Stick a fork in me...

The book is done!!! Also some Substack news

Header images have been a bit gloomy lately, so for a change here’s Saffy

It’s been amazing and humbling to see so many of you join me on Substack since I launched this newsletter two years ago. Over that time, a lot has happened - perhaps most thrillingly (for me anyway), I spent the last year writing my first book, Feminism Against Progress. Today, finally, it’s DONE!!! Not just written but read and re-read, copy-edited, checked again, proof-read, typeset and off to the printers. I feel as giddy as I did crossing the finish line after running my first marathon.

UK readers who want a copy don’t have long to wait, as it publishes here (and everywhere, as an ebook) in March 2023. US readers, watch this space; I will have news for you very soon on a publication date in the Land of the Free.

As for this newsletter, I’ve enjoyed putting more energy into it recently, including posting weekly rather than sporadically. It feels as though its character is taking shape. It carries my ongoing reflections on this disorienting time, in which the currents of politics and technology often seem unhappily at odds with our common humanity. It’s my ambition to shed some light, if I can, on what I’m coming to see as the maturation of a new epoch - the cyborg era - that’s been 50 or more years in the making.

I’ve been tremendously grateful for your lively discussion and thought-provoking comments so far. I want to keep evolving my ideas with and in conversation with you all. With this in mind I’m taking a step I’ve held off on so far: asking those who appreciate my writing to consider supporting my work financially.

To be clear: this isn’t me introducing a paywall. But a few readers have said they’d happily support my work given the choice, and who am I to say no to a reader request? More seriously, writing takes time. Your support will enable me to go on giving this newsletter the time and headspace it needs, just as your comments and participation contribute to its evolution.

Times are hard for many of us, and if you can’t afford it, don’t worry. Come along for the ride anyway. But if you can, your support will be hugely appreciated. You can do so via the button below, if you wish:

That’s it for now. Nothing will change, except that now you have the option to send me a modest Christmas present. Either way, I hope you’ll continue reading, and commenting, and helping me try to make sense of these strange times.

Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year,

Mary