

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Newsletters may have been around as long as the leaflet, but the latest digital incarnation of this timeworn media form is having a moment. Once the preferred medium of civic groups and grade schools, newsletters these days are the domain of every industry, interest, and idea. And readers can’t seem to get enough. Since the pandemic began, subscriptions have boomed. The distribution platform Substack went from having 50,000 paid subscribers in 2019 to now more than 1 million, with topics ranging from politics, business, and sports to construction physics, insect cuisine, and vampire literature.

In addition to its wide-ranging coverage, the medium has attracted many of journalism and academia’s top thinkers. Sent daily, weekly, or at the author’s whim, the highest-quality email blasts are accessible, intimate, and entertaining as well as educational, provocative, and independent. Indeed, the evolution of newsletters may be helping journalism retain its relevance during a time when its very legitimacy is at stake. For the uninitiated, Briefings presents a curated list of newsletters covering history, the interwebs, and the meaning of life.

The Marginalian

One woman’s reckoning with the meaning of life through explorations of nature, poetry, and philosophy. Published weekly.

3-2-1 Thursday

The author of Atomic Habits offers three ideas, two quotes, and one question for contemplation. Published weekly.

RaceAhead

A Fortune senior editor examines race and politics, especially as they relate to corporate America. Published twice a week.

The Gist

This sports newsletter is dedicated to providing equal coverage of men’s and women’s athletics. Published four times a week.

Letters from an American

A Boston College history professor draws parallels between current and historical events. Published daily.

Embedded

A humorous and insightful deep dive into life on the internet, including trends and profiles of the very online. Published three times a week.