SmallStack Turns One!

and you can help us celebrate

I’d like to tell you a story about stories.

I come from a long line of storytellers. I started writing my own stories in second grade. Shout out to Mrs. Rocky who let me write instead of doing classwork. Maybe you had a similar start.

When I stumbled onto this platform, I met hundreds, maybe thousands of other storytellers like myself, and… I feel like I’m home. This is a space where we can come to tell others about that time we ran into a tree while riding our big brother’s bike. We can talk about the hurdles we faced getting married and figuring out immigration paperwork. We can explore our deeper feelings about parenthood or being marginalized. We can write poems, even when we’re scared to share those things.

The reason I’m here is to tell my stories. I think you’re here to do the same thing. Why? Because stories are powerful.

Photo by Kyle Hinkson on Unsplash

SmallStack is officially a year old today.

This place started off as a whim, and it grew into a movement. We all showed up together to declare that small is where it’s at, and that we’re proud of caring about the little details. We’re proud to care about each other.

I’m not going to get sidetracked by all the things happening in the US or around the world right now that are terrifying and triggering, but I do think many of us feel numb or frozen in the face of it all. We’re overwhelmed, we’re afraid, and we feel powerless.

Hear me out: You are not powerless. Neither am I.

A year ago, I wrote a note to everyone. I was mad. I was upset about the lack of access and visibility for small writers like me. But I want to back up for a moment and acknowledge that those feelings actually started because there was no category on substack for queer and LGBTQIA2S+ writers to gather under. I came here looking for a sense of belonging, and I could not find it. Believe me, I tried. Lots of us did. And after months of scraping by with grit and determination, I found a few others like me. I voiced my disgruntled feelings, and the response was resounding. We asked for the category we needed, and we were met with silence.

So is it any wonder I felt bitter when the next big name stumbled onto my Notes feed and talked about growing their subscribers over a thousand? They hadn’t done that alone. They had not faced the same barriers I did. They had visibility. They had belonging. They had community.

I created SmallStack not long after that.

Why? Because if you want something done, do it yourself. Make it happen. And, if you look at our Library, you’ll see we did make that category for LGBTQIA2S+ writers, because of course we need it.

Starting SmallStack was a way to give all of us a voice. A place to gather. A community. And I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve become. Mission accomplished. As of today, our Library is hosting 1964 small publications, and an overwhelming majority of those have 500 or fewer subscribers.

We published an incredible series of Guest Posts in 2024 that really set the tone for who we are and what we believe in, and then we began sharing Featured Posts weekly. This Friday will be our 39^th featured post, and we’ve barely scratched the surface of all the incredible listings we have in our Library.

Our Library will always be free to get listed in and use, and I really do hope you do both of those things.

What’s next?

It’s time for us to grow up a little, to shift gears, and to take on the next big thing. I don’t have all the answers worked out today, because this stuff deserves some time and patience and really good brainstorming with the Team of people I trust, but here’s what I’ll say about it right now:

SmallStack is a publishing company.

This is what I originally set out to do, and we’re making it happen. Our first small book is already in the works, and we’re planning on the next one later this year. And when I say publishing company, I mean the kind of publisher who makes real books, the kind you can hold in your hand. Maybe even the kind with your name on them as “author.”

Yes. You.

Our first book, in fact, is a collection of our Guest Posts. I am so very excited to create a tangible dream like this alongside our guest authors, and I hope you’ll celebrate with us when we share more about that soon. To Kate Brennan, Sarah Sadie, Rachel Shenk, Amanda, Sanjida Kay, Sarah Teresa Cook, SuddenlyJamie, and Alexa Spiegel, I can’t thank you enough for saying yes to this cool project. We’re genuinely honored to be publishing your words to share with the world.

What does it take to become a publisher? Well, turns out it takes a lot of things, including a very steep learning curve! It also takes time, patience, community, and funding. Many of you have already helped with those things.

As a publisher, SmallStack has to pay for essential stuff like printing costs and distribution of our books. While we’re getting ourselves up and running, your paid subscription or donation of money to SmallStack makes it possible for us to pay those bills.

Your stories make a difference in this world, and we’re going to be here to help some of you get them published. In print. In a real book that you can hold and be proud of.

If you’re not the kind of person who wants to get published, I’m hoping you are the kind who buys real books from independent publishers and booksellers, especially stories from small writers just getting started.

SmallStack is going to tell everyone some really good stories. And you will be the ones writing them, reading them, and making them real.

What we know right now:

• In order to make all this cool stuff happen, the SmallStack Team is taking a little time off. We’re pausing Featured Posts and SmallTalk threads for the month of June while we evaluate how much we can handle and what’s really vital to this neighborhood.

• During the month of June, which just happens to be Pride month, SmallStack will be promoting the heck out of Qstack | The LGBTQIA+ Directory of Substacks! I’m so excited about the things Mr. Troy Ford has planned, and I could not be happier to help share and boost those activities. He’s done the heavy lifting, we’re just adding a little glitter.

• We are not currently accepting manuscript or essay submissions to SmallStack. Stay tuned (I don’t know, maybe by subscribing? 😊) so that you know when that kind of thing changes.

• If you follow my other publication, TransFriend, you might already know that I’m launching a publishing imprint called GenderWild Press. Yeah, you heard me—that’s technically two publishing imprints happening at once. You’re thinking of a word to describe me right now, and I hope it’s “ambitious.” GenderWild Press is a trans and queer publisher of longform books, both fiction and nonfiction. You can find out more about it on TransFriend.

I cannot say enough thank yous to those of you who have chosen to support us with paid subscriptions. Starting a business with zero capital is terrifying, but you all stepped in to make sure I didn’t fall on my face. Thank you. We need that support now more than ever. Websites and email hosting and

printing costs add up quick, and your funding helps us keep access to the Library free for everyone. Similarly, publishing books from new and emerging authors is a leap of faith, and I’m hoping you believe in this mission.

With your paid subscription or donation, you’re saying yes to telling stories that matter.

You’re saying yes to people like me writing our own history so that it cannot be erased. And that’s an immensely powerful thing to do.

Here’s to a new year for SmallStack, a new chapter in our growth, and to you, our future authors and book lovers. This is only the beginning of our story.

Robin Taylor, SmallStack Founder