How Sabrina Imbler uses Buttondown

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background.

I am a writer and science journalist living in Brooklyn. Most of my writing revolves around the non-human, especially creatures that we wouldn't think of as beautiful or charismatic, like deep-sea fish or bugs. For my day job, I am a staff writer and co-owner at Defector, a site that covers sports, politics, and culture, where I write a column about animals. I've also published two books, a memoir in 10 sea creatures called How Far the Light Reaches and a chapbook about a gay volcano called Dyke (Geology).

What do you write about in your newsletter?

In Creatures NYC, I round up all the creature-related events happening in New York City to share with anyone interested in getting to know their non-human neighbors. With all the hustle, bustle, and skyscrapers, NYC can seem like the opposite of nature, but the city teems with urban wildlife—and not just pigeons and rats! There are bat walks and horseshoe crab festivals, community seining and femme fishing, and a lot of birding. In each month's newsletter, I write a brief report of the urban wildlife I saw over the past month, as a way of spotlighting some of the events that are out there and holding myself accountable to seeing some nature!

I've been satisfied with my Buttondown experience so far, and I'm glad I chose the platform.

Where did you first learn of Buttondown, and what made you decide to give it a try?

I learned about Buttondown from Ed Yong's newsletter, The Ed's Up. I wanted to find a newsletter platform that doesn't support and platform Nazis, and I liked how clean Ed's newsletter looked. He is one of the smartest and most thoughtful people I know, so I assumed he had chosen Buttondown for a reason.

I really appreciate Buttondown's quick customer support.

What are some ways Buttondown has helped you run your email?

I really appreciate Buttondown's quick customer support. I have never had a newsletter before, and have had some questions about billing and formatting. It's really nice to be able to email someone with my question as opposed to navigating through a complicated FAQ page. I've also appreciated the pay-what-you-want subscription format that Buttondown support helped me set up!

What are some things you’d be excited to see Buttondown build in the next few months?

I'd love to be able to add emojis in the text more easily.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I've been satisfied with my Buttondown experience so far, and I'm glad I chose the platform.