Welcome everyone to my Substack diary which is simply a place - in the third trimester of my life (as I prefer to think of it) - to unload my observations, rants, news obsessions, and human exchanges with the wildly eclectic cast of characters who populate my seething inbox.
My love for writing and in-depth reporting is because of you. My first magazine subscription was to The New Yorker (my grandmother gifted it to me each year starting at the age of seven - she did pause it for a few years after you left because she said, “it’s gone to hell without Tina.”) We read The Diana Chronicles together the summer before I went to college - meeting for cocktails once a week - to discuss each chapter. These were some of my most cherished memories. And 15 years later in the middle of the pandemic, we read it together again. This time my grandmother was 90 years old, had just lost her husband of 65 years, and was living in a body that was physically failing her while her mind continued to thrive. I was a new mother living hundreds of miles away from my family, trying to figure out how to keep my first child alive (he survived!), while working in crisis communications for a major hospital. Once again, you brought a light to my grandmother and me. While we weren’t able to discuss in person, I would FaceTime her, put the camera on the baby and then read a chapter from the book. These memories ARE my most cherished with my grandmother who has since passed away.
Thank you for your work, Tina Brown. I’ll continue to be a lifetime subscriber.
I've always admired you. You're a talented, insightful writer and a skilled editor. Rare to find someone who can combine those on-the-ground & birds-eye-view perspectives.
My love for writing and in-depth reporting is because of you. My first magazine subscription was to The New Yorker (my grandmother gifted it to me each year starting at the age of seven - she did pause it for a few years after you left because she said, “it’s gone to hell without Tina.”) We read The Diana Chronicles together the summer before I went to college - meeting for cocktails once a week - to discuss each chapter. These were some of my most cherished memories. And 15 years later in the middle of the pandemic, we read it together again. This time my grandmother was 90 years old, had just lost her husband of 65 years, and was living in a body that was physically failing her while her mind continued to thrive. I was a new mother living hundreds of miles away from my family, trying to figure out how to keep my first child alive (he survived!), while working in crisis communications for a major hospital. Once again, you brought a light to my grandmother and me. While we weren’t able to discuss in person, I would FaceTime her, put the camera on the baby and then read a chapter from the book. These memories ARE my most cherished with my grandmother who has since passed away.
Thank you for your work, Tina Brown. I’ll continue to be a lifetime subscriber.
Subscribed for a year. I've always found your writing addictive and your ability to edit a magazine second to none.
Me too and fully agree with you.
Sounds fabulous! Looking forward to it!
I've always admired you. You're a talented, insightful writer and a skilled editor. Rare to find someone who can combine those on-the-ground & birds-eye-view perspectives.
I just listened to your conversation with Andrew Sullivan and immediately signed up. Very excited!
Best magazine ever was Talk. I look forward to enjoying Fresh Hell as much or more!
Welcome to Substack, Tina!
You don't come across in your writing as a misanthrope. :)
Brilliant, Tina! Looking forward!
I’m ready to read and enjoy.