A newsletter about trying to make sense of a bewildered world & our place in it.
Why Movable Worlds?
It conveys the idea of a world in constant flux, and also a world capable of change.
It describes all the different worlds that exist inside the one we know & the emotional worlds we carry with us wherever we go.
It alludes to a lifelong love for stories: both the real, past, and imagined worlds that illuminate, and sometimes unsettle, our own.
If you’re curious about the world, and you satiate your curiosity by reading and exploring places, you’ll probably enjoy this newsletter.
I’m Emily Ding, a writer who divides her time between Kuala Lumpur and Berlin. My stories have been published in both news and literary media: the Virginia Quarterly Review, Mekong Review, Al Jazeera, Foreign Policy, The Guardian, South China Morning Post, to name a few. While I still take commissions, I’m currently working on personal projects, experimenting with forms unfamiliar to me.
This newsletter has been a constantly evolving thing, but my hope is that it serves as a tool for discovery—for myself, above all—with each letter building on the one before. In times of such rapid change, when old certainties are giving way, nothing can be the last word on anything.
Sign up, and I hope every letter arrives in your inbox as a mixed parcel of small delights, drawing on the delicate interconnectedness of all things.
What readers say
“This looks so wonderful! (In fact, breaking my vow not to sign up for new newsletters for this one!) Everything Emily writes is stellar.” —Abby Seiff
“A lovely writer who offers beautiful insights into this strange world we occupy.” —Kevin McSpadden
“How to describe Emily Ding’s newsletter? I forgot to have lunch yesterday so I’m going to go with food—it is my nasi campur of newsletters. There’s a bit of everything and depending on my mood this or that will be delicious. The newsletter is about having a sense of place and storytelling, but there’s something else to it.” —Stuart McDonald
“It feels personal, insightful, on the ground.” —P.C.
“A good thing to read while waiting in line, or anywhere really, is @emilydingwrites’ newsletter.” —Florentyna Leow
“I want to thank you for your contribution to some really interesting articles. I’ve been enjoying your newsletter; the subject matter is capacious and your writing style is succinct and unique. When I’m reading your webpages, it’s like going down another rabbit hole, but one filled with intrigue and relevance.” —Jan Setter
“I love welcoming new newsletters into my inbox and this one looks like it’ll be a ripper!” —Erin Cook
Housekeeping notes
You can ignore this section if you want to just stick to reading my letters in your inbox. That’s the main thing!
If, however, you mainly read on Substack, whether on its website or app, here are some tips:
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You can adjust your profile settings to determine how you receive newsletter notifications for Movable Worlds, as well as other Substack newsletters you subscribe to. As I would prefer to meet you directly in your inbox for all time (no pressure), I recommend opting for “In email and app” or “Only in email”.
How this newsletter has evolved
It first began in 2019 as an ad-hoc reporting diary, in which I shared unpublished fragments of human stories I had leftover from assignments, as well as haphazard lists of reading and culture recommendations.
But amid the pandemic, I felt I wanted to be more intentional with the newsletter. I refined its mission statement and consolidated the archives, in separate categories, to better reflect the tweak in focus.
In November 2021, I changed the overarching name of the newsletter to Movable Worlds, to better encompass everything I might conceivably want to do with it. (It was originally called ‘The Great Affair’—clichéd, I know!)
For a time, I put real effort into curation with the Landmarkings series, aiming for a measure of eclecticism and capaciousness. At the end of 2022, I discontinued it. I hesitated on calling it a day on it, since I had a feeling that was what many subscribers loved—but it was taking too much time. I still do mini-round ups here and there, however.
In 2024, I phased out guest letters and Q&As. Movable Worlds became more personal and occasional.
Those who stay and continue to read throughout this newsletter’s iterations and reiterations, thank you! It’ll probably continue to change shape…
