The former WSJ editor's independent newsletter featuring essays, poems, and in-depth conversations with writers, thinkers, and doers around the globe.
| Platform |  | Pricing | Freemium | Publishes | Twice weekly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 309 | Founded | 5 years ago | Last Issue | 9 days ago |
| Active | |||||
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michaeljudge.substack.comLatest Issues
Can Human Rights Survive the Era of Great-Power Competition?
Pro-democracy protesters in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong, Oct. 19, 2014. Photo credit: r-monochrome
THE JAPAN TIMES
July 20, 2026
By Michael Judge
When I first interviewed Maya Wang in 2024, China’s crackdown on Hong Kong had ent...
Trying to Pray on 9/11
Image courtesy of the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael in San Rafael, Calif.
Still,
There are good things in this world.
Those two lines from James Wright’s 1963 poem Trying to Pray come to mind each year on the anniversary of 9/11.
I...
A Lot to Live Up To
A New York City firefighter calls for 10 more rescue workers to make their way into the rubble of the World Trade Center, Sept 15, 2001. (U.S. Navy)
FROM THE ARCHIVES
The Wall Street Journal, Sept. 24, 2001
By Michael Judge
A few night...
I Am Not Jeff Bezos
Blue Origin CEO David Limp, Blue Origin and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at Blue Origin in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Feb. 2, 2026. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza/Public domain...
Finding Plumb
Wendell Berry, Henry County, Kentucky, 1970s. (James Baker Hall)
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published
Finding Plumb
for Emerson Andrishok
A poor carpenter at best,...
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Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
Michael Judge is a poet, journalist, and former WSJ writer and editor. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Columbia Journalism Review, Politico, NPR, and The Literary Review, among other publications.
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