SUNstack ☀️

a little thank you note

Sometime after midnight, I made a typo and called Substack, “Sunstack”, and immediately thought, wow how fitting?

Because as much as lots of us like to write about dark times – whether the days be thundering or overcast, or it’s just 2am – it still manages to be so sunny here, doesn’t it?

I can’t remember ever having so many poems about cities, baked goods and caterpillars at my fingertips; I can’t remember ever seeing so many people serve their hearts in multi-coloured ceramic mugs – inviting you to drink their thoughts and see hope written at the bottom of their cups. They say you should take it home, so now it sits on your shelf, a new patterned part of you.

Because there’s a lot of authenticity on Substack. There’s also a lot of entirely AI generated content – and people trolling too – but when you’re in a digital corner full of vulnerability, with hands to hold, the sun shines through the windows. It’s warm, and brushing your blushing cheeks.

Talented

Andrea Gibson

tragically passed away recently, and they’re one of my favourite poets. Their wife

megan falley

continues their legacy by writing on their Substack, and now I’m seeing so many people discover them on here, for the first time. It’s beautiful how Andrea and Meg make this a sunnier place. It’s a reminder of how just how timeless words are, and how sunshine sticks around, even in tragedy, and death. Maybe even especially in those times, the sun makes an effort to burn brighter, because we need it to.

There are so many underrated writers glowing on my timeline too. I open the Substack app and

adina 💌

is writing about whimsy, and

emcee

is listing lovely things.

clau

has a gorgeous love letter to London –

ariel♡

has written a beautiful one too – while

Adan

addresses beloved Bangkok.

kit

calls for love without limits, and

Tom Furlong

talks about identity with such care and wisdom.

Imogen Rose

interviews lesbians and often promotes posts in her Notes too, so we can discover new voices.

Jayne Hulme

says she writes the way she talks, which couldn’t be more perfect, and

Georgia Jones

writes brilliant travel stories with words that will hook you. Just a few of the many, many people spreading light on my timeline.

And you, lovely people who sometimes read my words, when there’s been so many times I haven’t had words to say, and that’s haunted me – for you, I'm so grateful. Here, I find the right words – words with light creeping through clouds.

So thank you Substack, for being Sunstack. For being alive, and beaming.

Koh Tao