I pretty much just slept last week.
And played solitaire on the computer. Don’t hate; I am an eighties/nineties kid. It’s nostalgic.
The rest period was well deserved, I suppose. Prior to that, I was in expansion mode: three weeks of writing, formatting, editing, cover-designing, and publishing my new book, then two-and-a-half weeks traveling to sell and promote the book in exotic lands such as New Hampshire and Michigan.
The travel was amazing. I got to go to my second PorcFest (my first one was all the way back in 2010, and the festival has exploded in size since then!) While I was there, I met many new friends, reconnected with some old ones, ate a lot of delicious, unlicensed food, and reveled in the beauty of a miniature free society, if only for a week. I sold quite a few books there, gave an intimate talk about the realignment of dystopian crisis, and got one of the best testimonials ever:
From New Hampshire, I headed up to Michigan—a trip that should have taken 14 hours but ended up taking 20, due to the fact that Canada won’t have me unless I submit to a certain medical procedure. I spent a week in a cottage on the shore of Lake Huron while I worked on the ebook formatting and publication. I was hoping to stay in Michigan long enough to attend the Midwest Peace and Liberty Festival, but it was not to be. (If any readers are planning to attend and would like to help me get my books up there, please send me a note!)
Then I drove back home to North Carolina, and here I am, six sleepy days later. It’s been a grand adventure and I’m thoroughly chuffed to have done it, and so grateful to friends, family, and supporters who helped make it possible.
But I’m ready to get back to work!
What’s Next?
This week I’m working on a short companion ebook to How to Survive Dystopia. It will get a bit more into the nitty gritty of building the subtle, psychological armor for protection from dystopian influences. In other words, how to stay sane in the midst of insanity, and how to keep blossoming in a world that’s going to shit. That short ebook will be available for free only to subscribers of this Substack (both free and paid.)
After that, I’m getting back to my fiction and essays, as well as growing Extremists Being Awesome.
Publication Name Change
As I mentioned in the last dispatch, I have changed the name of this publication from Technate 2051 to Dispatches From Dystopia. I did this for a few reasons, but mainly because the old name used obscure terminology, while the new one (which was already the newsletter’s tagline) will more readily explain what the publication is.
I started this Substack as a way to get out chapters of my dystopian novel, along with occasional essays. As it turned out, my essays were always much more popular than the novel chapters. I think that’s because most people were waiting for the entire novel to be finished before reading it. Which makes sense, especially seeing as I’m not the fastest novelist in the world. (That title goes to writer-god Brandon Sanderson.) So I responded to the demand and put out more essays, while still making progress on the fiction behind the scenes.
The changing of the publication name does not mean I have ditched the novel that started me on this venture. I still plan to put out a few more chapters here on the Substack, but then I will wait until the whole thing is complete before publishing the rest. Which is probably what I should have done in the first place, but you know. Live and learn.
TONIGHT: Check me out on the Rebel With A Cause Podcast!
I’ll be talking dystopia with Eric Hailar on the Rebel With A Cause Podcast tonight at 7 PM Central! Be there or you love Big Brother. (But also if you are going to be busy you can watch it later, I’ll share the link.)
Finally, as promised: Anarchy.
Some of my readers know that I consider myself an anarchist (or, more precisely, a voluntaryist.) For those who may be confused or uncertain about what this really means, a Facebook friend of mine has put together an excellent explanation in the video below.
I bring this up mainly because lots of people are curious about the concepts of anarchism and voluntaryism. I believe the time for these ideas has arrived. Our present dystopia has brought humanity to a philosophical crossroads, and many are wondering if the old ways of doing things might not be the best way.
Larken Rose (the creator of the video) is a voluntaryist thinker, speaker, and author who does a magnificent job of distilling the concepts of freedom and self-ownership into compelling and easy-to-understand language. He is also featured in the new HBO docu-series, The Anarchists. The show “follows an eclectic cast of dreamers, fugitives, and crypto-enthusiasts whose annual gathering in Acapulco, Mexico becomes a massive anarchist community.”
Many of the folks in the documentary are friends and acquaintances of mine, and the events and locations covered are places where I have spent a lot of time. I’m excited about the series, and I will be watching it and sharing my thoughts here on the Substack. I encourage you to watch, as well. The series premiere aired yesterday (Sunday, July 10). You can find the trailer here and the episodes on HBO.
In the meantime, here is Larken’s video on what it means to anarchy:
Thank you for reading!
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-Starr
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