The Chalkboard Life

Your guide to great writing happening on Substack, plus the home of “The Active Voice,” a podcast by Hamish McKenzie.

A place to explore the way the short story works.

Celebrating the typewriter’s place in history and modern culture.

Learned is a weekly look at words; we examine old favorites, words in transition, and strange new ones with a bit of humor and relentless curiosity. Join us for conversations about etymology, lexicography, and other linguistics adjacent topics!