Death, birds, envy, faith, and how boring ideology isNadia Bolz-Weber selects her top Substack readsThis week’s digest was curated by Lutheran pastor and author Nadia Bolz-Weber, who writes The Corners on Substack. Nadia is the author of three bestselling memoirs and the creator and host of the podcast The Confessional, produced in conjunction with The Moth. Some of her most popular posts have been “If you can’t take in anymore, there’s a reason,” “Rainn Wilson and me—some thoughts on death,” and “Never forgiving yourself (isn’t a virtue).” If you enjoy Nadia’s edition today, be sure to subscribe to her Substack. I started The Corners by Nadia Bolz-Weber in December 2019, mainly because I had been on 90 airplanes that year and was exhausted and wondering if there was a way to make my living as a writer without spending so much time in a metal tube with strangers while other people made more money off my intellectual property than I did. My friend Sarah Bessey suggested Substack (God bless her forever and ever, amen), and I’ve been writing The Corners: Grace for the fuck-ups, prayers for the impious, and a space for spiritual misfits ever since. I assumed maybe a few dozen people, primarily middle-aged lesbians in seminary, would want to subscribe to my newsletter. But my list has grown to over 125,000 people—that’s a lot of misfits, and more than a few middle-aged lesbians in seminary. I’m so very grateful for every single one. It is an honor to be trusted with words and ideas, especially theological ones. I try to never take it for granted, and I do everything I can to keep the shred of integrity that allows me to be a trustworthy voice in this space. I love it here at Substack. I even love reading the comments. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but the readers of The Corners are consistently a thoughtful bunch of folks. I read every comment, and it is a joy to do so. And I love that other writers here support each other. I’m honored to continue that support by sharing a few of the pieces I admire most. PHILOSOPHYI always prefer the aviary section of any zoo. You can have the pachyderms and zebras; give me weird birds any day. It’s always felt like this world is theirs and we just get to live here—for a while. I would not hesitate to say that Chloe Hope’s Death & Birds is one of the best things I have discovered on Substack. She weaves her experience as a death doula and her experience as a volunteer at a bird sanctuary together to create such honest, beautiful expressions of hope and beauty. I even love how she invites her readers to share her posts:
The winged, the enlightened, and the dead— Chloe Hope in Death & Birds
FAITH & SPIRITUALITYIt is astounding to me that Simran Jeet Singh could grow up to be such a gentle, thoughtful man, without the sort of bitterness and shoulder chips a turbaned boy growing up in Texas might be forgiven for carrying into adulthood. What I love about Simran’s posts is how generous he is with offering us seemingly endless insights from his Sikh faith, when for much of his life he was ostracized for it. His new podcast, Wisdom and Practice, promises to be a powerhouse. He’ll be reflecting here on his upcoming conversations with the likes of Krista Tippett, Rabbi Sharon Brous, and Miroslov Volf. Imagining a world beyond racism— Simran Jeet Singh in more of this, please.
LITERATUREIn a world of groupthinkers, Sherman Alexie is singular and so smart that I would read anything he writes (and do not miss his Notes here on Substack… they are next-level). I am desperate for opinion pieces like this one that are not just ideological junk food. Oh, and remember the film Smoke Signals? Yeah, he wrote that. No, I’m probably not going to read your Covid novel
FAITH & SPIRITUALITYI’m a sucker for anyone who will be honest about something that you’re supposed to not admit to. Along comes this essay from Kirsten Powers about her envy of another writer, and it filled me with appreciation (which felt nice) and recognition (which felt less nice). How I tamed my envy of almost everyone, but especially Elizabeth Gilbert—Kirsten Powers in Changing the Channel
HEALTH & WELLNESSI’m a notoriously bad meditator. This is due in part to my squirrel brain that insists on thinking approximately four things at a time, basically all the time. That is to say, it is partly due to being someone who could really benefit from meditation. Another factor to my low-level aversion is that, in all honesty, I just don’t like, or more accurately, don’t trust most meditation teachers; I’ve never understood why they so often speak in that passive-aggressive half-whisper, just because at some point in time we all agreed that this is what ‘spiritual’ sounds like. It seems like an affectation, and my brain immediately assumes they are part monster. But Jeff Warren I trusted immediately. He’s so honest and matter-of-fact in his meditations. I especially loved this one. When everything is f*#ked—Jeff Warren in Home Base
CULTUREI have no idea who “Some Guy” is. Not a clue. But this quite lengthy piece of writing about his mystical (but be assured, not annoyingly religious) near-death experience is one of the most beautiful things I have read this year. It’s worth your time to read the whole thing. Anti-majestic cosmic horseshit—Some Guy in Extelligence
Recently launchedNotes from our guest editor
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Inspired by the writers featured in Substack Reads? Writing your own Substack is just a few clicks away: Substack Reads is a weekly roundup of writing, ideas, art, and audio from the world of Substack. Posts are recommended by staff and readers, and this week’s edition was guest edited by Nadia Bolz-Weber who writes The Corners by Nadia Bolz-Weber. Substack Reads is edited and published by Substack’s editors. Got a Substack post to recommend? Tell us about it in the comments. |
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Death, birds, envy, faith, and how boring ideology is
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