Think of these newsletters below, all created by supersmart women, as a way to brighten up your inbox and add a bit of, well, sass to it. Take a look, and then tell me what newsletters you're obsessed with!
1. Mythical Millennial by Brenda Wong
You'll love it if you're a millennial (even admittedly so). Or you're kinda fascinated by millennials—and you're looking for some insight into what they care about (and don't).
What to expect: Updates every other Wednesday that include U.K.-based Brenda's thoughts on pop culture happenings (loved her comparison of how Kim Kardashian and writer Elena Ferrante are treated for their very different takes on privacy) and a cool indie tune of the moment. Bonus: You can find all of her past newsletters on Medium.
Subscribe here
2. A Woman to Know by Julia Carpenter
You'll love it if you're a history buff who admires women who go against the grain.
What to expect: Daily weekday emails with quick bits of info on women throughout history, like Ada Louise Huxtable, a Pulitzer-prize-winning American architectural critic; Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, a 17th-century Mexican nun and poet ahead of her time; and Juana Maria, a Native American who was the last surviving member of her tribe and the inspiration for Scott O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins. Finding your next badass historical role model: done.
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3. The Undrrated by Marina Khidekel
You'll love it if you want something short and sweet that features celebs, tastemakers, and other notable creatives.
What to expect: Weekly interviews curated by Marina, a Cosmopolitan deputy editor, starring people like Younger's Nico Tortorella, stand-up comic and writer Phoebe Robinson, and Whitney Wolfe, founder and CEO of Bumble, on the underrated things they're loving at the moment: everything from the restaurant to the app to the beauty product.
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4. The Midult by Annabel Rivkin and Emilie McMeekan
You'll love it if you're a "midult" (between ages 35 and 55) or you feel like you're getting old (everyone). Also, if you need a good laugh.
What to expect: Daily or weekly updates (you choose) from themidult.com, founded by British journalists Annabel and Emilie, that include links to laugh-out-loud funny, bite-sized stories, like "The End of Work/Life Balance" ("We are trying something else"), "10 Films to Watch When You're Hormonal" ("Not Carrie"), and "Do You Suffer From Anticipation Exhaustion?" ("I'M SO EXCITED. And then I'm not. Oh"). Catch more clever LOLs on midult.com.
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5. (Net)Work B*tch by Lily Herman (see more on Lily in our interview, below!)
You'll love it if you're a go-getter social butterfly who's looking to meet more peeps (or you're a little shy and want to meet more peeps, like moi!)
What to expect: Monthly interviews with other boss women; job listings; silly, encouraging quotes from celebs; must-read books for getting ahead in your career; shout-outs for women who are doing amazing things (you can actually be featured in (Net)Work B*tch, which gives it this awesome supportive community feel). Oh, and the most amazing gifs ever. Like, ever.
Subscribe here
Lily Herman's newsletter, (Net)Work B*tch, was one of the first in this list that I subscribed to. She basically got me addicted to newsletters, which I'm super grateful for (thanks, Lily!). Lily is a 22-year-old managing editor at WayUp—and she's a master networker. She just recently moved to New York City after graduating from Wesleyan University. Here, Lily shares her fave newsletters and gives advice on starting one of your own. Get it, girl!
On how she created (Net)Work B*tch "At the time, I was a senior at Wesleyan, which is in suburban central Connecticut, and most of my professional network was in New York; Washington, D.C.; and San Francisco. Because there were so many people I wanted to stay connected with or just meet in general, I thought there's no better way to do that than start a newsletter! Even though I'm New York–based now, it has been instrumental in keeping up my network, meeting new people, and having a consistent creative outlet."
On finding the time to put together a newsletter each month "I'm really strict about its monthly schedule—the submissions email goes out the second Friday of every month and the actual newsletter goes out on the third Friday—so the newsletter isn't always the most conducive to my schedule. For example, if I'm juggling a lot at work during the third week of the month, that doesn't mean the newsletter isn't written; it just means I'm pulling a couple of late nights and/or early mornings."
On the newsletters she's loving
- Bianca Bass: "I've been following Bianca Bass' newsletter for a while, and it's filled with helpful career advice and general life inspo. It's always a pleasure to get it on Sundays!"
- Aliza Licht's Blackboard: "The form DKNY PR Girl has a STELLAR newsletter! It's great getting tips and tricks from a career veteran, and her advice is always on point."
- Loren Ipsum: "It's short, it's funny, and it's sassy. What's not to love?"
- The Broadsheet: "Kristen Bellstrom has created one helluva newsletter, and I look forward to this women-centric news one every morning!"
On starting your own newsletter "Focus on the content above anything else. I've had more than a couple friends get so fixated on the design of their newsletters that the content of the email suffered. (Net)Work B*tch's first couple of issues were pretty amateur design-wise, but I knew that I had a strong writing voice and powerful stuff. People will stick around for that as long as the layout is simple and straightforward."
Thank you, Lily, for your tips and newsletter suggestions. I hope you all find a new favorite newsletter... and be sure to share your current fave below in the comments.
Xoxo, Heather