Hi all,
The AMA is up! Enjoy me fucking with technology for 5 minutes before answering questions and making some pretty big announcements.
About those announcements: I should probably make them in writing as well.
I’ve been pretty open about my financial struggles on this newsletter. It would be extremely fucked up of me to be open about them in only one direction, and so I am pleased to announce that my financial situation has changed thanks to an inheritance. I do not have “fuck you” money—not even close—but I do have “I can pay my rent” money, and I really cannot overstate what a relief this has been. I knew money troubles were weighing on me a lot, but did not realize the extent of it until those worries were lifted. No more juggling between bank accounts to scrape up exactly enough to make rent every month. No more figuring out which bills could lapse another month. That stress ate my time and energy, as it eats the time and energy of millions. There is no reason, in our world of plenty, that anyone should experience that anxiety—I’ve done the math. That’s a subject for another day.
You may have noticed that the site’s paywall is down—monetization continues, but the content is available to both free and paid subscribers. From the start, both here and on social media, I have explained that I paywall my articles because this Substack is how I pay rent. If you have, at any point, been a paid subscriber, please know that I meant that literally—you kept me inside, and I will always be grateful for your support. And because I meant that literally, I have now made this entire newsletter free.
If you are a paid subscriber, I would certainly love it if you continued to be a paid subscriber—as I said, this isn’t “fuck you” money and, like everyone else, I enjoy compensation for my labor. If, however, you were a paid subscriber based on my dire financial straits, or if you need that money for some other purpose, I both understand and support the decision to go back to free subscriber status. Thank you, again, for helping me get through the most dire financial situation I’ve ever experienced.
