I have to address the obvious: ITWYW is no longer on substack. The great migration has begun. I've done this before--I moved to Beehiiv, but I realized that I'd be falling into similar traps. A friend suggested I use Kit (formerly ConvertKit) and I'm enjoying the new customizations, but I hope that you'll be able to come along with me. Given the enshittification of most social media platforms, this felt like the most realistic way to move forward. (Also, I get to rid myself of all the AI slop that's been passing for literature on there.)
Unfortunately, I can't get rid of the Substack ecosystem entirely, as the majority of the publishing industry (and my peers) have finally caught on and a lot of my growth came from there. I am still on the platform for social engagement and supporting others work but when it comes to mine, I needed to give it another home.
So here we are. Welcome to this new iteration of is this what you want? version 4.0!
Where to Play, Eat, and Stay in Chattanooga, Tennessee's 'Scenic City'
"As a city dweller flying in from New York City, I hobbled off the plane in Chattanooga expecting a sleepy Southern town. What I found instead was a city with James Beard Award-winning restaurants and an impressive local art scene."
I don't want to promise more than I can give, but since I have access to more features now, here's what you can expect from this new iteration of the newsletter:
One long-form piece in your inbox every month. With at least one shorter post (a consumption junction, podcast, whatever I feel like) sent. I aim to send an e-mail to your inbox every few weeks, but the minimum is once a month. This is subject to change as my life and career get crazier.
I am committed to keeping content free. That means that subscribers get most of my content without a paywall. All one has to do to access the bulk of my missives is subscribe to the newsletter.
For those who want to pay, you get more and first access to offerings, bookings, etc.: For those of you willing to pay to support my work, you will get access to premium offerings such as first access to bookings, discount codes, exclusive access to more personal works (and the tea) and drafts that I left in the inbox. The messier, more intimate shit of being human will be for supporting subscribers. Feel free to upgrade here.
create your art
Two part screencapture of the writer James Baldwin during an interview. The first panel captioned "I'm terrified at the moral apathy." The second panel captioned, "the death of the heart"
When I talk to fellow creatives (especially fellow writers, whadddddup) about the state of the world, even in the publishing industry, we all share a similar sentiment:
How the fuck do we create under these circumstances?
I think about what my queer Black writing elders would have to say about the current administration until I realize that they've been dealing with oppression for millennias before. When people claim Octavia Butler was psychic, or when they paint Nina Simone as a crazed and difficult diva; they fail to realize how they've played into societal propaganda.
The impulse to stop making art during polycrisis is real. The world is on fire! Who gives a shit about my essay or poem? Who cares about my feelings when there are people dying, our country is going down the shitter and showing literal biases (which government is not supposed to do) and the world is a fucking wreck, to be quite frank.
This is the current status of whitehouse.gov; the entire page is dark with a countdown clock and white bold serif text saying "Democrats Have Shut Down the Government." Lower down, in smaller text, "Americans Don't Agree with Democrats' Actions"
Of course, this is what artists like Simone and Butler knew. And like James Baldwin knew: The powers that be want you to stop creating. Silence is their goal, and their means of obstruction is capitalism. Or, you know, entire government shutdowns.
If we're too tired to create and too scared to speak: they win.
Under the US Constitution, citizens have a right to the freedom of speech. (And if you're not in America, PLEASE make your art political anyway!)
So create art. Write that short story. Lambast the powers that be in a political comic or cartoon. Observe so closely and describe what is happening in excruciating detail that people make you think you're have prescient knowledge (shoutout to everyone who thinks Octavia Butler is psychic when she really just... looked more carefully.) Doesn't matter if it's bad, the practice of it makes you better.
And when it's ready, set it free.
sound advice
As a citizen of the United States, I've grown cognizant of the administration's efforts to bully and target corporations into giving them (specifically ICE) pertinent, classified information. I'm writing this just as the news of Governor Pritzker of Illinois called to invoke the 25th Amendment against the president. And yes, quite plainly, I'm not going to indulge the sycophant-in-office by capitalizing his name, thereby legitimizing this administration. It is a fucking sham.
With this, I've decided my best sound advice for this missive is to de-googlefy (or rather, de-centralize) your life, or at least your web. I'm going to share my "Privacy Pack" below, but here's some other resources to get you started, in case you wanted to do it yourself:
Privacy Pack (This is a nice place to start, but I am wary of DuckDuckGo because they are Israeli owned and operated. I'm not supportive of genocide, and I'm unsure of their company involvement.)
my swaps
I want to preface this with that these have worked for me so far. I am subject to changing my mind whenever a company no longer aligns with my values... which happens far more often than you'd think.
Internet Browser: ARC. It's not privacy focused the same way Tor or Brave are (though I'm wary about the latter. I used Brave for awhile, and felt like they were pushing their cryptocurrency) but I like the way it's structured and they have a great data policy. If you're interested in having security and privacy, use it with a VPN.
I appreciate your patience with me as I navigate through this transition of a new home for my content. Most of these missives will be cross posted on is this what you want's website as well as my current portfolio @ christalei.me.
before you go, a couple reminders
I'm one of Blood Tree Literature's newest creative non-fiction editors. I want to remind you that I'm soliciting pieces for our current submission period, which runs from Oct 1-30. We're a paid market with a modest compensation. Our reading fee is $3 (though if you'd like feedback from an editor, you can pay $15 instead) but if you cannot afford the fee, please reach out to our editor-in-chief. Submit here.
For newsletter subscribers, I wanted to share news that I am one of JAKE the anti-lit mag's newest poetry editors. Despite my penchant towards writing terrible poetry (I'm trying, it's difficult! I will become a poet if it kills meeeeeee) I can certainly read the hell out of it and critique it. So, I guess that's why they picked me? Anyway, our submission period opens up on October 15th, pending any other mishaps. Submit here on Oct 15, give me your worst!
I have a new e-mail specifically for this newsletter! If you want to respond and start correspondence (because my ass is trying to move off google, friends) I'd love to hear from you. Respond here, or e-mail me at christa[at]isthiswhatyouwant.org.
all my love and more!
x,
C
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