Blogs never completely died, but they’re far less common than they used to be — and arguably more important than ever. After Google Reader was killed and social platforms became the default hub for way too many people, maintaining a single feed to follow everyone I’m interested in became almost impossible.
Post-Twitter, I’ve re-established my own blog as my primary hub, while rebuilding my network across a few different platforms, and these are the blogs (including bloglike newsletters and social feeds, but never a Substack or Twitter) I check in on regularly.
NOTE: This isn’t a comprehensive list, nor is it static. It’s a curated selection of some of my current favorites, in alphabetical order, and I’ll periodically update it to add/remove people as needed.
BLOGS
Baldur Bjarnason
Seamlessly combining technology and humanities in his insightful Essays and Notes, I learn something new from Bjarnason all of the time. (Also, author of the must-read The Intelligence Illusion.) He’s also a good follow on Mastodon and Bluesky.
Jane Friedman
One of my most trusted professional colleagues who I also consider a friend; I knew her when she was still “the other Jane Friedman.” Even though we don’t run in the same publishing circles anymore, her site remains an invaluable resource for me, and it’s also now the home for The Bottom Line, fka The Hot Sheet.
Kleefeld on Comics
Kleefeld is an OG comics blogger and historian with a great mix of insightful posts commenting on industry news, history, and reviews. He’s a good follow on Mastodon, too.
librarian.net
“putting the rarin back in librarian since 1999,” Jessamyn West is one of my favorite librarians, sharing a mix of the mundane and insightful across various platforms, but never neglecting her blog. She’s also a good follow on Mastodon and Bluesky.
The Magpie
If I was a comics creator, I’d want to be Alex de Campi, so I was thrilled when she launched a newsletter blog consolidating her unique chaotic creativity into a single channel. She’s also a good follow on Bluesky.
The Naming Way
Old school blogging done right. Randomly personal and insightful, very often funny, and we frequently have overlapping tastes in various media, so his recommendations carry weight. Bonus: I have no idea who he actually is IRL, but I think we’d get along great!
New Virago
A good tagline is like a picture, and “a newsletter about whatever the fuck I feel like writing” is both the epitome of blogging, and exactly what I want from Dawson, one of my favorite DBW-era partners in crime. She’s also a good follow on Bluesky.
Postcards From Komiksoj
A newsletter blog, Tobias Carroll shares reviews and insights on a broad range of interesting comics, most of which usually aren’t on my radar.
Scott Woods Makes Lists
“Everything but laundry and groceries,” Woods is a former poetry slam colleague, kickass librarian, hardcore Prince fan, and one of the smartest cultural critics I know.
Well Sourced
Jensen continues to do amazing work at Book Riot, covering libraries better than most of the profession’s own trade journals, and she also has her own newsletter where she goes deeper into specific topics. She’s also a good follow on Bluesky.
Words & Money
Andrew Albanese is one of my favorite industry journalists, so his new media venture that aims to “center the role of libraries in the 21st Century publishing business” was an immediate must-subscribe.
MICROBLOGS
azteclady (Mastodon)
I’m usually leery of anonymous social accounts, but I’ve been following her for years and she became even more important to me post-Twitter. She’s also active on Bluesky, and has a great blog that’s mostly romance reviews, but occasionally touches on other topics.
Jim Fallone (LinkedIn)
If you like my newsletter, you’ll love Jim’s LinkedIn feed, as he regularly posts insightful commentary about publishing and geeky topics.
Amanda Katz (Bluesky)
Katz is one of those people I missed from Twitter who forced Bluesky onto my radar in its early days, and she continues to be an insightful curator and critic. I wish she had a blog or newsletter instead, but you get what you get!
Syreeta McFadden (Bluesky)
Syreeta and I go way back, but she’s also one of my favorite cultural critics who, much to my chagrin, also isn’t blogging (yet?). Instead, she’s another one of the handful of people that’s keeping Bluesky on my radar.
L. Rhodes (Mastodon)
Of the interesting people I’ve “met” on Mastodon, Rhodes is one of my favorites, with consistently thoughtful posts about technology, along with a varied mix of other topics and a wry sense of humor. He occasionally gathers his thoughts on a specific topic on his blog.