Last month I began a new seasonal tradition for God of the Desert Digital Media Studios, an annual shout-out to writers and “content creators” who had really contributed some wonderful work to the creative community during the previous months:
In preparation for the Fall edition of this feature, I decided to go through my list of likes for Substack pieces published this month and then assemble them into a rough ordering of favorites.
I ended up with 40 on the nose, however the list includes multiple pieces from certain authors who deserve recognizing first.
Comedian Matt Ruby taped his new comedy special on October 25 and it sounds like he killed it, as is to be expected since he kills it everyday here on Substack. There are three posts from him on here, including a video of him explaining his joke writing process and another offering a comedy manifesto.
L. E. Mullin continues to shine as my favorite artist on Substack. There are three of his pieces on here too. As I get back into drawing and cartooning more, his approach is a core inspiration.
Laura Hope Z, AKA the self-proclaimed “Soup Girl,” has emerged in recent months as a creative fireball on Substack. She also has three pieces appearing on the list. She’s a humor writer and is hilarious, thoughtful, and empathetic. While this ranking is based on the work in Substack pieces, it also has to be pointed out that she has developed a very strong Notes game. She’s regularly dropping clever jokes and has developed an amusing writer persona:
Give Soup Girl a subscribe and some encouragement as she begins her ascent up the mountain of the Substack bestseller list.
There are two pieces from my new friend Cody Taymore, including my #1 post of the month. Cody and I have had two wonderful live-stream discussions this month and have had further wonderful talks and exchanges. He’s had such difficult times the last few years recovering from some disturbing crimes he experienced. Seeing him pushing himself to turn his life around and develop a more positive way of living has really moved me.
You can see those talks here:
Susannah Breslin is one of Generation X’s greatest writers.
I’ve been reading Susannah for about 17 years now and I’m always stunned by the power of her prose, the vividness of her storytelling, and the depth of her thinking. She made the porn industry her professional speciality and has also thus emerged as the most sophisticated journalist to ever cover the industry. There are two of her pieces on here. (The only two she published this month, so 100% of her output is on the list.)
Richard Drew is a TV show producer who writes on pop culture and lifestyle topics. He does such a phenomenal job of making whatever he’s writing about so accessible and welcoming. I’ve been so impressed by the quality of his prose and just what a big heart he has.
Chris Yogerst is who you’re going to need to read right now to understand how Hollywood is being transformed. He wrote the definitive history of the Warner brothers and thus is now deeply equipped for analyzing the moves the Ellison family is making now that they have gained control over Hollywood’s greatest film studio.
Chris convinced me that Warners is the crown jewel of Hollywood. They made the best films going back to the 1930s and still do today, as evidenced by coming conclusion of the “Dune” trilogy:
I’ll keep my comments below more minimalist:
1. Cody Taymore
2. Matt Ruby
3. Douglas Rushkoff
This piece by Douglas Rushkoff and the one below by Matt Ruby are both very important and I’ll be discussing them in an upcoming article that I’m working on now. Please give them both a read, a subscribe, and some encouragement.
4. Matt Ruby
5. Celeste Davis
This piece by Celeste Davis is the very best, most insightful analysis I read about the Cornell 7 horrors.
6. Richard Drew
7. Tana Ganeva
Tana Ganeva is on a real roll. Her piece last month was also fire:
8. Susannah Breslin
9. Elliot Grove
Elliot Grove is now the keeper of the flame of the 1980s-1990s independent film spirit. Anyone still dreaming of the DIY film career that you may have once wanted should read him. You can still have it if you want.
10. Laura Hope Z
11. Cody Taymore
12. Laura Hope Z
13. L.E. Mullin
14. Navi
The piece is a much appreciated take-down of The Kybalion, a New Thought text masquerading as Hermetic philosophy.
15. L.E. Mullin
16. Chris Yogerst
17. Joel J Miller
Everyone who loves books needs to subscribe to Joel J Miller. His love of books is infectious and his writing is amazing.
18. Evan Hurst
19. Susannah Breslin
20. Susie Bright
You simply are not going to find anyone on Substack with more perceptive insights into sexuality than Susie Bright.
21. Natalia Antonova
Natalia Antonova 🇺🇸🇺🇦 is hilarious and also consistently killing it.
22. Oliver Bateman
23. Michelle Teheux
24. Sam Jamieson
Many appreciations Sam Jamieson for the kind words here.
Everyone particularly needs to keep a close eye on Sam’s notes feed as he’s started dropping photos of handwritten poems:
25. Gary Marcus
26. Chris Yogerst
27. Elizabeth Nolan Brown
It’s so wonderful to see Elizabeth Nolan Brown expanding Reason Magazine’s Substack presence. She’s such a thoughtful writer and we really need more pro-freedom perspectives like her and other Reason writers.
28. Joseph L. Flatley
29. Laura Hope Z
30. Elwood Watson
31. L.E. Mullin
32. David Z. Morris
You have to subscribe to David Z. Morris to understand what’s happening in AI right now.
33. Matt Ruby
34. Émile P. Torres
35. Linda Caroll
36. Richard Drew
37. Zach Kessel
38. Kyle Smith
39. David Epstein
40. Amanda Carpenter
Amanda Carpenter and I were classmates at Ball State University 22 years ago. It’s so funny how we both ended up having such similar The Bulwark-style #NeverTrump politics. When we met as undergrads — she a year ahead of me — I was a Noam Chomsky-quoting progressive and she was an Objectivist libertarian campus hellraiser trying to stir up trouble with her website. And now I can’t remember the last time she wrote a piece where I meaningfully disagreed with her.
What were some of your favorite Substack articles this month? Please feel free to share them in the comments.
Also please share your own pieces. I’m happy to take a look.