Let me reintroduce myself...

Hi friends,

I'm Christa (they/them) the writer behind is this what you want?, a newsletter that started on Substack as a wishlist type publication, and has expanded to topics pertaining to writing and literature, relationships/relational healing, psychology, healthcare, disability justice, decolonization, pop culture, travel, food and more. If you're intrigued by hot takes and raw missives about the world around us, told by a fat, queer, disabled, non-binary, polyamorous, neurodivergent Filipino-American, you've come to the right place. I'm so happy you're here.

What is this newsletter?

This is a free space where I write about chronic illness without inspiration porn, polyamory without propaganda (only real stories, with messiness and nuance) grief without platitudes, gender without neat categorization. I write this newsletter for anyone whose body makes doctors uncomfortable, whose relationships confound their parents, and whose pain refuses to be pathologized.

This newsletter explores the following themes, but expands on almost anything as long as it's from my view!

• Queerness
• Disability justice beyond ableist frameworks
• Polyamory as practice
• Diaspora and colonial inheritance, what it means to decolonize
• Monsters, myths and speculative embodiment
• Colonial violence
• Travel
• Food
• Beauty
• Pop Culture

I aim to send something to your inbox at least twice a month, one being a shorter post with updates/recommendations, and another will be longer form; usually an essay.

While this publication is free, if you'd like to become a paid supporter of my work, you get more access and interaction with me. Perks coming soon, but the paid tiers are also sliding scale. E-mail me if you'd like a discount code for membership!

The Elephant in the Room

I have to address the obvious: ITWYW is no longer on substack. 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 works, 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!