-
2 weeks ago | 
sarajbenincasa.substack.com | Sara Benincasa
I’ve been moving, a sacred time to confront one’s lingering fears about security and also to learn what makes that new weird noise, and why. I listened to a lot of Matriarch by Tina Knowles, until I got quite emotional wishing I’d been mothered differently, and then I switched to Stephen Fry’s new version of The Odyssey, until I got too emotional feeling sad for 90% of mortal women mentioned throughout Greek mythology. Saratonin is a reader-supported publication.
-
1 month ago | 
sarajbenincasa.substack.com | Sara Benincasa
I have decided to enter The Future and use the audio component Substack rolled out a year or two ago, just for the heck of it. Trust that it’s not in any way polished or thrilling, unless you find the sound of my voice extremely exciting, or enjoy picturing a DIY closet recording setup.
-
1 month ago | 
sarajbenincasa.substack.com | Sara Benincasa
Hi. I co-host a monthly show with a talking bird named Chad. Wednesday night at 8 p.m., that show is happening again at The Lincoln Lodge right here in Chicago. Tickets are $10 - grab ‘em online or at the door.It’s always pleasantly bananas and the bar is a delight. And this month, our theme is OBSESSION. Saratonin is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
-
1 month ago | 
sarajbenincasa.substack.com | Sara Benincasa
Hi all - I'm working from my laptop while sitting through a flight delay. Apparently this is happening across the country today, but maybe that's just a wild rumor. Plane travel on busy holiday weekends is a whole thing, eh? [BTW, this was originally published on my Patreon, so consider this a little taste of what we do over there.
-
2 months ago | 
sarajbenincasa.substack.com | Sara Benincasa
This one’s for the librarians, researchers, archivists, academics, nerds, and every staff member from the maintenance folks to the administrators at our cultural institutions where knowledge is kept.
-
2 months ago | 
sarajbenincasa.substack.com | Sara Benincasa |Parker Molloy |Rebecca Schoenkopf
I am obsessed with my home state of New Jersey, and as I explain in this TikTok from last night, I fear we Jerseyans shall only grow more obnoxious in our boisterous pride. Senator Booker really inflamed the ol’ Jersey pride in a massive way. We are already such an impassioned people. I’ve seen Jersey folks ask where the milk is at in Krauszer’s, QuickChek and Wawa with the same emotional intensity Senator Booker gave you last night.
-
2 months ago | 
sarajbenincasa.substack.com | Sara Benincasa
When I research now, I tend to listen to the audiobook (if available) and also purchase a hard copy of the book. I have found that each method of ingesting the material yields different nuance, and to have both tools at my disposal allows for a fuller understanding of the material. The result is that I think about books a lot, since they provide part of my income and also much of my entertainment, too.
-
2 months ago | 
sarajbenincasa.substack.com | Sara Benincasa |Michael Black
Let me tell you what it’s like to be researching and writing a historical biography of President Abraham Lincoln right now (more info on that here) when the sitting president, vice president, and their allies have threatened to wreck the shit out of the Smithsonian and other cultural institutions that feature prominently in my research plan: not boring!Your subscription helps support my work.
-
2 months ago | 
sarajbenincasa.substack.com | Sara Benincasa
Recently, I got to to narrate a condensed version of my animated New York Times Magazine essay on agoraphobia (here’s a gift link) as an Instagram reel (here’s a link to the reel.) There’s also a print version out there from a couple Sundays ago. I’m looking out at Lake Michigan as I type this. It’s early. Life feel very big and very quiet all at once. Today, I got up at sunrise to write, and because my cat wakes me up at that time anyway. Maybe I just ought to give into that habit.
-
2 months ago | 
sarajbenincasa.substack.com | Sara Benincasa
Greetings. I took a bunch of new photos for author/publicity type reasons with Elise Holowicki, and I wanted to share them here because why not? Plus, a couple comedy recommendations below, too. I did my own hair and makeup, which was fun. Also, I think Elise captured a time and a place, specifically Chicago on the Spring Equinox in 2025, that I love. Please subscribe for occasional profundity and also a lot of random fun shit.