Six Years In, I Want to Build Something Bigger

A note on six years of writing, building community, and what paid subscribers will get next

Hi friends,

Six years ago when I created this newsletter, I was looking for a place where I could share my thoughts, with the hope that people would find me and feel connected. Since that fateful day, I have written hundreds of posts, found a writing community, made new friends and watched my newsletter grow in ways I never expected. Substack has been good for me, and I have been incredibly lucky to have readers like you who constantly support my work.

But there’s something interesting about this experience, being on Substack, and building this community has given me the courage to call myself a “Writer.” That may seem small to you, but earning that title is something that has always felt important to me. It’s right up there with getting a book deal, and marrying Whitley Gilbert. Now that the title feels like it fits, I want to continue to grow this platform, and see how far I can take this passion of mine. Which brings me to what’s next.

The best part of writing is hitting that moment when it feels like the words are coming out of you, and the essay is writing itself. The second best part about writing is engaging with the people who read your work.

I spend a lot of time writing these essays, and a lot of you spend a lot of time reading them, replying to them, arguing with them, and thinking alongside me. I want to create a little more space for that.

So if you become a paid subscriber, here’s what you’ll get:

1. The Debrief
Once a month, I’m going to host a live subscriber town hall called The Debrief — a space where we can talk about a recent essay, unpack some current events, and get into whatever questions, disagreements, or observations readers want to bring into the room. My hope is that it feels less like a lecture and more like a smart group chat with better punctuation.

2. After the Essay
Paid subscribers will also get a monthly subscriber-only post I’m calling After the Essay — a behind-the-scenes companion to the writing. I’ll use it to talk about what didn’t make it into a piece, what I was really trying to say, what I’m still wrestling with, and sometimes what readers got completely wrong.

3. The full archive
You’ll also get access to the full Let’s Not Be Trash archive: six years of essays, political analysis, personal writing, cultural commentary, rants, observations, and all the other things I have felt compelled to inflict on the internet since starting this newsletter.

If you’re already a paid subscriber, thank you for your coins. You subscription pays for my Grammarly account, website domain, and the occasional coffee

If you’ve been reading for a while and haven’t made the leap yet, there’s no better time than now. If this newsletter has ever made you laugh, think, feel seen, or text a friend “you need to read this,” becoming a paid subscriber is one of the best ways to support the work and help me keep doing more of it.

I’d love to have you in the room.

Stanley