With her work on A Reading Life, Petya’s newsletter exemplifies the vibrant literary community that has emerged on Substack. Her writing charts the terrain between casual reader and devoted bibliophile, offering essays on her favourite reads, interviews chronicling the reading lives of fellow book-lovers, and frameworks for cultivating a more sustained reading practice.

She views reading as an antidote to scrolling, and — as her thousands of subscribers can attest — it’s a perspective that continues to resonate with all those who encounter her work each week. Our wideranging conversation explores how she developed her approach and why it matters now.

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Petya K. Grady is a writer and UX strategist. Now entering its sixth year, her popular literary newsletter, A Reading Life, has been named a Substack Featured Pub ...