A sanctuary for people who feel deeply in a world that often feels like too much
MacArthur Genius Grant awardee and best-selling writer Hanif Abdurraqib once said, “I’ll stay as long as staying gives more than it takes,” and those words spoke to me enough that I still refer to them years later.
As for me? I'm author, speaker, and teacher Esmé Weijun Wang, and I created this newsletter, REASONS FOR LIVING with Esmé Weijun Wang because I know what it's like to search for those crucial, critical reasons to stay.
As someone who lives with schizoaffective disorder (and plenty of other diagnoses, both psychiatric and physical), I've spent my entire life navigating the tender landscape between safety and danger. I've been to the edges—those territories where continuing on feels like an impossible ask—and I've found my way back again and again. Not through platitudes, or toxic positivity, but through the accumulation of small, true things worth staying for (because I believe that trying to pinpoint One Big Saving Grace is too hard so much of the time).
Does this sound like something you might need?
This newsletter is for you if:
You're sensitive. Like, really darn sensitive (which doesn’t mean that you’re not tough as nails when you need to be).
…and you need reminders that your sensitivity is a strength, not a liability.
The weight of the world often feels heavy (and you work hard to make it better… but you also need to be reminded of why you’re doing it in the first place)).
Traditional "self-help" stuff makes you roll your eyes (or worse, feel irreparably broken).
You crave depth when you see superficiality all around you.
You love stories. You love creating boldly. You love the occasional bout of silliness.
You're seeking a genuine connection with others who understand.
What you'll find here
Every month, free subscribers receive:
One essay exploring what makes life worth living (even when it's hard). Sometimes, these essays are by me. Sometimes, they’re by people from the community. Sometimes, they’re from best-selling, award-winning authors like R.F. Kuang and Jenny Odell.
Carefully curated "reasons" from art, literature, and life.
Reflection journal prompts for your own meaning-making practice.
Paid members ($7/month, $70/year) also receive:
Two personal essays of meaning every month, which include raw, tender pieces too intimate for public consumption.
Access to the Vault, a secret webpage of resources worth $400+ that aren’t available anywhere else.
Private chat threads: A comment section that's actually worth reading, with fellow seekers.
Seasonal care packages: Regular resources for navigating life's transitions—that drop, glitter-parachute-like, into your inbox.
Why paid membership matters
This isn't about "supporting a creator"—it's about investing in your own lifeline as well as mine.
For less than a single coffee date, you're joining a community of almost 300 people who've decided their inner life is worth tending to.
You're saying yes to regular reminders of beauty when the world feels ugly.
You're choosing connection over isolation.
As one member wrote: "Esmé's newsletter is filled with a gentleness that I don't normally find with other newsletter... I will never unsubscribe.”
My unexpected credentials
Yes, I'm a New York Times bestselling author. Yes, I've won fancy literary awards. But my real qualification for this work? I've survived a lot of things that were truly hard to get through. I've learned that meaning isn't found in grand gestures—it's cultivated in tiny, repeated acts of noticing.
I write from lived experience. When I share what works, it's because it's kept me alive.
An invitation to go deeper
If you're tired of trying to "think positive" your way out of real pain...
If you need a space where both sorrow and joy are welcome...
If you're ready to join others who understand that sensitivity is not weakness but a different kind of strength...
Become a paid member for $7/month.
Not ready for paid?
Start with our free subscription. You'll receive our monthly REASONS TO LIVE essay; these essays have talked about things as wide-ranging as “Vanderpump Rules,” dogs, music, walking after a long hospitalization, and tears (the kind of you cry, not the kind you rip).
P.S. For those who find meaning through creative expression, I also run The Unexpected Shape Writing Academy, as well as the Academy Bulletin, which is a newsletter exclusively about writing while living within limitations. But this space? This is for all of us seeking reasons to stay, whether we write or not.
