July Discount - Help Fund New Personal Essays!

Consider becoming a paying subscriber and spreading the word about Open Secrets

Jul 11, 2024

Thanks for reading Open Secrets! This is editor Rachel Kramer Bussel. I’m writing to ask you to become a paying subscriber if you're able to, which will help me keep publishing more essays.

I started Open Secrets in April 2023 to provide another outlet for writers to share personal stories about topics we're taught to keep "secret."

I funded the first six months of Open Secrets from my personal savings, publishing weekly, and have paid for a few more recent essays. I would love to open up another public submissions period, but in order to do that, I'll need to raise at least $300, for which I’ll commission 6 essays.

To that end, for the month of July, I'm offering a 25% discount off annual subscriptions, so instead of $80, a subscription is $60. Those funds will go directly toward paying new Open Secrets contributors. You can join and cancel if you don't want to auto-renew.

Can't become a paid subscriber? Other ways you can help Open Secrets is to share our essays with your Substack readers and/or social media followers and to write a short recommendation of Open Secrets so your Substack followers will see it.

I welcome feedback via comments or email at opensecretsmag at gmail dot com

Thanks for reading and celebrating the personal essay genre.

Rachel Kramer Bussel

Some essays you may have missed:

When MeToo Meets I Do

My husband unexpectedly pulled our car into a graveled patch off a dark side road. “I want to show you something.” Goose bumps sprang up all along my arms, back, and neck. He has either planned a kinky “surprise,” or he wants to kill me. A vile acid backwash rose from my stomach. He parked beside a power substation; the …

9 months ago · 19 likes · 2 comments · Stella Grae

This Job Will Kill Me If I Let It

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in my friend, Dawn’s, living room catching up in person for the first time in over a year. Even though we live a couple hours’ drive apart, it always feels like an ordeal for us to meet up because she has two young kids and we both work a lot. I’ve often begged off of these trips because, to be hon…

a year ago · 16 likes · 2 comments · Katrina Jackson

My English Teacher's Crush

My seventh-grade English teacher, Mr. McGrane, was really cool. When I sat in his classroom for the first time, I felt as though I could finally take a deep breath, putting my anxious first-day jitters to rest. The space offered a sense of safety I so desperately craved in an uncomfortable environment that was swamped wi…

2 years ago · 5 likes · 2 comments · Melissa

Life After Caregiving

My caregiver journey began after college graduation when my mother and grandmother were diagnosed with terminal illnesses. As the only child and grandchild, I become their sole and full-time caregivers. My entire life was put on hold since there was no one else to help. From the first emergency room admission to goodbye…

10 months ago · 33 likes · 11 comments · Anastasia Jill

Out and About in Zambia

I was dressed in my sneakers, shorts, and fanny pack; the only thing missing was a handmade placard because I’d made a last-minute decision to attend the Lusaka Women’s March 2023. I tried to think of a good alternative for a placard; it needed to speak volumes about both my identity and the violence women face in this countr…

2 years ago · 10 likes · 10 comments · Katherine King

I Have Never Regretted My Abortion

I sat down at the kitchen table of the house my friend was subletting for the summer, the four of us gathered around over Chinese takeout. I shoved a giant bite of vegetable lo mein down my throat while they exchanged a nervous glance. In the bathroom down the hall, a pregnancy test sat developing on the counter…

a year ago · 41 likes · 9 comments · Marissa G.

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