For Such a Time as This Newsletter

We have 17 signed copies to give away to the first 17 people who comment. Simply say you’d like to have the book, and I’ll reach out privately to get your mailing details. DO NOT include them in a comment. WEDNESDAY. 23 September 2026. Noon eastern.Via Proton Meet. (Up to 50 people may attend.) This month’s Democracy Reading Group selection and author discussion is Allison Tait’s brand-new book Allison Taitis Dennis I. Belcher Professor of Law at the University of Richmond School of Law.

What gave me HOPE this week: We are spending our first night in our not-remotely-ready new home. We still don’t have a kitchen, and it’s a construction zone, but we’re making do. We’re grateful to have a roof and a bed and food in a precarious world. A picture of what my phone is full of these days… Freddie Mercury would have turned 80 years old tomorrow. To honor his birthday, here’s one of George Michael’s all-time best performances.

Rather than creating a newsletter from scratch, I’m sharing this month’s Paid Subscriber Chat. We cover all kinds of ground in this one. If you’d like to watch the full recording, join this group of stellar Paid Subscribers.

It was an honor to host Edwin Eisendrath at this week’s Unholy Ground. We cover his story on the Dual State during the Weimar Republic and compare it to the United States today. Support his Substack by subscribing below: And as always, support Lincoln Square. I make Unholy Ground available to my paid subscribers as an added benefit. Thanks for supporting this work.

Most readers probably heard about his opposition to the Paramount/Skydance merger. Because he dared to criticize a business transaction desired by one of the biggest Epstein Class Jewish billionaires, he was swiftly labeled antisemitic. Things became heated. The Guardian reported that over 170 Jewish academics and artists signed a letter this week in support of Ruffalo and his comments. Most people who learned accurate history about the Holocaust are horrified of being called antisemitic.

TODAY! 2 September 2026. Noon eastern. Monthly LIVE Substack chat with me. Paid Subscribers, join me for a roundup of anything you’d like to discuss. I hope to see you there. Upgrade to paid to join. I remember the first time someone highjacked one of my comment threads. A friend and I had floated part of South Carolina’s Edisto River in tractor tire tubes to celebrate her fortieth birthday. (Yes, this really is a southern gothic activity.

This week, I’m changing the channel in this space because I need a break from all things White Christian Nationalist dark-and-radicalized-heavy. But I am also addressing several troubling trends in the lead-up to the midterms. My goal is to give more Americans discernment and resilience to navigate what’s coming. Today, I cover a piece of what I believe to be that psy-op. It means writing about myself more than usual. If hearing about me is not your jam, here’s your ticket to move along.

Photo by Wilhelm Gunkel on Unsplash Yesterday’s extra newsletter on Dolly Parton’s humanity hit a nerve. Or maybe I need a break from my usual dark-but-necessary fare. Because I’ve written on this theme in the distant past, I’m returning to it today. I might write about myself and my life a bit more than usual in this piece. If that’s not interesting to you, here’s your pass to move on. This work continues to exist because some readers support it with money. I don’t have sponsors or book deals.

It’s Jim Stewartson’s fault I’m writing today. His vulnerable, broken newsletter about Dolly Parton inspired this foray into weekend writing, because my mind won’t rest until I get this out. Or maybe Dolly’s spirit is badgering me. It’s been a while since I’ve felt possessed with the craving-imperative-absolute to write specific words. Two of my novels flowed from a kind of possession. This space doesn’t usually work that way. Anyway.

What gave me HOPE this week: Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who died on 14 August. I’ve shared this before, but growing up in White Christian Nationalism left no room for an arts education. Art glorified sin. Artists were depraved sinners. Art museums were dens of filth. Part of my extensive reprogramming included a do-it-myself art education. Starting in my 30s, I visited practically every art museum in every city, town, hamlet, or holler I stumbled across. I bought my first piece of art at age 32.