TEAR DOWN THIS PAYWALL!
Changes to the paid subscription tier (plus some collages for you)
So we’re about to come up on one year since I launched the paid subscription tiers. A huge thanks, as always, to everybody who has supported me. I hope you stick with me into year two, as I’ve got no plans to stop any time soon. And as things roll forward, I want to let you know about some changes to how the paid tiers work. But don’t worry! These changes are going to be welcome for most people, and for the rest of you, it’ll basically be unnoticeable. That said, I do want to be transparent about it. (Also, there are collages below!).
Everything is Free, But You Can Pay If You’d Like To Support Me
In this last year, I’ve learned new ways to think about the paid subscription stuff. And one thing I’ve figured out is that people who pay for a subscription do so primarily because they believe in what I’m doing — not because they want bonus posts and free gifts. I mean, I guess I’ll find out if I am wrong about that (lol), but the tell-tale sign for me has been that most paid subscribers haven’t been too keen about claiming discounts or receiving broadsides — which is fine! But it does indicate that these bonuses are not a priority for anybody.
So, going forward, while I am keeping the paid and founding subscription tiers available, I am discontinuing the bonuses. Discounts on my books, free poetry broadsides, and bonus posts will be no more (see below if you still want to claim any of these!). Secondly, I am ending the paywalls, including those on the archives, and will be making all posts free for everybody. Ultimately, you can still pay to show support, but that payment will not create a wall for anyone else. This should streamline the whole thing (no more fussy tier distinctions) and also make it more egalitarian, which I feel good about. Now if you pay to support me, it will just mean you support what I’m already doing here (and in my work as poet and publisher). And again, my endless thanks to anyone who chooses to do this. I don’t make much money at all from my teaching jobs, and extra income is a very welcome thing.1
HOWEVER, if you are a paid subscriber who never claimed any bonuses yet but still want them, the free broadsides and discounts on books will remain good through September 15th 2025. Just reply to this message or DM me with your mailing address, and let me know what you want, and you’ll be set. But after mid-September, this stuff will be phased out and cease to be offered to new paid subscribers.
OK so that’s the housekeeping stuff. Now for some collages.
My Life Among the Scraps
I’ve been dipping back into my growing collection of photos and collage papers, and a few cool things came out of it. First, a few that were composed of just a few pieces each.
The next three were composed of old scraps and leftovers. I like these the most, as they feel most connected to the alchemy I look for in collage: they were a pile of trash, but they still held radiance and little worlds. Unlike the previous ones, that were selective and usually 3-5 pieces, each one of these includes at least 10 pieces (the last one closer to 25). Also, these continue an unofficial series using these xeroxed images of chairs.
OK so that is all for this post!
Take care everybody, and enjoy what remains of summer.
<3
That said, I would like to leave Substack so that my work ceases to financially support them. For a couple days this summer, I was all gung-ho about making a move to Ghost. However, after researching it further, I discovered that this blog does not yet generate enough income to justify the cost over there. I’d basically be losing $10 a month by going there, which is not something I want to do. However, if I get more paid subscribers, the math on that changes. Time will tell.