Classic writing, modern delivery
"For this reason, give over hoping that you can skim, by means of epitomes, the wisdom of distinguished men. Look into their wisdom as a whole; study it as a whole. They are working out a plan and weaving together, line upon line, a masterpiece, from which nothing can be taken away without injury to the whole. Examine the separate parts, if you like, provided you examine them as parts of the man himself."
What is this?
A collection of "email newsletters" made out of classic works of poetry, essays, or letters. Think one Frost poem a day, one Montaigne essay a week, or whatever combination you'd like.
Why did you make this?
I was reading Sarah Bakewell's excellent Montaigne biography How to Live and it seemed very obvious that if the man had been born 500 years later he would have been a blogger.
Is this AI?
Sort of! None of the content you'll receive by email is AI generated, and all of the writing in this FAQ is 100% human. But the whole site was made in Claude Code, the pithy work descriptions are all AI, and it played a big role in splitting the works into logical chunks for email. It's an AI project designed to get people to read more human writing. Welcome to 2026!
Where did you get all of the content?
It's almost all from Project Gutenberg, with a smattering of Wikisource. They did all of the hard work of actually getting all of this content on the internet; my contribution is solely splitting the works up into email sized chunks and curating a list of works that fit the medium. These projects are an invaluable resource and you should donate to them if you can.
What work should I start with?
I'd recommend a daily poem and a weekly essay or letter. Try pairing Emily Dickinson with Seneca, or Robert Frost with Montaigne.
Can I subscribe to more than one work at a time?
Yep, as many as you'd like. But be careful with overloading yourself; I found that more than 2-3 going at once gets overwhelming.
What does this cost?
Nothing! If you like it, use the Buy Me a Coffee link to send a few bucks towards hosting fees or go make a donation to Project Gutenberg.
Are you going to sell my data or otherwise do anything weird?
Nope! Your email address will be used to send you whatever works you request and nothing else.
Who are you?
I'm Stephen, a product manager at an education nonprofit whose mother is a high school English teacher. I've always had a vague intention to read more poetry, or to pick up Montaigne, but between work and two small children it never seemed like the right time. But I have what is an apparently limitless time in my day for email newsletters of varying quality, so I wanted to see if I could tricky myself into doing something more valuable in life's in-between spaces.