My Favorite Substack Posts & Notes of 2025

Jelly? Then make your own list.

Disclaimer: Totally biased list.

I’ll make my intro quick—To say that my first official year on this platform has been eventful is a gross understatement.

But we’re not here to talk about me right now. This is my way of giving recognition to those who’ve made this place a fun playground for me—full of imagination and the occasional scratched elbow. For the first time in a long time, social media (there, I said it) felt like a real community again—a mixed bag of artistic, intelligent, crazy, and downright peculiar—wait for it—HUMANS. Don’t ever change, y’all.

So without further ado, here’s a list of my favorite posts and notes from my fellow Substackers. Thank you—you’ve made my year on here memorable and fabulous!

My Favorite Posts

Text - Fiction:

1. by JLG Noga – I must admit I’ve read this more than once—it’s that good. Do yourself a favor, and be blown away by JLG’s masterful work here.

there is a man playing the violin, and the strings are the nerves in his own arm

2. by Gaby Brogan – Sometimes, a story just captivates you with its simple, stunning surrealism. Then again, I love this genre, and Gaby did it so much justice with this one.

Another Mother [Short Story]

3. by Peter Shull – Everyone likes a good campus story. Peter’s literary brilliance in this genre was on full display here.

Prague: a short story

Text - Nonfiction:

1. by Naomi Kanakia – There’s already been so much written about Ernest Hemingway, yet Naomi’s piece breathes new life into the man considered to be the greatest 20th-century fiction writer—sometimes the greatest fiction writer, period.

The greatest 20th century fiction writer

1. by Below the Fray – I first discovered Blake Lefray on YouTube through his very insightful video on Dua Lipa—specifically, how she interviews literary figures and does it remarkably well:

Here, Lefray follows up with a written piece analyzing Dua Lipa’s book club rebrand, and it turns out to be both interesting and educational.

Is Dua Lipa's bookclub rebrand too "cool"?

3. by Clancy Steadwell – A lot of us admire Clancy for his fiction, but I’d like to celebrate his personal essays, and this one in particular—a tribute to boyhood and innocence.

un-forsaking boyhood

Mixed-Media (Text, Photo/Audio/Video):

1. by and now Miguel - Talented composer/musician/rapper/zine-maker (check out his EP here)

   Phish Food (Audio Lyric Poem Rap Bars)

2. by Drew Rhodes - I don’t want to spoil this work with my words. Just give this a good listen and you’re guaranteed to feel things that crawl up your skin.👇 (Best with headphones 🎧.)

   The Yellow Payphone

3. by Brigitte - As a fan of zines, she’s the one I go to for serious inspiration and education. If you’ve been considering how to incorporate zines into your Substack content, she’s the best on here.

The Case for the Newsletter Zine

My Favorite Notes

1. by Candy Downs – I think everyone who knows me here knows I’m a fan—and a friend—of this woman. If you follow her on Notes, you’ll encounter gems like the one below. If you subscribe to her posts, you’ll fall in love with her humor-filled storytelling gift about her life with her exes.

2. by Ian Cattanach – I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I wouldn’t be on Substack if it weren’t for Ian Cattanach. It’s Notes like this one that work me back into writing, especially when I’m in a slump. Sure, he’s not everyone’s cuppa tea, but why listen to who everyone else listens to?

3. by Saturnine Bile - This six-photo note doesn’t need any more explanation.

4. by Nikki | Nocturnal Narrator – If you’re looking for dark, unhinged Notes, follow my girl Nikki. Oh, and she writes wonderful serial fiction, too!

5. by lchristopher – I don’t know how early or late I am on the lchristopher bandwagon, but his writing is something special. Once you witness it, you won’t forget it.

Happy Holidays, one and all! See you next year!

—France∎

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By the way, my book Intrinsic: A Novel is out:

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