Spotlighting 10 of My New Favorite Writers I've Found on Substack and 10 Old Favorites
I'm going to try and highlight more newsletters by talented people who I've come across and really appreciated since joining this fun website last summer.
Honestly, I didn’t expect to get into Substack as much as I have. It’s just become such a fun venue for putting out my own writing, promoting the authors whose books I’m going to publish, discovering new writers, and now replacing Twitter as the main social network where I’m wanting to spend my time.
So something I’m going to try and do more regularly is simply promote writers who have especially grabbed my attention and encourage you to consider subscribing to them. Here we go:
Once I decide to open the floodgates and start doing premium subscriptions to Substacks then Asha Rangappa will be at the top of the list. She writes primarily on one of my favorite subjects to study: disinformation and information warfare. And she seems largely on point about it, which should come as no surprise since she used to be an FBI agent dealing with this stuff in the real world. Check her out.
I already gave Sadie-Rae Werner a post advocating for you to subscribe to her substack. She’s also done 2 pieces so far for us at GOTD. Please read her unique perspective on Zionism, law, culture, and her home, Canada!
If there is a more talented athlete-turned-writer than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar then please show them to me. The quality of Abdul-Jabbar’s writing and thinking is simply astounding.
I’m starting to find a lot of Zionism-centric writers on Substack and Magen Yehudi has quickly emerged as one of my favorites. He's so smart and always brings compelling arguments.
Beth Shelburne writes on one of the subjects near and dear to me: the corruption of our criminal justice system. She largely focuses on Alabama's brutal prison system and highlights important stories. I admire her so much.
Ehud Neor is another first-rate Zionist writer who we've published before here at GOTD and I'm eager to publish again! In addition he also writes about James Joyce, one of my favorite authors. Give him a read.
Gurwinder is one of the best writers around writing on the intersection of media, technology, and culture. He's one of the most consistently intriguing writers on Substack.
The Hebrew - העברי has impressed me over and over again in his writings on Judaism and Israel. Keep an eye on his Substack as he's kindly invited me to contribute to it. I'm working on my first submission now and need to focus and finish it for him.
As someone who deeply abhors populist ideologies wherever they manifest - and they show up on both the Right and the Left - I am, unsurprisingly, a fan of The UnPopulist and its founder/editor Shikha Dalmia. They're doing a great job exposing this terrible ideological tendency.
Finally, another Substack with so much good content I plan to up to a premium subscription, take a look at what Tana Ganeva puts out on criminal justice issues. She has so much moral clarity and inspiring conviction on the subject. I'm eager to learn more from her.
And I suppose it’s only fair and right to spotlight some of the writers I’ve been reading, many for years, who have made the wise decision to move to Substack:
Matthew Sheffield is a very erudite observer of politics, culture, media, and technology. And he’s a very decent soul.
I will always be perpetually in debt to Alex Nowrasteh for when he explained his immigration arguments to me 13 years ago. I’ve largely embraced his libertarian approach to immigration which is among the reasons why I avoided making the mistake of falling into Trumpism when so many of my conservative media colleagues just could not resist the Orange Calf's call. He’s tremendously smart and a really nice guy. His parents are also great filmmakers.
Along with Alex, there’s another sane and intelligent libertarian writer who I really appreciate:
Bryan Caplan is the sort of libertarian I tend to drift toward - the variety whose free market advocacy is premised on a serious empiricism rather than a fanatical, nigh-religious devotion to ideology. And I'll always have an appreciation for him given his book The Case Against Education, the definitive take-down of America's fundamentally broken education system.
Eve Barlow is one of the very best, most tenacious Zionist voices around today. Please subscribe to her.
Frank J. Fleming is one of the funniest humor writers around. And he's a very kind soul too with a beautiful family.
Kylie Ora Lobell is another wonderful Jewish writer I've been reading recently. Definitely keep an eye on her output and be sure and check out her husband Daniel's comedy. He's hilarious!
Shane Vander Hart is one of the Christian writers I most respect. He has such genuine moral clarity and a loving heart. Check out his writing.
James M. Dorsey has long been one of my favorite op-ed contributors to read at The Algemeiner and I'm so excited to keep a closer look on his engaging, informed writings on the Middle East and Islam.
Umar Lee is another creative, perceptive writer often writing on Islam-related subjects, but on other stuff too. I'm really excited to follow him more closely.
I connected with Shemaiah Gonzalez a while back through Twitter and find her both very sweet and very gifted in he writing. Please check her out.
Anyone you’ve found recently on Substack and want to recommend? Please drop a link or two or three down in the comments or send me an email.
I'm honored & humbled to make your list. Thanks so much!
You are the best David. Very much appreciated.