James Gunn’s Superman reboot, starring David Corenswet, is off to a strong start, earning praise from both critics and audiences, with an 82% critics’ score and an impressive 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Over the years, the iconic DC superhero has headlined several live-action films, portrayed by stars like Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh, and Henry Cavill. But how does James Gunn’s take on the Man of Steel compare to those earlier films when it comes to IMDb ratings, specifically ones where Superman plays a lead or major role? And where does it rank among them? Longtime DC fans might be in for a surprise. Let’s take a look.
#SupermanMovie Is one of the best superhero films ever made. When you are watching it, you feel like you’re witnessing film history right before your eyes. From pure action spectacle, TOP tier editing, to an AMAZING musical score. It has it all, you NEED this movie pic.twitter.com/1OBGag80rI
James Gunn’s Superman Vs. Earlier Superman Movies – IMDb Ratings Compared
Here’s how James Gunn’s Superman reboot stacks up against previous live-action films featuring the Man of Steel, based on IMDb user ratings:
Superman (1978) – 7.4/10
Superman II (1980) – 6.8/10
Superman III (1983) – 5/10
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) – 3.7/10
Superman Returns (2006) – 6.1/10
Man of Steel (2013) – 7.1/10
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) – 6.4/10
Justice League (2017) – 6/10
Superman (2025) – 7.7/10
As you can see, James Gunn’s Superman (2025) currently holds a 7.7/10 rating on IMDb, making it the highest-rated live-action Superman film in which the character plays a lead or major role. Close behind are Christopher Reeve’s beloved Superman (1978) at 7.4/10, followed by Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel (2013) at 7.1/10. Whether the latest film retains its top spot remains to be seen as more users continue to cast their votes.
What’s James Gunn’s Superman About
James Gunn’s Superman ostensibly focuses on a young Clark Kent (David Corenswet) during his early days as a reporter and how he tries to find a balance between his Kryptonian legacy and his human upbringing in Smallville. When Lex Luthor tries to malign his public image, Superman must rise to the challenge and prove himself as Earth’s true protector. The film also features Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern, and Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, among others.
Superman Trailer
For more such stories, check out Hollywood News
Must Read: Superman: Nicholas Hoult Took Home 33% More Salary Than David Corenswet & Rachel Brosnahan’s Combined Paycheck?
Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
If you love attending baseball games in summer, you’ll hit a home run with today’s NYT Strands puzzle. If you need hints and answers, read on.
I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far
Hint for today’s Strands puzzle
Today’s Strands theme is: In the ballpark.
If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Play ball!
Clue words to unlock in-game hints
Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:
These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:
The completed NYT Strands puzzle for July 12, 2025, #496.
NYT/Screenshot by CNET
Today’s Strands spangram is STADIUM. To find it, look for the S that’s five letters down on the far left row, and wind up and over.
Quick tips for Strands
#1: To get more clue words, see if you can tweak the words you’ve already found, by adding an “S” or other variants. And if you find a word like WILL, see if other letters are close enough to help you make SILL, or BILL.
#2: Once you get one theme word, look at the puzzle to see if you can spot other related words.
#3: If you’ve been given the letters for a theme word, but can’t figure it out, guess three more clue words, and the puzzle will light up each letter in order, revealing the word.
When writing recipes, it’s good to get into the right headspace. The sky’s clear, it’s warm out (maybe not quite hot enough for my liking) and I’m sitting in the sun, possibly with a glass of rosé in hand. I’m transported to the French Riviera, and that glamorous, sun-drenched coastline, and it’s the perfect setting for two of the most summery French classics: ratatouille and grand aïoli, especially in the run-up to Bastille Day on 14 July. Ratatouille is a glorious riot of stewed vegetables, and I like to serve it with a vibrant French take on pesto. Le grand aïoli, meanwhile, is a feast of seasonal veg, boiled eggs, anchovies and plenty of garlicky mayo for dipping. Both make brilliant centrepieces, or to serve alongside your next barbecue.
Le grand aïoli (pictured top)
Originating from the south of France, this is the sunny summer counterpart to a charcuterie board. It’s a stunning spread centred around a rich, garlicky mayonnaise, as well as a celebration of vibrant seasonal vegetables, boiled eggs, salty anchovies and optional poached fish. Perfect for sharing, this Provençal classic brings bright flavours and a relaxed spirit to the table. Keep it simple or go all out; either way, a beautifully arranged platter is always impressive. Once you master the aïoli, you’ll find endless excuses to enjoy it beyond this dish – it’s truly addictive.
Prep 10 min Cook 30 min Serves 4
For the aïoli 2 egg yolks 20ml white-wine vinegar 10g dijon mustard 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely grated 10g confit garlic(optional) 340ml rapeseed oil 10ml lemon juice Sea salt and black pepper
For the salad 2 baby gem lettuces 1 fennel bulb, trimmed ½ cucumber 1 bunch radishes 50g green beans, blanched 1 small handful young fresh pea pods (about 10 in total), split open but left unpodded 1 small handful baby carrots (about 10 in total), trimmed 4 eggs 8 anchovy fillets – any good ready-to-eat ones will do
First make the aïoli. Put the egg yolks, vinegar, mustard, grated garlic and confit garlic, if using, in a blender or stick-blender jug. Start blending to break down and combine, then, with the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil until the mixture thickens to a mayo-like consistency. Add the lemon juice to loosen it slightly; if it’s still too thick and you run out of lemon juice, add a splash of water. Continue blending until all the oil is incorporated and you have a thick, glossy aïoli. Taste, adjust the seasoning, if need be, then transfer to a bowl (if you’re making the aïoli ahead of time, cover and refrigerate).
Wash and dry all the raw vegetables, then cut the lettuce, fennel and cucumber into bite-sized pieces.
Carefully drop the eggs into a pan of boiling water, cook for eight minutes, then lift out and drop into iced water to cool. Carefully peel the eggs, then cut them in half.
Arrange all the vegetables neatly on a large platter, and place the halved eggs yolk side up in and around them. Drape an anchovy fillet over the top of each egg and serve with the bowl of aïoli alongside, ready for dipping.
Ratatouille with sauce pistou
Matthew Ryle’s take on ratatouille features a herby pistou and an untraditional layer of pipérade.
Ratatouille, the classic Provençal vegetable stew, is bursting with the flavours of summer. Traditionally from Nice, it’s ideal for sharing at sunny gatherings, both as a colourful side or as a light lunch in itself with some good bread for company. My take on it has a little twist in that it also features a homemade pipérade, a rich pepper and tomato sauce, as a flavourful base and it’s finished with a bright basil pistou, to create a dish that looks stunning and tastes even better. Every bite should take you straight to the south of France.
Prep 30 min Cook 40 min Serves 4
For the pipérade 20ml olive oil 90g red onion (about ½ onion), peeled and thinly sliced 15g garlic (about 3 cloves), peeled and thinly sliced 220g red pepper (about 2), stalks, seeds and pith removed and discarded, flesh thinly sliced 220g yellow pepper (about 2), stalks, seeds and pith removed and discarded, flesh thinly sliced Sea salt and pepper 2 tsp smoked paprika 400g tin chopped tomatoes 15ml red-wine vinegar 5g basil leaves (about 1 tbsp)
For the ratatouille 1 small aubergine (about 150g) 2 medium courgettes (about 100g each) 4 plum tomatoes 25ml olive oil
For the pistou 70g basil leaves (from about 1 big bunch) 50ml olive oil ½ garlic clove, finely grated Finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
Start with the pipérade, which, if need be, can be made well in advance. Put the olive oil in a large wide saucepan on a medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and garlic, and cook gently, stirring, for five minutes, until softened. Turn up the heat, add the sliced peppers, season lightly and cook, still stirring, until they soften. Stir in the smoked paprika, cook, stirring, for two minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Finish with the red-wine vinegar and basil, season to taste and set aside.
Now start the ratatouille. Cut the aubergines, courgettes and tomatoes into 5mm-thick slices. Spread the pipérade in the base of a 25cm x 20cm baking dish, then neatly arrange the sliced vegetables on top, alternating the slices to create a pretty pattern. Drizzle the olive oilall over the top, season generously, then cover with foil or a lid and bake in a 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7 oven for 20 minutes. Remove the cover, bake for another 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and lightly caramelised, then remove and leave to cool.
For the pistou, put the basil and olive oil in a blender and blitz smooth. Add the grated garlic and the lemon zest and juice, and blend again.
Spoon the pistou generously over the baked ratatouille and serve while it’s just-warm or at room temperature.,
Matthew Ryle is chef/partner at Maison François and Cafe François, both in London. His debut book, French Classics: Easy and Elevated Dishes to Cook at Home, is published next month by Bloomsbury at £26. To order a copy for £23.40, go to guardianbookshop.com
Welcome back to Beauty Marks: Vogue’s weekly edition of the best moments in celebrity beauty, from Vogue editors’ IG feeds, and all the glam of the fashion and pop culture landscapes. Each week, we curate the nail art to pin for your next nail appointment, new recruits to ‘Team Bob’, and major red carpet moments from the week’s most glamorous affairs. As always, it’s as much about celebrity beauty as it is about the makeup artists, hairstylists, and nail artists, as well as the creators crafting the trends you’re about to see everywhere.
This week, the haute couture shows brought the heat to an already sweltering Paris. The beauty front was just as intricate: Veiled, wrapped up visages at Glenn Martens’s debut vision for Margiela, Schiaparelli’s oil slick lips by Pat McGrath, ’20s Berlin thin brows and doll eyes at Giorgio Armani Privé. Mei Kawajiri (also known as Nails by Mei) on Instagram) brought the cloaked, gilded masked figures to her fingers with tiny model replicas on her manicure. Guests of couture week also stepped up their glam: Hairstylist to the stars Tyron Machhausen gave Chanel girl Margaret Qualley a deep side-parted, long and lushly straight bob, curling in the ends for a sweet and nostalgic look. For the Jacquemus show, Issac Poleon gave Bb Trickz a silky up-do and Bari Khalique crafted a dewy, juicy makeup look. Kim Kardashian walked Demna’s last Balenciaga runway with gelled down, pinned old Hollywood bob.
Elsewhere, Doechii took to the cover of British Vogue with six glorious hair transformations by Jawara Wauchope and a glow by Jamal Scott. In New York, Jake Dupont gabe Julia Fox a gothic glam for the Marc Jacobs show. On the nail scene, a cute catch of the day set by Osa Nails.
Scroll through the week’s best of celebrity beauty and pop culture’s glam below, and head to the app to vote for your favorite.
EXCLUSIVE: When the BBC screened Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone in February, there were hopes that the film would win awards. Fast forward six months, and the BBC will next week publish a delayed investigation into how the documentary descended into disaster.
Peter Johnston, the BBC’s director of editorial complaints and reviews, has examined what led to How to Survive a Warzone being narrated by the child of a Hamas minister, without this crucial fact being declared to audiences. The film, which was an unsparing portrayal of the chaos in Gaza from the perspective of three young people, was later removed from iPlayer.
Sources familiar with the review said Johnston had been forensic, with the expectation being that his findings will be chastening for the BBC, even though the corporation has been accused of marking its own homework. He will ultimately determine whether editorial rules were broken and lay the groundwork for disciplinary action.
How to Survive a Warzone was produced by Hoyo Films, an independent production company run by Emmy and BAFTA-winning filmmaker Jamie Roberts. Overseeing the film for the BBC were Joanna Carr, head of current affairs, and commissioning editors Gian Quaglieni and Sarah Waldron.
Two sources told Deadline that some, if not all, of the individuals embroiled in the review have lawyered up as Johnston readies his findings. Johnston, a close ally of director-general Tim Davie, has gone through the process of Maxwellisation, a practice that gives individuals the opportunity to respond to criticisms made in an official report.
Deadline hears that the “quasi-legal” process has not been straightforward, with competing narratives needing to be considered. The BBC initially blamed Hoyo for failing to declare English-speaking narrator Abdullah Al-Yazouri’s Hamas links, but later acknowledged that it should have done more to establish this fact. More detail is also expected on payments made during production and whether any money fell into the hands of Hamas.
Abdullah Al-Yazouri in ‘Gaza: How To Survive a Warzone’
BBC
“Everyone feels like they could be the fall guy,” a source said of the febrile mood. Two people said those affected do not wish to be named in the final report. It is not yet clear if Johnston will honor this wish. His last review, which examined misconduct allegations against Russell Brand, only referenced job titles.
A BBC source said: “It’s obviously difficult for all involved. Peter is trying to run a proper process. It’s really important we establish the facts and the process is fair to those involved.”
Davie told BBC staff on June 11 that the How to Survive a Warzone review was “days” away, but these days ultimately turned into more than a month. Johnston will now publish in the same week as an investigation into ex-MasterChef host Gregg Wallace and the BBC’s annual report.
The BBC has faced huge pressure from Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to finalize and publish the report, but the corporation has been led by the process rather than politicians. Nandy has openly questioned why nobody has been fired over the debacle, with one source saying that she is “looking for a scalp.”
Johnston’s findings will also be closely scrutinized beyond Westminster. A group of 45 Jewish television executives, including former BBC content chief Danny Cohen and J.K. Rowling’s agent Neil Blair, wrote to the BBC with a plethora of questions about the failings on How to Survive a Warzone. The BBC has also come under pressure from Palestinian sympathizers, including Gary Lineker, Riz Ahmed, and Ken Loach, who have described the decision to remove the film from iPlayer as “censorship.”
The BBC has, in some ways, already pre-empted Johnston’s conclusions. BBC chair Samir Shah said the incident was a “dagger to the heart” of the corporation’s impartiality and trustworthiness. “I have a worry that it wasn’t so much the processes that were at fault but that people weren’t doing their job,” Shah added. The coming days should reveal if Shah’s concerns were well founded.
A peculiar aspect of the dawning of the digital age is that it has, in some respects, returned literary life to the 18th century. A hullabaloo of pamphleteers, the effective abolition of copyright – and a return to patronage networks and serial publication. In this context, then, the way in which literary writers are now turning to Substack – a platform that allows authors to send emails to a list of subscribers, and allows those subscribers to interact in comment forums – seems entirely natural.
Literary Substacks don’t follow a single pattern. For some, it’s a way of getting new work into the world, whether publishing a novel in serial form or hot-off-the-keyboard short stories; for others, it’s a way of interacting directly with readers (while building a handy marketing list); for still others, it’s a home for criticism, journalism, personal blowing off of steam, self-promotion, or a more direct version of the traditional writerly side hustle, teaching creative writing to aspiring authors.
Most of them offer tiers of subscription: a monthly fee (usually a fiver or so) gets you paywalled posts; there’ll be a discounted yearly fee; and a “founder member” platinum tier that, for a substantial hike in costs, offers some extra benefit such as signed copies, exclusive events or other interactions with the author. Most Substacks also let you sign up to public posts for free.
The selling points to its users are its immediacy and the freedom it gives writers to speak to the people interested in their work or their lives without corporate gatekeepers. And for those who can build up a solid list of paid subscribers – like the big-name journalists who ditched traditional media for Substack and made more money doing so – it has the potential to be a nice little earner.
Emma Gannon, described last year by the Bookseller as “one of the most popular novelists on Substack”, says that “the thing I love about it is it’s sort of unlike classic social media. It’s based on interests, rather than the humblebragging of showing your life as a highlight reel. People are geeking out on Substack about the things they love: writing, knitting, gardening. It’s got a different vibe to it, because people are showcasing what they’re interested in rather than what they are doing.”
It is, she says, “like old-school blogging, but people are having long interactions with each other in the comments, which feels really healthy”. She adds that the mechanism for recommending other Substacks means that “it’s got a real generosity of spirit built into it”. In an age when writers make less and less money, the patronage aspect – “People want to support me financially because they like what I’m doing, and it feels like a kind of: ‘I will pay you, not for a word count, not for a content transaction, just to kind of keep you going’” – has a human value.
Another prominent Substacker, the Israeli writer Etgar Keret, shares that view. He says that with most social media the algorithm is the boss (a viral post he made on Facebook earned him 200,000 comments and dozens of death threats), but with Substack you’re engaging directly with people who are interested in your work: “I don’t want to outsource the decisions about this community to something that is inhuman and that has commercial interests.” When you interact with someone on Substack, he says, “I wouldn’t say it’s human – but it’s almost human.”
Author Margaret Atwood Title In the Writing Burrow Cost £5 a month or £47 a year Typical post “The Oracle Mouths Off, Part 2” What you get With characteristic puckish directness, Atwood promises subscribers a dose of “whatever comes into my addled, shrinking brain”. In practice, that means all sorts of sprightly stuff – a months-long digression on the French Revolution; notes from a book tour; prognostications about American politics; or personal material such as the inside story of Atwood getting a pacemaker (“The Report of My Death …”). It’s like getting letters from a wise, spiky and confiding aunt.
Author Hanif Kureishi Title The Kureishi Chronicles Cost £5 a month or £35 a year; £240 for “founding member” (extra benefit: “a copy of one of my books, signed with an inked thumb, as I am unable to use my hands”) Typical post “Small Town Rebels” What you get Kureishi’s Substack started with a catastrophe. At the end of 2022, the writer suffered a fall that injured his spine and deprived him of the use of his limbs. He wrote (or, rather, dictated) his way through his experience of this sudden disability (“Your writer,” was the moving sign-off to his tweets from his hospital bed) and his 2024 memoir, Shattered, went on to tell the story of his illness. This Substack was and remains a very intimate, episodic first draft of his experiences, a characteristically unsparing and humorous account of day-to-day life (“Heidi comes down, empties my urine bag […] before putting the kettle on”) mixed with a generous selection of essays, interviews and other material new and old.
Author Mary Gaitskill Title Out of It Cost Free Typical post “Have Salt in Yourselves” What you get Longform letters, about twice a month (though Gaitskill takes the occasional apologetic pause) on whatever crosses the mind of this outstandingly sharp and clear-eyed writer. Gaitskill – author of the short story collection Bad Behavior and the novels This Is Pleasure and Veronica – says she’s using her Substack “for the same reason I started writing a long time ago; to connect with people”. Literary meditation, memoir, rapturous appreciation of a pole-dancing video (“basically tickled my will to live”), or commentary on Donald Trump’s re-election through the prism of the memoirs of the eccentric, heroin-addicted British dandy Sebastian Horsley.
Author Elif Shafak Title Unmapped Storylands with Elif Shafak Cost £7 a month or £65 a year; £195 for “founding member” (extra benefit: personalised messages and signed copy of her new book) Typical post “Reading Books in the Age of Angst” What you get Audio, video, images, text. Shafak sees her Substack as a multimedia home for “literary fragments” and “vignettes from a bookish life”; a way of connecting directly with her readers. You’ll find reflections on Flaubert, Proust and George Sand, updates on Shafak’s globetrotting interventions, and meditations on the writing life and the life of the spirit.
Author George Saunders Title Story Club with George Saunders Cost £5 a month or £39 a year Typical post “About This Here Sentence Right Here” What you get A masterclass in the mechanics and techniques of short story writing from an outstanding critic of the form and a Booker prize-winning practitioner of fiction. The jumping-off point was Saunders’s book about the Russian masters, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain. He’s interested in what short stories can tell us about ourselves and the world, too. Posts on Sunday (for paid subscribers) and every other Thursday (for everyone) include page-by-page close readings, as well as writing prompts and other discussions of the craft. Feedback and interaction are encouraged.
Author Salman Rushdie Title Salman’s Sea of Stories Cost $6 a month or $60 a year; $180 for “founding member” (extra benefit: “I’ll come up with something! For now, thank you very much”) Typical post “The Seventh Wave, Episode 7” What you get As well as a strong strand of the author’s musings on literary nonfiction (“Journalism as Literature”), which is one of the courses he teaches at New York University, the main sell for paid subscribers is access to emailed instalments of Rushdie’s serial novel The Seventh Wave: An Entertainment in 51 Episodes, which he has been writing since autumn 2021. His last Substack post was in August 2022, but the hiatus isn’t down to laziness. Five days later came the nearly successful attempt on his life.
Author Etgar Keret Title Alphabet Soup Cost £4 a month or £39 a year; £115 for “founding member” (extra benefit: “immortalised by having a problematic character in a future Alphabet Soup story named after them”) Typical post “God the Midget” What you get Keret is a hugely prolific Israeli writer of short stories whose Substack is the one that Rushdie (“So witty and enjoyable, and he’s clearly having a wonderful time doing it”) credits with getting him on board with the platform. In this newsletter, his “About” page says: “We serve two types of soup”. “Fresh soup” is a new text or first English publication (he writes a lot in Hebrew) of one of Keret’s texts – from stories to poems to screenplays to fragments of memoir or other nonfiction. “Canned soup” is something that’s been in print before. You can even get “alphabet audio soup”, which … makes your ears wet?
Author Roxane Gay Title The Audacity Cost £6 a month or £55 a year; £265 for “Ride or Die” (extra benefit: “my endless, boundless gratitude”) Typical post “Private Rites: Lesbianpalooza” What you get Gay is a novelist, memoirist, essayist, podcaster, comics writer (making her one of the first Black women, with co-writer Yona Harvey, to write a Marvel comic), journalist, cultural critic and academic. So you get a bit of all of that when you sign up for The Audacity. The heart of it is the Audacious Book Club, where Gay introduces a book every month (recent featured authors include Laila Lalami and Kevin Nguyen), with regular prompts for community discussion in the newsletter. There are also opportunities for paid subscribers to join an interview with the author over Zoom.
Author Howard Jacobson Title Streetwalking with Howard Jacobson Cost £5 a month or £55 a year; £150 for “founding member” (extra benefit not specified) Typical post “The Necessity of Offence” What you get Jacobson is as distinguished a journalist as he is a novelist, and his Substack hops tracks ad lib. Sometimes it’s an opinion column, sometimes whimsy (he kept a post about pleated trousers behind the paywall because, he notes wanly, “readers who might otherwise be circumspect are happy to pay for fashion tips”). There’s cultural commentary (including an excellently feeling post on the cultural appropriation of bagels) and in response to Trumpism and the war in Gaza, some characteristically acidic reflections on free speech and antisemitism. He’s a grouchy man, with good reason to be grouchy, and few grouch more eloquently.
Author Miranda July Title Miranda July Cost £5 a month or £47 a year; £135 for “founding member” (extra benefit: “you’ll be the first and possibly only people to know about certain things”) Typical post “What is fun and how to fun and why fun” What you get The Onion once published an article headlined: “Miranda July Called Before Congress to Explain Exactly What Her Whole Thing Is”. Accordingly, July’s Substack makes no promises to stay in its lane, and it offers subscribers “New writing! Lists! Dance videos! Other body things! Experimentation! Free form!” July is a multidisciplinary writer and artist, and if her Substack has a guiding principle it’s July’s magpie sensibility. So in addition to the newsletter the site hosts podcasts and vlogs, there’s a commenting community which July hopes will be “an actual good way for people to make friends, colleagues, lovers”, and an unboxing post commemorates the arrival of a vintage lavender dress July ordered on the internet.
Author Jami Attenberg Title Craft Talk Cost $8 a month or $60 a year; $100 a year for “dreamboat supporters” (extra benefit not specified) Typical post “I Want You to Be Both Gentle and Tough With Yourself” What you get Attenberg’s Substack is strongly tilted towards aspiring writers. The novelist and short story writer known for The Middlesteins and All This Could Be Yours has been running what she calls an “accountability practice” for writers called 1,000 Words on her newsletter since 2018. For two weeks each summer the Substack features #1000wordsofsummer – “a 52,000-strong community of writers of all levels who are all supporting each other to write 1,000 words a day for two weeks”. Which means a daily keep-it-up email from Attenberg, additional thoughts from a published writer guest-star most days, and a Slack and social media community for participants to share encouragement and brag about their word counts. The rest of the year sees Attenberg posting on aspects of literary craft – prompts, vignettes from the writing life, and even the odd interview – once a week, every week.
Author Chuck Palahniuk Title Chuck Palahniuk’s Plot Spoiler Cost £5 a month or £35 a year; £150 for “founding member” (extra benefit: “lifetime admission to Study Hall perks as Chuck invents them, personalised shit”) Typical post “The Orgy Moment: Cascading Payoffs” What you get Chuck Palahniuk’s lunch spoiler, potentially. The author of Fight Club has always had a taste for extreme material, and as he told me a few years back, Substack gives him “complete licence to put anything on the page that I want, and not be curbed by the timidity of the editor”. Subscribers can enjoy his Substack-exclusive serial novel Greener Pastures, as well as “short, upsetting fiction from me”. But it’s also a writing community, where Palahniuk showcases the work of his best students, dishes out “homework” (watch Animal House, “the douchiest movie ever”, carefully), offers giveaways and discusses craft in a direct and unpretentious way.
Author Emma Gannon Title The Hyphen by Emma Gannon Cost £8 a month or £69 a year; £100 for “I can expense this!” (extra benefit: “my eternal love and appreciation”) Typical post “How I Make Six Figures on Substack” What you get Gannon has a millennial’s ease in the multimedia environment: she’s a popular novelist, a podcaster, a journalist, trained life coach, wellbeing and business influencer, and all-round self-facilitating media node. She’s very engaged with her community and generous in paying it forward: a fortnightly “Slow Sunday Scroll” rounds up her recommendations of books, links, podcasts and consumer items she likes. Typical posts are savvy and friendly stuff about professional life and hanging on to your sanity in the social media age.
Author Catherine Lacey Title Untitled Thought Project Cost £4 a month or £43 a year; £75 for “founding member” (extra benefit: “my endless thanks”) Typical post “Oh, God” What you get Lacey, author of the astounding short story collection Certain American States, and fugitive postmodern novels such as Pew, Biography of X and Nobody Is Ever Missing, never writes the same book twice. Accordingly, perhaps, her Substack promises “a place of confusion and curiosity, a repository for open emails and things that are not quite essays”. Her special sauce in the Substack are her Oulipian micro-essays – exactly 144 words each, “a dozen times a dozen, also known as ‘a gross’, a term I learned while doing an inventory of nails and screws in my family’s hardware store”. A particularly charming aspect of the Substack is that the word limit means that even though the posts are “only for paid subscribers”, you get the whole micro-essay in the preview pane anyway.
Author Elif Batuman Title The Elif Life Cost £5 a month or £47 a year; £115 for “founding member” (extra benefit: “Periodic mini photo-essays of things I find interesting”) Typical post “Adventures in Molybdomancy” What you get Batuman’s bouncy brain bouncing into your inbox. Here, she muses on 1924, the connections between James Baldwin and Henry James, and the person who dissected Lenin’s cerebellum. There, she realises what the Beach Boys have to tell us about environment and culture, and how Surfing USA can, besides, cheer up the crosspatch writer. And elsewhere, she offers a bonus multimedia post “about my experience trying to have my fortune told with Turkish coffee grounds”. Erudite, elliptical and irrepressible.
The most prestigious tennis tournament in the world is nearing its end as rising American star Amanda Anisimova aims to upset Iga Świątek in Saturday’s Wimbledon women’s final while a battle of the top two men’s stars — Jannik Sinner and Caros Alcarz — conclude the event Sunday.
And while the on-court play has garnered headlines, so too has the action off of it. Countless celebrities and athletes like Tom Holland, Olivia Rodrigo and Leonardo DiCaprio have been in attendance for matches in recent weeks. Here are the scenes from Wimbledon.
