Why I'm starting a Substack newsletter
Times have changed, and so have I.
Why this, why now.
I’m here because I’m tired. Not only in the literal sense of fatigue (that too, though), but of waiting for some opaque entity to give me permission to write the way I want to, in the way I know I need to. I’m launching this Substack because I have found it difficult to get through the argyle-sweater, pointy iron gates of traditional media. This is especially true with the limited physical and mental energy Long Covid imposes. I’m here because I want more control over my work and my voice. There is undeniable value in traditional media, but I know that emerging platforms likes this are changing journalism, giving writers more independence with what they want to write and how they want to write it. It’s reciprocal, too, giving readers the agency of choosing who they want to subscribe to and what journalists and writers they want to support.
Similar to my former pieces published in other media outlets, here, I plan to share some reporting, the latest research findings I find interesting and push our understanding of Covid-19 and Long Covid forward. I will also write about my unique experience as journalist and Long Covid patient, and in essays on disability, politics, economic and policy implications of this illness in America.
In the “before times,” I might’ve scoffed at doing something outside the realm of that well-known, treaded-out media path. Times have changed—and so have I. If two years of illness has taught me anything, it’s the significance in trying something new, flexibility, and doing what you can with what you have now.
What kind of community I’m looking to build.
We already know that the confines of our illness in the Long Covid, ME/CFS and post-viral illness community has forced us to create online communities in digital spaces like Twitter, Slack and Reddit. I’m looking to continue to build and strengthen that community here.
Thank you for being on this journey with me! A new piece will be published shortly.
Thank you for being a voice! I am happy you're doing this, I'll follow and hopefully be able to help build, too.
--Mike
@LongHaulerBear
Sad that the mainstream narrative is so dismissive of Long Covid, and I'm grateful you're using your platform to advocate and go direct. Excited to follow along!