Alex Penland on Substack
If you’re looking for my main homepage, you can find that here.
My name is Alex Penland (he/they). I grew up running rampant around the Smithsonian Museums, where I inherited a thirst for knowledge and a bit of wanderlust. In 2019, just before the world ended, I moved to Scotland from the United States to get an MSc in Creative Writing at the University of Edinburgh.
I’m currently following up on that with a PhD; over the past six years I’ve been internationally published, nominated/longlisted for and won a few awards, and I’ve taken up more visual art. You can read more about me on the website I’ve linked above.
Substack is where I host my newsletter and perhaps, in future, a couple other interesting projects.
What am I signing up for?
Nothing too inbox-clogging. Free subscribers get regular updates from a personal newsletter—this often recounts travel or talks about my life as an expat, with occasional forays into the personal impact of world events. I’ll also send out emails when I’ve got something to announce, such as a new publication, a project launch, or an event opportunity.
Paid Subscribers
Subscribers at the paid tier get access to the writing blog; this is where I talk more deeply about my professional life. Some of these will be personal thoughts on current events in the literary world, some will be in-depth examinations of literature, and some may just be exercises or advice. Proper usage of the comma will likely make more than one appearance.
I’ll also likely talk about my PhD here as I move through my final year; things I’m thinking about in my critical essay or techniques I’m using in the creative portion.
Paid subscribers get everything at the free level, plus discounts on forthcoming writing classes.
Become a Patron
No, not on Patreon. (Or not at the moment, at least.) Substack offers what they call a “foundational” subscription, which is more expensive and I guess comes with greater privileges. I wasn’t actually planning on including this, but I’m a graduate student whose income (student loan disbursements) are currently at the whims of a man who can only be described as an off-brand Hitler, so I’ve kept it open.
If you choose to support me, you’ll get steep discounts on any classes you wish to take (again, these are forthcoming), and my eternal gratitude as a writer. If possible, you may also have early access to some stories and ARC (Advance Review Copies) of some books when possible.
To learn more about the tech platform that powers this publication, visit Substack.com.
